Forgotten Scars

Donica woke up suddenly. She could hear Rigo and his "boys" climbing up the stairs. Their loud laughter echoing off the chipped walls. She sighed and got up. She knew they were drunk by the sound of the "thuds" and "ughs" she heard. She assumed that each of them had fallen or slipped down the stairs at least twice each, Maybe more, she thought by the sixteenth thud.

She pulled on her white shorts and pulled on a tank top over her head. She watched the door as the lock turned and it opened. Rigo was the first to stumble in. Followed by Jonny and Ed, Rigo's right hand men. She rolled her eyes as she walked over to take their jackets.

"Thanks babe," Rigo said, sloppily kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah," She mumbled, keeping her eyes down. All she wanted was to go back to sleep.

She counted as men flooded in. There were twelve in all. She knew most of them and guessed that the ones she didn't know were customers or dealers.

"I want to introduce you all to Kitten," Rigo said, as he pulled her by her hip onto his lap.

"Hi," She said quietly as all the men eyed her and took in her features.

Donica was a blessed girl. She had natural big breasts and a well rounded posterior. Along with the rest of her fit body men always seemed to stare at her. That was a reason Rigo got into so many fights. Men always tried to grab her or whistle at her. Rigo never took it to lightly.

She was forced to stay up until seven A.M. with Rigo and his guests. Each men winked at her when Rigo wasn't looking. A few even snuck her their numbers. She glared at each of them. How dare they!, She thought.

After each of the men had left, aside from Jonny and Ed and a few others, who lived with them, had gone to bed, Rigo grabbed Donica by her wrist angrily. Though Rigo could be violent, he had never once put a hand on her. Little did she know, that all was bout to change in the next couple weeks.

"Donica! I saw how you flirted with all of them! How dare you think you could get that past me!" He growled at her.

"I didn't," She whined.

"Don't play that with me! I saw you, Donica!" He tightened his grip on her wrist.

She whimpered, "You're hurting me."

"This?! I'm not hurting you at all! This is hurting you!" He grabbed her by the neck and squeezed then he threw her down on the ground.

"R-Rigo..," She looked up at him, horrified.

"I have let many things slide with you! Especially after everything that happened before we got together! But not anymore will I let this slide! I am now realizing that you are nothing but a dirty whore!" He yelled.

"No! I'm not!" She screeched at him, as she held her neck.

"You dare take that tone with me?!"

"N-no, I didn't mean to."

He stalked over to her, and with the tip of his boot, plunged it into her stomach. She gasped and held her stomach.

"Next time you think before you do!" He hollered before he walked away and slammed their bedroom door.

Tabatha, Jonny's girlfriend walked out of the bathroom and ran over to Donica. Tabatha was Donica's closest friend. She had known her ever since she got together with Rigo.

"Donica, are tu alright?" Tabatha's spanglish rang through Donica's ears.

"I think so."

"I heard the whole thing. I'm sorry mija." Tabatha seemed motherly to Donica, and she always seemed to make her feel better.

"It's alright, but Tabatha, I didn't do anything. You know that I am devoted to Rigo." She winced as Tabatha touched her stomach.

"Yo se mija. Yo se."

She knows...but why doesn't Rigo know?, Donica asked herself.

Tabatha lay Donica on the couch and covered her with a blanket.

"Hasta manana. Sleep well."

"Thank you Tabatha."

"No problema chica." Then Tabatha disappeared into Jonny's room.

As Donica lay there, she began to think about her past when a name popped into her mind. José. He was a man she had dated when she was younger but they broke up because of their age difference and because he moved farther away. But something he told her popped into her mind. He had told her "No matter what, whether we are broken up, or together, if you need me, and it's an emergency, I will come for you. No matter where I am, and I will take you far away from your problems. And that is a promise." She smiled and closed her eyes. Lost words of comfort, she thought.

The next day Donica stepped into the shower. She looked down where a big purple bruise accented her belly button and the area around it. She winced as she put her hand on it. She stood and let the warm water sooth the burning of the bruise. Then a loud knock on the door and her time was up. It was Ed's turn.

"Open the door!" Ed yelled.

"Just a second!" She yelled back.

"Okayyy, just hurry up!"

She shook her head and wrapped a towel around her body. She passed by Ed who glared at her. She laughed and walked into Rigo's room and grabbed some of her clothes. When she was done getting dressed, Rigo put his arms around her and hugged her.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Rigo," She answered automatically.

She twisted out of his arms and walked out the door and into the kitchen. Today it was her turn to make breakfast. She pulled out a large skillet and began cracking eggs. She threw bread in the toaster and put fresh jam on the table. Then she made pancakes.

"Thank you!" Everyone said as they sat down to eat.

When breakfast was done, Rigo put his jacket on.

"Where are you going?" She asked eagerly.

"I have a few packages to pick up. Also, we have someone who hasn't paid up this month."

She watched each of them grab AK-47's. He handed it to her and she loaded it.

"Here," She handed it to him.

"Thanks love." He kissed her cheek and left. Jonny and Ed following closely behind.

"How long do you think they will be gone?" Tabatha asked.

"I don't know," Donica shrugged.

It was two in the morning when they got back. Donica lay stretched out on the floor asleep. She rolled onto her side but didn't wake up when Rigo opened the door.

He stood over her smiling. He looked at Ed and Jonny. He gave them an ain't-she-cute look. They each nodded dumbly. He bent down to pick her up when a name escaped her lips.

"José..." She sighed.

Rigo's soft expression changed quickly. His eye brows arched and he looked at Jonny who nodded in response.

Donica woke up to sharp pains where her ribs were located. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Jonny and Ed kicking her. She got up slowly on all fours after the beating stopped to be kicked harder and she fall back. She thought she heard a crack from her ribs. Rigo stood watching with a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. A tear fell down her cheek as Rigo walked away.

"W-what did I do?" She yelled at him.

"You still desire the one I saved you from! That disgusting José, pig! Maybe this will teach you who really cares for you!"

For the next few days and weeks, that is how her evenings continued. If she even muttered the name José, she got beaten. By the the next month, she had many long dark purple and blue bruises across her back and stomach. Her lip had been busted when Rigo pushed her against a wall. Finger prints matching Rigo's draped themselves around her neck. Her ankle had been sprained and a few cuts on her back from knives. Rigo had gotten so violent, she could barely recognize him. Let alone herself with all the cuts a bruises.

She had finally had it after she had just been beaten again. Rigo had left and imprint of his fist on her left cheek, a cut on the side of her eye brow, and the back of her head was bleeding from the corner of the coffee table.

When Rigo left she called for Tabatha who rushed in with bandages. She bound her bleeding stomach wounds and helped her change he bloodied clothes.

"Bring me the phone Tabatha. I'm calling for José. He promised."

She dialed a familiar number and his sister gave her his new number. His deep, dark, familiar voice answered. It brought tears to her eyes.

"J-José..." She began sobbing.

"Donica? Is that you?"

"A long time ago...Y-you promised to come for me if anything happened. If it was an emergency...Come for me José...I need you."

"What is the emergency? Why are you crying?"

"M-my boyfriend...he beats me because I say your name in my sleep...I can't even see my back of stomach anymore..there are to many cuts and bruises. And the strangle marks on my neck...Please come for me...Will you?" She cried harder.

"Yes. Where are you?"

"Arizona."

"That will take me about a day and a half. Can you wait that long?"

"For you, yes. Call me when you arrive and call me around this time at this number. He wont be here."

"I'm leaving right now. I'll be there soon, just promise me to hold on."

"P-promise...my love..." She hung up the phone and smiled at Tabatha.

"What happened?" Tabatha questioned.

"He still loves me...He's coming for me. I just have to wait a day and a half and then he will come for me."

"At least one of us will get out of this hell hole. Just promise to live for the both of us Donica."

"Promise." They linked pinkies and smiled.

Donica counted the hours as they passed by. Rigo didn't suspect a thing, even when she slept she didn't mention José in or out of sleep. The next following night. Rigo and his friends left. Donica smiled and kissed Rigo .

"That's more like it." Rigo commented before he shut the door.

"Sure is." She said.

Quickly she started pulling off her shorts and shirt. She pulled on her favorite pair of jeans. The ones that complimented her posterior. She also pulled on a short sleeved, black, tight shirt. She slid into her Nike shoes. She quickly smeared on some lip gloss and a bit of eyes shadow. The bruise on her face seemed to be fading slightly.

Tabatha walked in with a bag full of everything Donica would need. She handed her seven hundred dollars.

"I know it's not much, but it's all I have right now. I hope it helps."

"Thank you Tabby. You have been my best friend through everything. I feel bad for leaving you."

"Don't be. I'll be leaving as well. In the next month. I'll have to look you up." She laughed.

The phone started going off.

"Hello?"

"I'm outside."

"'Kay, I'll be there in a minute."

"I'll be waiting, and hurry."

She looked at Tabatha.

"Go get your real man. I'll be fine Donica."

Donica smiled and closed the door behind her. She flew down the stairs and looked around outside. A tall man with light tan skin and light honey eyes stood in front of a black BMW. His eyes met hers and he smiled a pure white smile.

She squealed and though it hurt, she ran to him and through her arms around him and wrapped her legs around him. As he held her up from under her.

"It's good to finally see you Donica."

Though they had once dated for two years, they had never seen each other. Pictures and such, long talks on the phone. But never seeing each other and the reason was their age difference. He was four years older and they had dated from when she was fourteen to when she was sixteen. He being eighteen to twenty. Now she was eighteen and he was twenty-two.

"It's great to see you as well. You have no idea of how many times I dreamed of you."

"I'm sure I could guess." She giggled as he set her down.

"After you." He held the car door open for her.

"Thank you." She threw her bag in the back seat.

He kept looking over at her.

"That bruise on your cheek, is that a hand?"

"Yeah..." She looked away.

"Anything else I should know about?"

"Umm..." She pulled her hair up to reveal her bruised neck.

"Ohh Donica."

Then she pulled up her shirt and began removing the bandages. Dried blood clung to her sides, and the bruises shone from the car light.

"Babe..." Was all he could say.

"It's not as bad as you would think. Heh." She tried to laugh but winced and put her shirt back down.

"You look so bad."

"I think one of my ribs are broken...Or maybe a few are. I'm not sure."

He shook his head.

"I never should have left you."

"I know." She commented.

They drove for hours and she eventually fell asleep. When she woke up, they were in a hotel. She looked up at the ceiling and thought to herself. He wont leave me now. Not again. So I guess that I finally get my happy ending. She looked over at his sleeping face and kissed his lips lightly. His body responded and he kissed her back holding her gently to his warm body. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"I love you, Donica. And I will never let you go. Ever."

"I love you as well." She kissed him again and smiled.

Happily ever after, She laughed to herself.