Chapter 3
Natura POV
I coughed, but the more I did, the more dust
piled up in my throat, choking me, cutting off my breath. Nearby, I heard
footsteps shuffling closer, I thought it was Sage. This wasn’t the first time
he’d thrown me out of his moving car. He’d done it plenty of times before, all
year round, and I couldn’t say I ever got used to it.
I wish I could get used to the pain; wish I
could become numb. So, when they hit me, or when they hurt me, I wouldn’t feel
a thing. But maybe I wasn’t born to be numb. Maybe I was born to feel every
ounce of suffering. After all, they say women are born to bear all the pain and
suffering.
“Sage?” My eyes were blinded by the harsh
sunlight. Maybe after this, I’d be blind for real. Between the hits at home,
the fights with my boyfriend, and now this, I was losing brain cells fast.
“Mhm… I don’t think Sage’s coming back
anytime soon. He seems pretty far gone.”
I groaned, hearing Dante’s voice nearby. She
chuckled softly, then sighed as I felt the heat leave my body. Slowly, I opened
my eyes. Her large figure overhung, over me like an umbrella, unaware she was
saving my life.
A tear slipped silently down my cheek. I
wiped it away and saw it was blood. I was probably bleeding everywhere.
“You don’t look so okay.”
“Are you judging me?”
“Lady, I’m asking if you’re okay.”
“What do you think?” I ground out through
clenched, aching teeth.
She chuckled, her boots tapping purposely
just inches from my neck. Was she going to step on my throat and end it all? wholeheartedly,
I hoped she would.
“I think you’re an idiot.”
“Well, you think you’re something, rich girl.
Because I think I’m stupid too.”
The heat burned at the back of my head. My
hair wasn’t thick enough to cushion my skull. I felt everything. Every last
fried brain cell sizzling on the pavement.
“Glad you know how stupid you are. Question.”
She crouched slowly, but even bent down, her frame still blocked the sun from
my face.
“What?”
“If you know you’re stupid—smart enough to
know you’re stupid—then why are you still doing stupid shit, Natura?”
“Fuck you!”
She held out a hand. I didn’t need her help.
Didn’t need anyone’s help.
“He’s coming back for me.” At least, I hoped
so. This time he had to know he was the one who was wrong. He had to come back.
“Has he ever come back for you? I’m pretty
sure the only time he comes near you is at the police station, checking if his
ass is fried or not.”
“Don’t talk about him!” I growled.
“Who made you bleed like this, Natura? And
who’s offering their hand now? Maybe you should be angry at the one who made
you bleed.”
“Well, I didn’t ask for a Samaritan.”
“Samaritans don’t wait to be asked. They help
naturally.”
“Well, I don’t need any help.”
“You’re badly hurt.”
Her hand stayed outstretched, but I looked
away—down the road.
He never came back.
I was always the one rolling over and helping
myself. I was always the one there for him.
I glanced back at her outstretched hand and
slapped it away, then rolled onto my side. I was late for work.
Slowly, I pushed myself to a standing
position.
“You’re stubborn,” she said.
“I know!” I snapped, starting to walk, though
each step sent a sharp stab of pain through me. I looked down the road, there
was still such a long way to go.
“Let me clean you up.”
“Fuck off!” I yelled, holding my head high,
determined to make it to work and figure things out from there. There was a
first-aid kit there—mostly for burns the cooks got, but I was the one who used
it most. Fanny kept it well stocked just for me.
“Take my help, Natura.”
“No!”
Suddenly, I felt myself falling, crashing
back onto the scorching pavement.
My body hung suspended just above the ground,
almost kissing the pavement. I looked up to see her gripping my wrist.
“I’ll just clean you up, drop you off, and we
probably won’t ever meet again.”
“That’s a lie.”
“What is?”
“We’ll see each other again.”
“Maybe. And I hope it’s when I’m locking you
up in that cell for good.”
I scoffed, trying to push her away, but my
strength had left me. I was weak.
“What, don’t like hearing about the cell?
Maybe you should stop hanging around the people who’re pushing you in there.”
“No one’s pushing me into anything. Let me
go. Why don’t you just throw me in that cell now, while I’m weak and
vulnerable.”
“I might,” she said quietly, “but I don’t
beat up weak things. Damaged goods aren’t my style. I just want to clean you
up, and then we never see each other again. And if we do, we act like nothing
happened.”
I stared off into the distance. I wasn’t
going to make it on my own. He wasn’t coming back for me. And this cop bitch
was my only hope. The worst kind of hope, but still hope.
“Where are you taking me? To the hospital?
I’m not going there. I don’t have health insurance.” Just a nurse’s visit to
check if I needed stitches would be three thousand dollars. Getting the
stitches? That would cost even more.
“No hospital. I’ll take you to my place.”
“Just take me to the diner.”
“I’m cleaning you up. Take my help and be on
your way.”
I looked at her police car. She led me to the
front seat, settling me in.
“Where do you live?”
“Sunnyvale.”
Of course she did. Typical.
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