I woke slowly, furious at whoever was hitting my head with a hammer. As my heavy eyes parted, I saw there was no person, nor any hammers, in sight. Ignoring the pain, I gazed around a room that was vaguely familiar. Sunlight was slanting through the windows at an odd angle for this hour and the familiar warm brightness of a summer afternoon alerted me to the fact that it was not morning at all.
The sudden realization of where I was rocked me like a hurricane, intensifying the pain in my head and twisting my stomach until it spilled its contents onto the polished floor.
“Bridget! Oh good, you’re awake. I was afraid you had alcohol poisoning.” Ben’s relieved face sent another wave of nausea through me, and I heaved over the side of the bed.
“What the - Ah.” My hand flew to my pounding head and I eased back onto the soft pillow. He put a wet facecloth on my forehead, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder and a few tiny pills in my palm.
“Here, sweetie. These will help the headache.” He proffered a glass of water, but I dry swallowed them anyway, furious but in too much agony to do anything.
“How the hell did I get back here?” I hissed through clenched teeth. He shrugged, an amused look crossing his face.
“It wasn’t as difficult as you may think. I knew the direction you were going in and figured you would stop at the nearest town, so I just drove around there until I found you. Although it did give me a scare when you came passed out in the arms of another man.” Ben paused, remembering. “He was a sweet boy -”
“Was?!” My eyes widened and I could feel the horror radiating off me. He laughed, patting my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, he’s fine. Convincing him I was your father was a simple task.”
The hangover was suddenly not the only source of my headache as I glared at my captor.
“You’re despicable.” I spat. It didn’t seem to faze him.
“I was worried about you, naturally.” He continued, ignoring me. “But I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to go get drunk with a random guy at some dumpy bar. What were you thinking?”
I snorted. “You do sound like a father. The only difference is that what I do is none of your damn business.”
He sighed, changing the topic again. “Bridget, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you’d be that upset.”
I closed my eyes, trying to process how one person could be so delusional. “You didn’t know I would be that upset…after you murdered my stepmother and drugged my Aunt?! You’re insane!” I could barely hear myself over the pounding behind my temples, but the medicine seemed to be beginning its effects.
“I thought you’d be happy! About Ana, that is. Ariel was a minor bump in the road, but she’s fine now.”
“I want to go live with her.” There was a long pause, and I thought he was considering it.
Wishful thinking.
“No. She’s not good with kids.” His face was tight now, and I wondered how I could have fallen back into this trap so quickly.
“And you are?” He cringed slightly, and I was fed up with the weak way he responded to my words.
“Just…give me a chance, Bridget. I promise I’m not as terrible as you think.” His eyes were pleading and I happily closed my own.
“I gave you a chance, and you committed three different acts of felony.”
“No more, I give you my word.” He was resolute, as if this promise repaired previous damages.
“That’s not how it works.” My words were icicles, cold and sharp, piercing him with every syllable. I didn’t care. I was done.
“I – I…” He stared off into the distance, sighing. “You need some breakfast.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, empty stomach growling beneath the sheets.
“If you drug me again, I swear to god …”
“I already promised I wouldn’t.” A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he stole away into the kitchen.
I groaned, feeling the excruciating effects of the most ruinous mistake of my life. Not only was I suffering from a horrific hangover, I was back to where I started with Ben. Only this time, there was no stepmother to draw us off campus. This time, I was returning, back after losing the sweetest freedom I had experienced. My brain began to slam me with “I should haves”. I should have gone straight to Ariel’s house. I should have stayed away from that bar…I should have stayed away from that boy…
Reflecting on the past events, from Ana’s lapses to mine, I resolved never to touch another drop. Not as long as I lived. The thought of liquor made my stomach churn and I gasped for breath between the dry heaves.
“Here, this should help settle you a little.” Ben smiled warmly, placing a plate of toast and eggs on my lap. The pills were doing their job and I was able to sit up with minimal pain. This was also done with minimal noise, and silence fell heavily upon us. Finishing quickly, I sat back against the pillow, noticing for the first time how disgusting I was.
“I need a shower.”
“Go ahead.” He paused, smirking. “You’ll find the window to be quite secure.”
I was too weak to escape anyway, and cautiously rose from the mattress. My head spun like crazy. Picking an outfit from my new wardrobe, I ignored the careful way that Ben was appraising me and made it to the bathroom without falling.
The window was indeed very secure, with metal bars criss-crossing the frame. I switched on the shower, uncomfortable with how calm and mundane this was, as if this was just a normal day in my life. Shuddering at the thought, I stepped in and let the warm water spill over me. Dirt and dried blood swirled around me, running like tiny rivers toward the drain.
The shower revived me, melting away the dirt and sweat caked onto my body as well as refreshing my senses. I pulled on the clothes and stepped out into the hallway.
“Bridget!” Ben’s voice made me start, my heart leaping out of my chest.
“Jesus, Ben, you almost gave me a heart attack.” I muttered, dumping my dirty clothes in a tall wicker hamper.
He laughed. “Sorry. I need your help.”
“No.”
“Just look.” He lifted up his sleeve, exposing a nasty wound that I faintly recognized as the kitchen knife cut from earlier. I crinkled my nose in disgust.
“Ugh, what did you do to it?” I kept trying to remind myself who I was dealing with, but it wasn’t in my nature to ignore something like this. It was a curse; I couldn’t help it.
He looked down sheepishly. “Nothing.”
“Ben! Did I not say to bandage it up? It’s probably infected now.” I trudged into the bathroom, digging through his medicine cabinet for some disinfectant. My emotions were fighting my nature as I continued to hate him while also taking care of him. It was a fatal contradiction for my once faded headache.
“What are you doing?” He peeked around the door frame and I waved a hand in his direction.
“Go sit down. Here.” I pulled out a bottle, some gauze, and a bandage, marching into the living room where he now sat. “Sit still. This is going to sting a little.”
I dabbed on the disinfectant and he winced, cursing under his breath. Holding on a bit of gauze, I stretched the bandage around his arm, finishing it off and appraising my work with secret pleasure.
“Thanks.” He gazed up at me, and I realized I had forgotten how crippling his eyes were. Turning away, I stalked toward the door. Ben shot up with a pained grunt, blocking my path.
“Excuse me?” I put my hands on my hips, glaring up at him.
“Where are you going?”
I paused. “I don’t know. I just need to go for a walk.”
“Here, I want to show you something.” He grinned, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to a door.
“Let go of me!” I wriggled in his grasp, unable to free myself. We stepped cautiously up an old set of stairs, and the musty smell of an attic alerted me to our location. “What are you doing?”
“Look.” He beamed, gesturing out the far window. I crept forward, gazing out onto a gorgeous overhead view of the garden.It took me a moment to realize that the blossoming life below carried a message. The sight gave me chills and I had to look away from the word spelled out in vibrant flowers.
BRIDGET.
If I didn’t get out soon, love would surely trap me again and I would spend the rest of my life in this house.
