The Hidden Truth (Different Ending)

The truck skidded to a stop, as I threw the door open. I sprang out of the seat in a second swiftly walking off. I could feel the sweat starting to pick up on my neck. I could feel the fear in my gut. "And where are you going?" Cole demanded. I swung my head around looked him straight in the eyes and growled  "Anywhere that isn't here"

three months earlier

In the corner of my room hunched in a ball crying is my normal Friday night. I hate parents and how I have to be the perfect daughter. Instead of hanging with friends, I study still I get headaches and can't think straight. Instead of cleaning my room, I help my dad with organizing his office or help my mom in the kitchen. Yet, they are never happy with me, always complaining and telling me I do this and that wrong. I roll over to lay on the floor, tears wetting the floor as I drift off to sleep. 

 I jumped up from a dream. I look around dazed for a split of a second and realize I'm on the floor. I get up as I make my way to my closet. I'm done being a perfect little daughter; I'm going to a party! I get ready, and I'm out of the house in minutes. I get to the party and walk up the steps. Before I have the chance to knock, a girl stumbles out. She looks at me, smiles and hands me the red plastic cup from her hand. I peer in and smell the liquid sloshing in the cup. I plug my nose, tilt my head down and drink the rest of what's left. I throw it in the bush and make my way inside.

Alcohol takes away all the pain; it rushes through my veins and puts everything to ease. I feel alive and wanted; I feel the beat of the music, spin in a circle and tilt my head, looking at the lights. I don't have a care in the world as I close my eyes and imagine it always like this. I then feel the chair, my feet going out from me, I close my eyes and get ready for the hard tile floor, the searing pain, but instead I feel the warm arms close around my waist. I look up into deep green eyes and a smile that's perfect to the touch, "My name's Cole and you are?" I thought that was the beginning to my happily ever after fairy tail, but it turns out to be the beginning of a nightmare. 

Two months earlier

I sat at my vanity, picking through my lipsticks not deciding, which one to choose. Whenever I hang with Cole it takes me hours to get ready, I want to be looking my best when I'm around him. I laugh to myself and can't stop thinking about those eyes. He is perfect in every little way I can ever imagine. Those freckles dotting his face like angel kisses. The little wisps of hair curled at the end. There's a knock on the door, I forget the lipstick, jump from my seat and half way throw myself down the stairs. I swing the door open and jump into his arms hugging him. He pulls away and smiles, "let's get out of here Dixie, just the two of us!" 

The way, he puts his arms around me at the parties, making sure to make others jealous of what the two of us have. I like the idea that I have him all to myself, and I don't have to share. I never leave his side, and he never leaves me. Throughout the night, he smiles at me like I'm his everything, and I swear I'm going to marry him. We belong together; our souls were made for each other. 

One month earlier

Cole will be here in less than 30 minutes, and I still have not gotten out of bed. I slowly move the covers and take my hair out of my messy bun. I grab a pair of sweats and my favorite hoodie. I vaguely remember the way I look because of Cole, when I dress in anything other than sweats. I'm known as a slut to him and want other guys all over me. I make it half way down the stairs before I realize I should wear Cole's hoodie. If I don't, then he will get upset. I trudge up the stairs and change hoodies. I open the door and walk out to his truck, taking in a deep breath of the crisp air. 

Cars are lined up on the gravel roads stretching over a half mile from the party. Cole parks the truck and we walk up to the party with no words. As we make our way inside he grabs two beers and hands one to me. He gives me a little smirk and a wink, so I force a smile back. We go to the living room finding a place to sit, and he puts his hand on my back. I cringe at the thought. We take a seat, and Cole asks, "Go get another cup, we're gonna need one soon." I nod and start my way over to the table. I grab the red cups and turn around to leave as I bump into someone. "Hey, I'm Matt, I see you at these parties all the time, how are you?" I take a sip of the beer, "I'm Dixie, I..." I feel a hand grasp my shoulder and pull me back. The beer that was in the cups is now running down my hair and drenching my hoodie. "Dixie, I'm tired of it, stop flirting with another guy... And excuse me who gave you the right to talk to my girl, don't test me because before you know it, you will be a dead man." Matt puts his arms up in surrender and shakes his head as he walks off. 

Cole is halfway pulling me out the door before I have the chance to drop the cups. I pull away and give him a look of disgust. "Don't you give me that look, you know damn well what you did in there, get in the truck now!" I wipe a tear away as I climb in, and look out the window the rest of the night.

I wake up to my alarm, but turn it off and toss my phone in my hamper. I turn over in bed and draw the covers up over my head. I'm not going to school today; I can't handle it. I grab the pill bottle next to my nightstand and take a couple. My eyelids start to feel heavy, and I fall back asleep. 

I'm running down the street trying to get away. He won't let me go; he backhand slapped me across the jaw. I feel arms shaking me awake. I look up into those beautiful green eyes and smile for a second; I am awoken by my prince. Suddenly, I snap back into reality and realize he is the one I was running away from in the dream. I look up at him, "What time is it, what are you doing here," I lay my head back down on the covers. "Mhm, you always tell me where you're at Dixie, I called you 21 times and never got a response. I told you once, don't make me tell you twice; you tell me what you're doing 24-7. Damn you my girlfriend, I deserve to know you're faking a cold just to stay home." I pull the covers over my head and roll my eyes. He lifts them back and smiles at me, the smile that first fell in love with him in the first place. Again, I smile back as he reaches in for a kiss.

Again, I am getting ready to hang with Cole tonight. I decided to actually take time and find a cute outfit; I deserve to dress the way I want. I turn my music up and sing along as I fix my make-up. I hear him honk from down below, and I make my way to his truck. I flash him a smile and hop in, hoping for a better night. Instead of going to a party, he finally switched things up and took me to a restaurant. "Nice outfit for today, I have a little present just to top that outfit off for you." Cole pulls out a small felt box from Kay Jewelers. He opens it with that smile of his and inside the box is a set of dazzling emerald earrings, my birthstone. I gasp in awe and fall for him all over again. After dinner, he takes me to the bridge for a walk to see the lights of the city. I'm so happy for tonight, because it takes me back to the guy I fell in love with, maybe he has changed for the better. We are standing on the bridge and peer down at the shimmering water hand in hand. He turns me around to face him and reaches in for a kiss. We walk back to the truck after a while to turn on the heat. He turns the engine on and starts down main street. I giggle "Cole, thanks for tonight, it's been the best." Cole slowly tilts his head and peers in my eyes. He chokes back on his words, and I can see his fits clench the steering wheel, his face redden, and his eye twitches. "What about all the other times, I sacrificed and gave you everything! You just turn around like everything else is nothing and throw it in the dirt." I turn and face him, "I should have known better; you twist all my words around." His hand leaves the wheel and reaches for my neck. "You ungrateful bitch" I try to pull them away, but he's just too strong. I don't know how long his hands were around my neck, but it seemed like minutes. He stomped on the break in the middle of the deserted road.

The truck skidded to a stop, as I threw the door open. I sprang out of the seat in a second swiftly walking off. I could feel the sweat starting to pick up on my neck. I could feel the fear in my gut. "and where are you going?" Cole demanded. I swung my head around, looked him straight in the eyes and growled  "Anywhere that isn't here."

Cole grabs the side of the truck and I can hear him take in a deep breath. He trots over to me and wraps me in his arms, "Baby; I didn't mean it like that. You know that, I'm just a knucklehead. Your mine and I could never let you go; I love you." I relax my shoulders and put my body to ease; there is no getting away from him, he will always be around controlling me. I close my eyes, lean into his embrace and smell him, trying to remember the first time. He guides me back to the truck and holds the door open for me, as he closes the door a tear falls down my cheek. With the pink-streaked sky in the rear-view mirror, we drove off towards the country road, to the first place I met him: the party.