Three: delicate and fragile

Temperance


I sit in the back of the class again. Everything is worse today, worse than the other day.


I haven't been to school in three days. I keep checking to make sure my hair covers the 
burn I have by my ear.


"Woah, are you ok? You look sick." I hear Alec.


"Do you have any Advil or literally any medicine?" I ask him in my raspy voice. I originally didn't wish to talk to him, and still don't, but if he has medicine, then it would be worth speaking a few words to this handsome guy.


He is a dangerous bully... Well, I don't really know about him being a bully. I have never 
witnessed him bully someone. But everyone says that he is in a gang. Everyone says he isn't afraid to beat anyone to a pulp if you mess with him.


So I really shouldn't be talking to him, but I really need some medicine at this moment.
He digs in his backpack and drops two pills from a pill bottle onto my hand.

I grab my water bottle and plop the pills into my mouth. With one sip, they are gone.


"Why are you covered in cuts, Flower?"
There's that stupid nickname again. He doesn't even know me, so he doesn't have the 
right to give me a nickname.


I look away from him and stay silent.

Good thing I’ve already swallowed the water or else it would be splattered everywhere from the pure shock of his words. 


*************************************

Alec

watch as her head rests on her hand. Little cuts linger around her neck and face. The 
bruise on her eye looks slightly better than it did the other day. At least that was a plus.


I sneak a look into her eyes. She's beautiful and her eyes too. But they are dull and 
lifeless.

There is no glow in them. They are empty. Almost as if she is a corpse walking, 
trying to fit in with people that are alive.


I sit up and turn to face her.


Why am I interested in her all of a sudden? Get a hold of yourself, asshole. Someone 
probably poisoned you, and now you're dying. This is just a result of that. Maybe I 
should check my pulse to make sure I'm alive.


I've never cared about anyone. ‭Ever‬. Aside from myself and my men.


I don't give a flying fuck about girls. Fuck them and kick them to the curb, literally.
But this girl. This girl is sitting in front of me. Temperance. Something is different about 
her. Something is pulling me in.


The fuck? I know nothing about her.

She glances at me and immediately looks away.


There is something up with her.


"Alec, Temperance, are you two talking?!" The teacher shouts. ‭How would the teacher ‬


even come up with that? My mouth isn't even open.


I watch Temperance's face. She looks like she is going into full panic mode.


"N-No, ma'am." She stutters, trying not to trip over her own words.


"Don't lie to me. Detention. Both of you." The dumb teacher smacks her hand on the 
desk.


I watch as Temperance's eyes change. They are full of fear.


Near the end of class, I hear her whispering something.


******************************************************************


Temperance


"He won't beat you. He won't hurt you. Just tell him that you stayed at school to do extra
work." I whisper, my fingers balling into fists as I try to hold back my unshed tears.


My heart is pounding. My mouth is dry. I break into a cold sweat, completely afraid of 
the dark hole that I am going to fall into.


"He won't hurt you. He won't hurt you." I console myself, trying to reassure myself.


As soon as the bell rings, I stand up, almost knocking my chair to the ground, ready to 
leave for my next class.


I feel someone grab my wrist, my heart skipping a beat in panic. I pull away, 
whimpering. I have bruises all up and down my arm from a monster. Every touch hurts.

“Flower, we need to talk." Alec stands up beside me.


I stare at him in fear.


Is he going to hurt me?


He looks at me with concern dripping off his facial features. 
I reluctantly follow him out of the classroom and down the hall into a janitor's closet.


He faces me and looks into my eyes. He is so much taller than me. He is maybe 6'2 
while I am only 5'2.


"Who's going to hurt you?" He asks.


I stand in place, as still as possible, confusion twisting my face. My eyes widen as I realize he heard me talking to myself earlier.


My breath hitches and I avert my eyes to the ground.


He steps closer to me, looking more intense. I can smell his cologne, minty with forest. I back 
up a step in fear and immediately slam into the wall behind me.

I wince in pain from the wall coming in contact with my wounds.


"Who is going to hurt you?" His voice is dangerously low.


My heartbeat is fast. I don't know what to do or what to say.


He slams his hands on the wall on either side of me, making me jump and tremble.


"Why concern yourself with me? You don't even know me." I whisper on the verge of 
tears, glaring at him. His angry facial features soften.


"Yknow what. Don't tell me. I don't care. I'll let you do whatever the fuck you want." And 
with that, he leaves the janitor's closet.

I sigh helplessly and slide down the wall. I pull my legs into my chest and wrap my arms
around them.


I can’t help but cry. I cry about everything.
About my mom dying.


About my father becoming abusive.


About Alec leaving.


I don't even know why I'm upset about that last one. But the truth is that I am. Maybe it's
because out of everyone, someone finally noticed I'm not okay from all these years.


I stand up and walk out of the janitor's closet, leaving my backpack on the ground.


I spot Alec and immediately start running towards him. "Alec," I yell. He turns around, 
his attention on me as I stop in front of him, my hands going to my knees so I can catch 
my breath.


"I'm s...sorry for saying t...t...that. I have a lot... going on." I explain, my words back to 
stammering.


"I might've been too harsh." He looks away from me, his hand rubbing the back of his 
neck, face scrunches up in embarrassment.
Within seconds of understanding each other, dizziness takes over me, my head feels light.


I feel like I can't stand, my legs wobbling, threatening to give out. I have black spots in my vision.


Then... The world around me goes black.


**************************************************************


Alec

I place the fragile girl on my bed and look at her, scanning her too skinny body.
After she fainted, I decided to take her to my house.

She needs rest after that hard fall.


When I picked her up, I noticed how light she was. Maybe 100 pounds. That's another 
thing I added to the list of suspicions.


"Ella!" I call for my maid.


"Yes, sir?" She appears at the doorway after patiently waiting in the hall for me.


"Please undress this girl and put her in something she could be comfortable in." I would love to do it myself, but I know that she would freak out. The last thing I want is a girl 
screaming my name... in a bad way.


I leave the room and walk into the main one.

The three guys I live with are sitting on the 
couch, presumably ditching school.


Ethan, Damien, and Zander.


"Who was that girl?" Ethan asks while placing a chip in his mouth.


"A friend," I reply bluntly, knowing Temperance and me definitely aren't close enough to be friends.


"Gonna fuck her?" Damien questions.


I roll my eyes and respond with no. Their mouths gape open as they look at me in 
shock.


"You don't ever let a girl in here unless it's to fuck." Damien states, like the idiot. I roll my
eyes and grit my teeth in annoyance.


"Sir." Ella taps my shoulder gently to get my attention. I turn around, growing tense 
when I spot the worried look on her otherwise delicate face. 


What is it?" I ask her.


"Her body is completely covered in scars, cuts, and bruises, new and old," Ella replies, 
her voice straining.


I feel my heart drop. I stand here in complete shock.

That's what she's hiding. I should've known. Lots of people in the gang come with wounds like that. All of them try to hide it. I should've realized the signs of hiding wounds, but I didn't.


I am angry. More than angry, I am ‭furious‬.


She's so delicate and fragile. Why would someone hurt a beautiful flower? A girl like her
would have nothing to do with the underbelly of society, right?


I look at my men behind me. Knowing they heard. "Zander, do a fucking background check on her," I order.