Dominic

by L. A. Casey

  "I like aggressive bitches," Dominic grinned as he brought his bruised face to mine.

  "Get off me, now! Miss McKesson said you have to stay away from me!" I snapped.

  Dominic smiled and looked down to where his body was pressed against mine. "I'm thinking you're enjoying this, babe."

  I narrowed my eyes. "I'm not your babe, your possession, or your aggressive bitch. I'm nothin' to you, now let me go!"

  Dominic snorted. "Don't think too highly of yourself, babe. I wanted to get laid by the ice-cold bitch that roams these school's hallways. I wanted to see if the only bit of heat in you was located deep, deep in your pussy-"

  "You bastard! I hate you, get off me!" I hissed and tried to slap him, but he grabbed my hands with his.

  He rotated his pelvis into me, still grinning. "Give it a minute, I'll get you good and wet enough so I can smell-"

  "Oh my God, shut the fuck up!" I growled. "That was a mistake, you said so yourself so just forget it. Let go of me and stay the fuck away from me."

  Dominic laughed as he let me drop and watched me stumble a little. He stepped backwards and gestured me towards class with his hands. "I like messing around with you too much to stay away from you, babe." He winked.

  "You're a vile, disgustin' creature," I snarled to him as I turned and stormed down the corridor, ignoring some lingering students who got an eyeful and earful of that 'conversation'.

  "A vile, disgusting creature who you near enough fucked yesterday!" Dominic called out after me just as I opened the woodwork room door.

  Everyone heard him, even Mr. Kelly.

  I slammed the door shut behind me. "Move him to a different worktop, sir. I swear to God, I'll stab him if you don't!" I stated to Mr. Kelly, who was just looking at me with wide eyes.

  When the door opened to the woodwork room and Dominic strolled in, he headed for my desk, but Mr. Kelly quickly got up to intercept him.

  "Actually, Nico, switch seats with Gavin for today. Bronagh seems to be very cross with you, son."

  Under-fucking-statement!

  "Sure thing, sir," Dominic replied happily.

  The horrible fucking bastard.

  I was fuming while I shoved my bag under my desk and stormed to the back room to get an apron. When I came back out, the lads in the room, including Dominic and the sir, were looking at me.

  "What?" I snapped.

  "Nothin'," they all replied in unison and busied themselves with whatever was in front of them.

  I glared at them all before moving to the supply room and retrieving my wood that I hid so Dominic wouldn't use them on me. He didn't mess with any of my projects, but I wasn't taking any risks, so I hid my stuff just incase.

  When I re-entered the room, nobody paid me any attention, which was good so I went to my worktop and penciled out a design on the wood, marking where I would have to saw and sand.

  Gavin took his time moving over to my desk.

  "Hey, Bronagh." He smiled.

  I returned his smile, because it seemed genuine.

  "Hey, Gav," I replied, shocking myself that I used the nickname I've heard the other lads in class call him.

  I was allowed to call him that though, since he was technically my first proper kiss ever.

  "Are you okay? You seem pretty heated."

  I sighed. "I'm fine, just that American prick annoyin' me."

  Gavin snorted at me, which made me grin; it was nice that someone else agreed Dominic was a prick.

  "You do know what he is sayin' to the lads back there, don't you?" Gavin murmured.

  I looked to the back of the room and noticed some of the lads were gathered around Dominic, grinning and knuckle touching him.

  "What's he sayin'?" I asked.

  "That he was very close to findin' heat in you. He called you an ice-cold bitch. Pretty obvious he was sayin' he almost fucked you."

  I gaped at Gavin's bluntness then quickly composed myself. "He is lyin'. We kissed, but it was a horrible mistake. He is just blowin' it out of proportion!"

  Gavin looked at me for a moment then nodded. "I believe you, he is probably just sore that he didn't get to go all the way with you. His ego is clearly takin' it bad; that's why he is bein' a prick."

  I snorted. "He is naturally a prick," I said making Gavin laugh which got the prick's attention.

  I looked at Dominic and noticed him glaring at Gavin's back before switching his gaze on me, winking at me and blowing me a kiss.

  "Fuck you," I snarled in his direction.

  "Now or later?" he replied.

  The lads in the class laughed, and laughed hard. I couldn't help it when my eyes filled with tears, so I looked down and quickly grabbed my bag while they fell down my cheeks.

  "Bronagh," Gavin sighed when he heard me sniffle.

  I didn't look to him or anyone else as I practically ran out of class. I didn't even ask the sir for permission, I just left.

  "Nice goin', man. Does makin' girls cry get you hard or somethin'?"

  "Fuck you, asshole. Don't be inserting yourself into my business, and while you're at it, don't look or even talk to Bronagh again, I'll kick your ass otherwise."

  I didn't hear what Gavin said in response to Dominic. I only heard Mr. Kelly's voice roaring for them to stop whatever it was they were currently doing and to get away from each other.

  I was walking briskly down the hallway when I heard a loud bang sound from behind me.

  "Bronagh!"

  I jumped as I looked over my shoulder; Dominic was jogging towards me. I screamed; I didn't know why but I did, and I did it loudly. Another bang sounded and this time Gavin and Mr. Kelly as well as my other classmates poured from the woodwork room.

  I stopped screaming when Dominic pressed himself to me and put his arms around me.

  "I'm sorry, okay? I'm so sorry," he breathed.

  I shook my head.

  "No, you aren't," I sniffled. "Leave. Me. Alone."

  He was about to say something else but was suddenly pulled away from me, which caused me to stumble backwards and fall to the ground on my arse.

  It hurt like hell, and I knew that there was going to be a fresh bruise on my arse because of the pain. I looked up as Dominic looked down at me; his face turned red as I hissed in pain. He turned and speared the person who pulled him off me and caused me to fall. That person turned out to be Gavin.

  "Stop!" I screamed and scrabbled to my feet.

  I felt the blood drain from my face as Dominic dished out blow after blow to Gavin. It wasn't one-sided though, Gavin was just as good, and even head butted Dominic at one point. But no matter what he did, Dominic was better.

  It was like the hits he received didn't even hurt him. He was like a bull on a rampage, and it terrified the crap out of me.

  "Stop!" I screamed again and tried to pull Dominic off him, but Conner, a boy in our woodwork class, lifted me back.

  "You will only get hurt," he told me when I struggled against him.

  I pushed away from him and sprinted towards the metalwork room while Mr. Kelly tried to stop the fight to no avail.

  "Damien!" I screamed when I flung the door open.

  Damien sat at the back of the class, surrounded by girls, but when he heard me, he was on his feet and moved towards me like the speed of light.

  "Dominic is goin' to kill Gavin, make him stop!" I cried.

  Damien ran out of the room ahead of me and followed the shouts. Everyone else in the class, the teacher included, followed to see what was happening while I lingered in the class on my own.

  I was afraid to go back out there.

  I had to stay away from Dominic, he was dangerous.

  And I didn't do dangerous.

  "I thought I said no more fightin' with Dominic, Bronagh?" Miss McKesson said to me at the end of school my first day back from suspension.

  After Damien stopped the fight two weeks ago, both Dominic and Gavin were suspended because their fight was on school grounds while I was suspended for leavin
g class without permission and apparently inciting a fight between the lads. I was suspended for two weeks and was told not to come back to school until after Halloween. I wasn't sure how long the lads would be suspended for but I heard they were lucky to each receive just a suspension because their fight was so violent, the school principal wanted to call the Garda but somehow Mr. Kelly talked him out of it which was really good for the lads.

  "Bronagh, are you even listenin' to me?" Miss McKesson's voice snapped making me jump and look to her.

  I nodded my head. "I am, miss."

  "Then answer me question."

  I sighed. "I wasn't involved in any of the fightin', miss. Dominic was the one who chased me and grabbed me after I left class; Gavin was tryin' to defend me, and he got smashed up for it."

  Miss McKesson rubbed her temples. "Which one of those lads is your boyfriend?"

  I widened my eyes in utter shock.

  "None of them, I hate Dominic, and I hardly know Gavin."

  Miss McKesson shook her head. "Are you sure you aren't goin' out with one of them, Nico perhaps?"

  I gaped at her. "Miss, Dominic is not me boyfriend!"

  She cocked an eyebrow. "Does he know that because he really did a number on Gavin for touchin' you."

  I gasped, again. "Gavin didn't touch me, he tried to shove Dominic off me and it knocked me to the ground-"

  "The fact that you got knocked to the ground enraged Dominic, he said so himself durin' the meetin' held between me, him, his guardian, Gavin and his parents, and the principal."

  There was a meeting over what happened?

  Wow!

  I groaned and scrubbed my face. "He had no right to get enraged over me fallin', it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't grabbed me in the first place!"

  Miss McKesson chewed on her lip. "I think he feels very protective of you."

  I rolled my eyes. "He is a dick who gets a hard on from makin' me miserable, don't confuse him 'fightin' to defend me' as anythin' other that a nasty pit bull protectin' its favourite chew toy."

  Miss McKesson looked at me with her eyes wide for a few moments before she frowned at me. "Does Dominic do things that you don't approve of, Bronagh?"

  I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "He just annoys me miss, he takes joy in pissin' me off."

  "I understand that but look at this from my point of view; it looks to me like you're a couple, and Dominic is the protective teenage boyfriend or possibly the abusive teenage boyfriend. He comes into school more days than I can count with new bruises and lately, so have you."

  "I can't comment on why he's busted up all the time because I don't know anythin' about why he comes into school like that, but you couldn't be more wrong about thinkin' he is me fella, miss," I stated.

  She blew out a breath in relief. "So he hasn't done anythin' to you that you might be afraid to tell someone?"

  Where was she going with this?

  "Like what?" I asked, curiously.

  She lowered her voice. "He hasn't touched you sexually without your permission or anything of that nature, has he?"

  I flushed red, she was asking if Dominic had raped me? Holy shite, how the hell did Dominic fightin' with Jason and then Gavin over me come to this type of questioning?

  "No, miss, he hasn't done anythin' like that at all," I stated, clearly.

  I might hate the lad, but I wasn't about to say he raped me when he didn't.

  Miss McKesson visibly relaxed. "Good, that is very good. I'm sorry if I have upset you by askin' these questions, I just needed to make sure that you're okay and that the arguments and fights involvin' Dominic aren't anythin' beyond your control."

  I didn't think I could ever handle, or control, Dominic or any situation we were in.

  "Don't be worryin', I've got everythin' under control, Miss," I lied, smiling.

  She nodded to me. "Good woman yourself, go on and get going before it gets dark out."

  I nodded. "See you Monday, miss."

  She gave me a wave as I left her classroom and walked down the now empty school hallways. School ended twenty minutes ago and even though it was only 4:20 p.m. the sun had already set and the skies were growing darker by the minute, which wasn't surprising since it was already nearing mid-November.

  I shook my head a little; I couldn't believe it was only coming close to mid-November, it felt like a lifetime since Dominic came into my life and turned it upside down instead of only ten weeks.

  It was crazy to think about.

  The first thing that hit me as I exited the school and began my walk home was the cold, the second thing was a fist when someone stepped out from behind a pillar that led into a housing estate I had to pass by to get home.

  I screeched as I fell back to the ground and then whimpered as the items in my bag dug into my back when it made contact with the ground. I felt pain in my face then; my right cheek had just fully healed up from when Dominic hit me in the face a couple of weeks ago, and I could already tell a new bruise would form and cover the old one up.

  "Did you really think I wouldn't do somethin' to you after all the trouble you have caused between Dominic and Jason over the last few weeks, bitch?"

  I winced as I pushed myself up to my feet and looked towards Micah, behind her stood two of her friends watching us with amusement.

  "That wasn't me f-fault Micah, I don't know why Dominic did what he did, I swear," I said to her as I held my now throbbing cheek.

  Micah rolled her eyes. "Because he is your fella and since I can't hit him for hurtin' my fella, I'm hurtin' you instead."

  "Dominic isn't me fella, Micah, I swear-" she cut me off by jumping at me, knocking me back to the ground.

  I could do little more than cover my face with my arms while she pulled at my hair and punched at any visible bit of skin she could make contact with. I screamed when she stood up off me and kicked me directly in the stomach; it made me dry heave with the force of it.

  "Don't look at Jason or even in his direction again because if you do, and it pisses of Dominic and results in Jason gettin' hurt again, I'll kill you. Understand, fatso?" she asked and kicked me again.

  "Yeah," I rasped.

  "Good." She spat on me then turned and walked off with her friends.

  I lay on the ground for a few moments, until the cold got to me and forced me to move. I hissed and winced as I got to my feet, it was darker out now, and there wasn't a soul out on the street which wasn't surprising.

  I coughed and the action caused my stomach to erupt in pain, I felt like crying but didn't incase Micah was somewhere near and could see or hear me. She beat me up with ease, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing or hearing me cry.

  I didn't know what hurt more, my stomach, my face, or my head. I settled on my nose hurting the most when a trickle of blood seeped from my nostril, slid down over my lips and chin, where it dripped down onto my school uniform jumper. I didn't even bother to wipe it away because I was sure it would stop eventually. I slowly made my way home and as soon as I got inside, I headed to the bathroom, drew a bath, stripped down and sunk into it.

  I didn't cry until a minute and a half into my bath, and I didn't stop until I got out. I dried myself then and carefully used a dry wash cloth to pat my face dry, my nose was now blood free and just red and a little swollen, my right cheek was a bit swollen, and so was my jaw. I could already see the bruise that was beginning to form around my jaw, but none around my eye which gave me hope that it wouldn't bruise again.

  After I left the bathroom, I went into my room and changed into some pyjama trousers, a tank top, and a blue hoodie that used to be owned by my dad. I carefully brushed out my hair, because it was tender as hell from Micah pulling on it. When I was done, I did a very loose plait in my hair and flung it over my shoulders then headed downstairs for some food. Lots and lots of food.

  I heard the hall door open as I poured some custard and whipped cream over my giant bowl of ice-cream. I heard the hall door close, keys being put on
the key hook on the hall wall then footsteps into the kitchen.

  "Hey, hun, how was your first day back - omigod!"

  I winced when I turned; Branna's screams could be pretty loud.

  "I'm goin' to find out where he lives and fuckin' kill him!" Branna screamed then turned and stormed out of the kitchen.

  Him?

  What the hell?

  "Branna, a girl did this, not a lad," I shouted after her.

  Her steps paused then pattered back into the kitchen.

  "That Dominic kid didn't do that or cause it?" she asked, boring her eyes into mine to see if I was lying.

  She thought Dominic did this to me or was the cause of it? Not surprising since the only times I ever had bruises or got into trouble, he was usually involved.

  "No, I haven't seen or spoken to him since I was suspended two weeks ago," I assured her.

  She eyed me for a moment. "Who did this then? Give me names and I'll fix it."

  My God, she was acting like a hit man… or woman.

  "I don't know who she was but I think she thought I was someone else. She called me Sarah and told me to stay away from her fella," I lied and felt horrible about it.

  I couldn't tell her it was Micah because Branna would find her and do damage to Micah's face like she did to mine, and I couldn't let that happen. She was a medical student studying to be a midwife, and I doubted she would be hired anywhere if she had a rap sheet for assaulting a minor, since Micah was only seventeen.

  Branna frowned at me but continued to stare at me for signs of lies. I was usually a terrible liar, but the fact that I had to lie to keep her from potentially destroying her career made me hold a steady face.

  "Oh hun, that is horrible luck. It's the last thing you need after that stupid suspension and especially after the black eye you got off that Dominic kid."

  I wanted to fall to the floor in relief but I didn't, I forced myself to snort. "Tell me about it."

  I starting chuckling but winced over my side and gripped it.

  "Show me," Branna ordered.

  I lifted my hoodie and tank top upwards.

  "Omigod, your stomach is black and blue!"

  I looked down and groaned, Branna was right. My left side was bruised from my lower ribs to my hip bone. It looked like Micah's kickboxing classes pay off, because she did substantial damage to me in only a matter of seconds.