Escaping Trouble

by Dee Bridle

  Her dyed red hair was like a beacon amongst the college crowd.

  “Gotta go,” I said, ending the call.

  I headed over to her, even though my next class was in the opposite direction. I hadn’t planned on speaking to her today, and I had no idea why my legs were leading me over to her. I reached her to see her walking with her head down and ear buds in her ears. She looked pissed with the world as she strode towards her next class, unaware of anyone around her. I didn’t touch her, just in case she turned and took a swipe at me, so I started to walk beside her instead.

  “Hey.”

  She stopped for a moment and looked at me, first in shock and then with another emotion that I couldn’t quite decipher. I didn’t have time to work that one out before I saw her split lip.

  “What the fuck?”

  She looked away from me and continued to walk, this time faster.

  A little shocked at her injury, I followed her, suddenly wanting to know a lot more. How had that happened between midnight and now? Had someone gotten fresh? Had she been mugged? I determinedly stepped in front of her, walking backwards.

  “What happened to you?” I asked, leaning down for a better look.

  “Ever heard of minding your own business?” she stated defiantly without meeting my eyes.

  I continued to walk backwards in her path and tried a different tack. “What are you listening to?”

  She let out a frustrated sigh and said, “If I tell you, will you go away?”

  “Probably not.”

  She rolled her eyes and kept walking.

  “Are you not telling me, because it’s a boy band?” I asked.

  I was sure her lip curled slightly before she hid it.

  “The Ruiner, actually.”

  I cocked my eyebrow and slowed down my steps.

  “I’m impressed.”

  “I don’t care,” she returned, trying to walk around me.

  I let her this time, watching her walk away, her tight jeans doing wonders for her legs and ass. A little perplexed but even more interested, I caught up to her again and fell into step beside her.

  “So what happened with the lip?”

  She ignored me.

  “You part of a secret fight club?” I continued, with a smirk.

  She pulled her ear buds out in frustration and answered, “Yeah, I am, come any closer, and I’ll kick your ass.”

  I chuckled quietly to myself, enjoying the conversation with her immensely. Not only was she hot and a smart ass, but she was tough too. But obviously not tough enough if she let someone do that to her last night.

  She kept walking, and I knew we were probably seconds from her destination. I didn’t want the conversation to end.

  “See, I’d know if you were in a fight club,” I said next.

  She glanced over to my arms and then my hands and then looked away.

  “You fight?”

  I put my hands in my pockets and said, “When the need arises.”

  She was quiet, but her steps had slowed slightly, and we walked together at a more even pace.

  “If you need me to hurt the person who did that to your lip, just say the word,” I said next.

  She stopped and turned to look at me, her green eyes full of fire and something else I couldn’t work out. Disbelief?

  “Why would you even bother to do that?”

  I shrugged and said, “Cause someone who hits a defenseless girl with a face that beautiful needs something done to them.”

  She huffed, her eyes bright with fire and said, “Why would you think I’m defenseless? Maybe he’s now missing a limb or something.”

  “So it was a he,” I said, feeling anger at whoever he was.

  I would pummel his face in if I found him.

  She shook her head.

  “How about you just leave me alone?” she said turning away.

  “Why? When we can have delightful conversations such as this one?” I returned with a smile.

  “Whatever,” she mumbled, heading over to the library doors.

  “Hey, Ivy,” I called out.

  She stopped at the main doors but didn’t turn around.

  “All I need is his name, and I’ll make sure it never happens again.”

  She stuck her middle finger up at me and then disappeared into the library. I laughed to myself as I rubbed my chin with my fingers, liking her wildfire spirit. I smirked at the thought of the challenge that had disappeared through those doors.

  I pulled my phone out and called Zac.

  “Get as much information on her as you can.”

  Ivy

  I reread the same line in the book in front of me three times before I sighed in frustration. I scribbled out the words in my notebook and wanted to scrunch the paper up. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I had been sitting here for an hour now, and I hadn’t gotten anywhere with my homework. The library closed at seven o’clock and then I would go straight to the bar to work. The more I could stay away from my mother and Rick, the better off I would be.

  My thoughts drifted to Noah again, and I put my pen down and held my head in my hands. He had turned my brain to mush with one conversation. Was he really part of a fight club? There was a part of me that would have loved to have told him about Rick, just to see what he could do for me. But that wasn’t me. I didn’t rely on anyone to fight my battles or help me out. I was alone, and I could do it all, just like I had been doing for years. I had the determination to be different from my mother, and every day at college took me a step further away from her and her way of life.

  Noah was a distraction I didn’t need, even if he was the hottest guy I had ever set my eyes on. I could already see that he was a powerful force, totally capable and very comfortable in his own tattooed skin. I secretly liked that he wanted to help me, because it made a nice change from any of the other guys who had been in my life. They had all wanted something but had nothing to give in return.

  By seven o’clock, I was walking out of the library and heading to the main street to catch a tram. I put my ear buds back in and listened to The Ruiner while I waited for my tram. I smiled a little at the thought of Noah liking my music tastes and then quickly got annoyed with myself and scowled for the rest of the night.

  At the sight of the bruise on my face and the split lip, Lou demanded that I stay in the office upstairs tonight. He had his sister staying with them at the moment from interstate, otherwise he would have offered me his couch.

  In the early hours of the morning, I lay in the darkened office, on the old dusty couch. It was against an old cracked window, with peeling paint around the edges of the wooden frame. It gave me a chance to look up at the stars in the sky, taking a moment for myself in the silence.

  I wondered what was in store for me, what was written in the stars. Would I survive and eventually find a happily ever after? Or was I doomed to a hard life full of assholes and despair?

  I just wanted some silence and my freedom. I wanted to relax with good friends and sit and have a beer together. I wanted a soft bed and safety. I hated that all these normal things that everyone around me took for granted were so far from my grasp.

  The reason came a minute later via a text message on my phone.

  Mum: Where r u?

  I looked at the message, over and over, knowing I wouldn’t respond. She could care less right now whether I was on the streets or dead in a dumpster. She wanted money. Her needs were that basic. And I hated her for it.

  Noah

  “She’s trying her hardest to keep a low profile,” frowned Zac as he sat down on my couch. “Everything has led me to a dead end—literally. She’s down as Ivy Emily in her college records, but the birth certificate used for her application is clearly a fake. Someone, like me, has deleted her identity, because she exists nowhere. I traced one particular document back, and it led me to an Emily Heatherton. But the only Emily Heatherton on record was born in Kew and died in a car accident when she was twelve.”

&
nbsp; With a frown, I asked, “What about family details and emergency contacts?”

  “There are no family details, all unknown, including any address details. She doesn’t exist,” said Zac.

  “No address at all?” asked Ava as she passed the take-out boxes around to everyone with a pair of chopsticks each.

  “She can’t be homeless,” I said.

  “The only address on her college application is a postal address, which is owned by Lou, who just happens to be security at the Bedford Hotel.”

  “Her phone?” I asked.

  “Obviously stolen and prepaid,” replied Zac starting to eat.

  “Got yourself an interesting one there,” said Will with a mouth full of noodles. “She’s obviously hiding from something big.”

  “She just doesn’t exist in the system, and the cash she gets paid must be kept wherever she’s living or on her,” said Zac.

  “The whole thing sounds like a total headfuck to me. I know she’s hot, but are you sure you want to pursue her?” asked Will, taking a long swig of his beer.

  I leaned back on the couch with a loud sigh, my noodles forgotten.

  “Man, I don’t know. There’s just something about her. I can’t explain it,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “From the time we left her last night until this morning, she had been hurt by some fucker. She’s got a split lip and a bruised cheek. I want to get my hands on the guy who did it and hurt him.”

  Everyone was quiet for a moment, not used to seeing me like this. I never got caught up on a girl.

  I shrugged and said, “I don’t know, but maybe I can help her?”

  “You need to be sure about this,” murmured Zac, moving his chopsticks in and out of his noodles. “It might not be as easy as just helping her. It could all be pretty complicated, and she might not want any help.”

  “I know,” I said.

  “But you can try,” said Ava, ever the optimist. “What do you have to lose?”

  Chapter Three

  Ivy

  I stepped out of my lecture and swung my bag over my shoulder with a grimace. It was getting heavier with the more things I carried around.

  I made sure to leave early this morning, through the office window, before the owner had arrived. I hadn’t heard anything more from my mother last night and hoped it stayed that way.

  I headed to the library to return some books, only wishing that I had a car to store things or a locker like in high school. I walked across the grassy patch and heard my name being called. As I looked up, I realized it was the girl from the other night. It was Noah’s friend, Ava. I nodded in her general direction and kept walking.

  “Hey, there,” she said coming up beside me.

  “Hey,” I murmured back, not looking at her, hoping she would leave me alone.

  “What have you got in that bag?” she laughed. “It sure looks heavy.”

  I carry around my entire life, because my mother goes through everything and steals my things.

  “Just…stuff,” I said instead.

  “Have you had lunch yet?” she asked walking alongside me.

  “No,” I said as my stomach grumbled at the thought.

  I tried to remember the last time I had eaten something. The fact that I couldn’t remember was obviously why I felt so hungry. I hated the hunger, and the feeling of my stomach acids eating away at the lining of my stomach. I had slowly learned to ignore it, until the idea of food reminded me that I needed it to survive.

  “I’m heading over to the cafeteria now if you want to come with?” she asked.

  I frowned, not knowing why she would even be asking me to join her in the first place. We had talked once, at the bar. Friends, we were not.

  “I’m going to the library,” I said curtly.

  “Oh, okay,” she said with a relaxed smile. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ll save you a seat.”

  I continued to frown as she walked away from me, without another glance back. I wondered if Noah had put her up to it, but then why would he even bother? If he wanted to talk to me, he had no issue with coming up to me. Yesterday proved that. I watched her disappear into the crowd, her shiny black hair curling around her shoulders as she walked confidently towards the cafeteria.

  I felt weird and a little confused, because their supposed sincerity felt strange to me. I was not used to someone caring, or inviting me for lunch. I wanted to accept it at face value, but I knew it was probably being done because they thought I was a charity case. I hated that. Hated it more than my life. I didn’t want pity. I just wanted everyone to leave me the fuck alone.

  I would not even entertain the idea of anything with Noah. I was a nobody, trying to get off the loser train and change my life. I had no time for a gorgeous boy with a knowing smirk. Or for a friendship with a girl who had no business trying to get to know me with her friendly eyes.

  I went inside the library and returned some books, considerably lightening my bag. Not having a laptop or internet access really sucked sometimes. I stopped at a desk and then heard my stomach grumble loudly again. Maybe I needed to go and get some food. I knew I should be saving every dollar I earned, but I had to eat.

  My dreams of saving up and moving out on my own, living my own life, would have to wait one more day. I thought of the assignments that I had to complete, and not having the luxury of doing them at home at the end of the day like everyone else. Due to my living conditions and my job, all my work was completed on the library computers.

  My stomach rumbled again as if on cue, making the decision for me to eat as I left the library. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to sit with Ava. There was something I instinctively liked about her, but without getting to know her, I didn’t know what it was. She was gorgeous but didn’t flaunt it like the other girls around here.

  My phone vibrated with a message.

  Mum: Need money now – we will come and get it

  I panicked. I don’t have any! I haven’t been paid yet

  Mum: Stop fucking around with me Ivy – I need cash

  I let out a frustrated sigh. I’ll tell you when I get paid

  Mum: Better be tonight otherwise Rick is kicking you out

  I rolled my eyes at my mother’s words, knowing she didn’t have a maternal bone in her body. She would choose her loser boyfriend and drugs over her only daughter without a thought.

  I felt the dark, dank weight of my life return on my shoulders and stopped heading towards the cafeteria. Who was I kidding? Why would Ava want to have lunch with me? It was all so pointless.

  Someone bumped into me, mumbling a sorry as my phone dropped to the grass in front of me. I felt like stomping on the thing, so she could never reach me. I wanted to disappear from her altogether, so she could stop ruining my life.

  I picked the phone back up and walked towards the cafeteria in anger. Maybe I could go in there and pretend for ten minutes that my life didn’t really fucking suck.

  I saw Ava as soon as I stepped inside and noticed that she did have a chair free beside her with her bag on it. She was talking to another girl who had a guy sitting with her. There was no sign of Noah. I went and bought some lunch and then headed over to her.

  She was texting someone on her phone as I reached the table, but she stopped mid-text and with a smile moved her bag.

  “Guys, this is Ivy,” she said going back to her text.

  “Hey,” they both said engrossed in talking to each other.

  I sat down and dropped my bag to the floor beside me and started to eat in silence. This was going against everything that I had planned, but my mother’s words had angered me. I didn’t want to think about it all right now. I wanted to eat my chicken roll and try not to think of how I would be a shit friend if that was what Ava was offering.

  She would run a mile if she knew where I came from. The latest model phone in her hand and her pristine black nail polish proved it. I had nothing to give, nothing to take. I would be a shit friend.

  A diamond ring spa
rkled on her finger for a moment, and I wondered if it was actually real. What the hell was I doing here? I felt like scum and suddenly wondered if my mum was right in that I belonged in her world now. I looked at my ringless fingers with the chewed nails and then back at her ring and wanted to get up and leave.

  Ava must have noticed me looking at her hand, and she put her phone down with a smile.

  “Zac bought it for me. It’s like a star burning at all hours of the day and night,” she said with an unpretentious laugh.

  I nodded and continued to eat in silence.

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” she asked.

  Yeah, sure. I was a perfect catch.

  “No,” I answered softly.

  “Who can be bothered with boyfriends. They’re all a pain in the ass,” said the girl across from us.

  “No worries, ‘one night Sally,’” chuckled the guy across from me, taking me in suddenly, like he had only really just seen me. “So, Ivy, what’s your story?”

  I looked down to my roll, away from his flirting eyes.

  “No story; just here eating my lunch,” I returned coolly.

  “Don’t even think about it, Craig,” murmured Ava.

  He put his hands up, and said, “I’m just being friendly.”

  “She’s having lunch with me, not you.”

  “She doesn’t have a boyfriend. I can talk to her,” said Craig. “So, are you new here?” he asked.

  “No,” I said.

  “Why haven’t I seen you around then?”

  Ava groaned and said, “What he’s saying is, you’re really hot and why haven’t I tapped that yet?”

  Craig threw a wrapper at her, saying, “Butt out! Someone sounds jealous.”

  “Oh, please, no one in the world comes even close to what I have waiting for me at home. If you think I’m jealous, you’re clearly delusional.”

  Sally hi-fived Ava across the table and laughed.

  I continued to eat. Hot? Yeah, right. Craig looked the type to tap anything that moved and had made it part of his class timetable, in between football and parties. I knew his type, knew they were only after one thing, and would say or do anything to get it. But, at least, he was hopefully open and honest about it and didn’t force himself onto me like some guys did.