“Yes, we need to change some information on Kami’s records,” he told her, giving her a small smile.
“What kind of information do we need to change?” she asked as he pulled out some papers from his bag and handed it to her. She read through them and looked up at us in disbelief. “You got married?”
I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing at her facial expression.
“Yes, we did,” he said, letting go of my hand and wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him. I felt a little safer in his arms. I knew the school was talking about us, but as long as I had Brandon next to me, I was sure I could get through this just fine.
“Ok,” she said, still a little shocked. She typed something on the computer and told us it was all handled and to get going to class before it started.
With that, Brandon took the paperwork back in his bag and we walked back out to the hall with people clapping around us. At the end of the hall, I saw her, the queen of the school, Jasmine Curze, standing there with a not-so-pleasant look on her face.
8
By the middle of the school day, everything was running smoothly with people stopping to tell us congratulations or how we make such a cute couple. There were a few girls who seemed heartbroken and would come up to ask what he saw in me. He would simply say I wasn’t them and put his arm around me to walk to our next class.
By the time lunch came, though, I was in desperate need for some space. I wasn’t used to all this attention and I wanted to be left alone, so when the teacher asked Brandon to stay after class, I took my chance and ran off to the girls’ bathroom to get some breathing space from him till the next class.
I stood there looking at myself in the mirror and wondering what he had meant when he told the girl I wasn’t her. What could he mean by that? There was nothing special about me as far as I could tell, so why did it warm my heart when he said that?
This was something I needed to watch out for. I couldn’t let his smooth talking get the best of me. That was something I’ve seen bad boys do: smooth talk their way out of trouble and get away with some of the shitty things they’ve done.
I thought I was alone till I heard someone say, “You must think you’re someone special to have Brandon’s attention the way do. What, did he knock you up and had to marry you?”
I turned my head to see the person I tried to avoid since this morning, Jasmine. With her jet black hair and piercing blue eyes and model figure, it was no wonder why guys chase after her. I had heard rumors about her and Brandon having a fling, but I’ve never really seen them together.
“That’s not it,” I said, trying to reason with her as I stepped away from the mirror. “There’s more to the reason for us getting married than you will ever understand.”
It seemed to be humorous for her with the way she let out a laugh. “Oh, you poor lost soul. You know nothing about your so-called husband. He already told me the reason why he married you. Did you know he just had me up against the wall in the janitor closet? He doesn’t love you and really wished he didn’t marry you.”
It wasn’t her telling me that Brandon was with her in the janitor closet that hurt - it was that he told her the reason why. I didn’t ask him not to tell anyone about my home life, but I felt betrayed by this. Why would he tell her, of all people, something so personal, when he seemed so caring about my feelings yesterday?
She stepped up to me with a smirk on her face. “You mean nothing to Brandon. The whole school knows you’re just a joke to him. Who would want a loser like you? You’re just this spike in the yearbook everyone looks over.”
As the tears of hurt fell down my cheeks, I was unable to answer her, for she was right. Why would I think Brandon or any guy would want someone like me? I was broken. I would always be this unloved girl that no one would ever care about.
“I suggest you stay away from Brandon before I step in and tell everyone the truth about why you got married,” she said, pushing me against the wall on her way out. “Remember this, sweetheart. He’s mine and no one will take him away from me.”
When she was gone, my world started to spin and I was left in a world of darkness, with only Jasmine’s laughter to hear.
When I finally woke up, the first thing I noticed was that I was lying on a cot in the nurse’s office with the light flickering above me. The second thing was someone yelling about how they better figure out who did this and if he found out before them, then they were going to pay. Third was hearing Jasmine’s voice in my head telling me that Brandon told her why we ended up getting married.
“Mr. Mitchell, I understand you’re upset, but you can’t just go on a rampage here. There is a system we go by and we are checking over the cameras now to see who went into the bathroom with Miss Van,” said another voice.
“I don’t care about your system,” Brandon yelled. “You better find out who did this before I do because when I find out, they’re going to have hell to pay. I promise to protect her and not even twenty-four hours later, she was unconscious in the girls’ bathroom.”
The woman was saying, “Sir, please calm down. Why don’t you go see if your girlfriend is awake now and then maybe we can get some answers? Are you aware of the bruise on her face?”
“Yes. Why do you think I promised to keep her safe?” Then he quickly added, “Oh, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s my wife. We’re married and now she’s a Mitchell, just so you know.”
That was the last thing I heard before I saw Brandon’s face pop up in the area where I was lying.
I studied his face to see the anger flashing through it as he saw me lying there looking up at him. When he walked in and sat down on the chair next to me and tried to grab my hand, I moved away feeling hurt that he told someone about my private life. I wanted nothing more than to just forget this ever happened and leave.
“Kami, who hurt you in the bathroom?” he asked as he tried to control his anger. “There were cops here asking questions about what happened to you after they saw the bruises on your face. They think I did it, but thankfully the lady at the front desk covered for me and said you had them yesterday morning.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I answered and turned away from him. “None of this matters anymore, so just leave me alone.”
“God, not again,” he groaned. “Why can’t you just tell who hurt you, so they can be punished?”
“Why can’t you tell me anything about your past?” I turned back to face him. “You’re so secretive about things from your past. I knew nothing about you, so why should I have to tell you anything?”
“Because I’m your husband,” he said while gritting his teeth, not making an effort to hide his anger. “How do you expect me to protect you when you’re not telling me who hurt you?”
“You being my husband means nothing. You’re just a bodyguard that I don’t want,” I said when I saw the nurse walk in with a female cop next to her.
“Sweetie, please can you tell us what happened?” the nurse asked in a calm voice, with the cop eyeing Brandon and probably waiting for him to do something out of conduct.
I sat up, trying to avoid eye contact with him. “All I know is that it was some girl who wasn’t happy about Brandon and me being together. A few words were exchanged and I was pushed against the wall, causing me to black out. I don’t know which girl it was since there are so many girls in this school.”
“Do you remember what she looked like or what was said?” the cop asked, still looking between us.
“She looked like most the girls in this school, skinny with dark hair,” I said, trying not to give away too much on what Jasmine looked like because I knew if I said anything about her blue eyes, then Brandon would know. “The main thing that she said was she wanted me to stay away from Brandon, which I don’t see a problem doing, if it keeps her away from me.”
“Like hell,” Brandon suddenly exclaimed as he stood up. “I’m not going to have some crazy girl push you away from me. We’re married. She’
s going to have to get over that.”
The woman cop spoke up. “Ok, it seems we’re not going anywhere with you two. Hopefully we can find out who it was from the cameras. You two are free to leave for the rest of the day. But, miss,” she said to me, handing me a card, “if he’s hurting you in any way, please don’t hesitate to call and let me know.”
Then she looked at Brandon pointedly. “This one has always been a troublesome person. Good thing his uncle works at the police station or he’d be behind bars by now.”
Brandon didn’t look intimidated. “Yeah, whatever. You’re just mad because my uncle doesn’t want to date you.” He then leaned and grabbed our bags that were at the end of the cot while the cop looked at him in shock. “Are you ready to go home, Kami?”
I didn’t answer him as I got up and walked out of the nurse’s office to go to the parking lot, only to see Jasmine standing by the door with her arms across her chest, smirking at us.
“Brandon, baby, are you still coming over later tonight?”
I didn’t wait to hear his answer as I pushed the doors open and walked outside.
“Kami, stop,” Brandon called out to me. “The car’s this way.”
“It’s fine, I can walk. I don’t need anything from you,” I said over my shoulder, wrapping my arms over my chest when the wind picked up slightly.
“Stop being so damn stubborn,” he said as he got to me, spinning me around to face him. There was a look of surrender in his face. “Fine. You want answers about my messed up past? I’ll tell you, but only if you get in the car.”
Giving in, I turned and walked back to the car to see Jasmine standing there outside the doors looking at me with hate in her eyes as she watched me get into Brandon’s car. Her stare didn’t falter as we drove off, making me nervous about having to cross her path again.
Brandon didn’t speak as we drove and I waited patiently for him to tell me what it was that haunted his past that made him so angry. When we pulled up into his driveway, I was disappointed that he didn’t tell me and only tricked me into getting in the car.
Till he finally spoke. “Kami, what I’m about to tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone. This is one of my family’s biggest secrets and only a handful of people knew the truth.” His gazed forward not looking over at me, with his hands still on the steering wheel. I nodded my head in understanding, knowing I would be able to keep a secret even if he couldn’t.
“Let me start by saying Louis isn’t my real father. He adopted me when I was three, but my mother is my real mother.” He let out a deep sigh. “I don’t remember much about my younger years, but from what I was told my birth father was very abusive towards my mother. The night Louis came into our lives, he found me on the side of the road crying. When he took me back to my house, he found my mother unconscious and had taken her to the hospital and took me home with him. When my mother woke up three days later, he explained how he had been taking care of me and saw how attached I had gotten to him.” There were tears falling down his cheeks, showing me just how hard it was to tell me this part of his life.
Brandon continued though, still not breaking his gaze out of the windshield. “When she was released from the hospital, Louis took it upon himself to make sure my mother and I were safe. They ended up getting married so no one would ask questions why we were living with him. My mother tried everything in her power to get up on her feet, but she was too scared that my birth father would show up. Louis never pushed my mother into trying to move out on her own with me and said we were always welcome to stay. After some time, they fell in love and Louis filled out the papers for me to become his son.”
“This is what he meant by history repeating itself?” I asked, just looking at him in shock. I now understood why he felt protective over me. He had also experienced the situation that I had been in.
“Yes, I couldn’t think of any other way besides what I have seen my own parents did. This is the reason why they’re not all that upset about me running off and marrying you since I was just following their example.” He turned to face me. “Now, can you please tell me who hurt you today?”
Jasmine’s hateful look came to mind, and I remembered her telling me how he told her the real reason why we got married. “Like I told the cop, it was some girl who was obsessed with you. And there’s too many girls in our class to know them all by name, sorry,” I lied, looking down at my hands.
“I don’t know if I fully believe you, but when you’re ready you can tell me then I’ll be here,” he responded. “Let’s go and relax. It’s been a stressful day.”
Without waiting for my reply, he stepped out of the car while I sat there thinking back on what Jasmine said about Brandon not happy being married to me. When my door opened, I found Brandon looking down at me with a drained look on his face. “Are you coming?”
I just smiled, stepped out of the car, thinking once again how this was all a mistake.
9
As the weeks went by, Brandon and I kept our distance from one another while at home, but at school, he acted like this caring and cheerful husband, which shocked most of the student body. Only I, and Jasmine, it seemed, knew it was all fake. Even when Brandon would wrap his arm around me as we walked to class, she’d try to pull him away from me, but he never left my side. He’d simply lift his arm up and away from her hold and tell her to leave him alone now that he’s with me. When I heard him tell her that, it warmed my heart, knowing he was trying to keep his word about being faithful, but he didn’t know I knew he had already slipped up.
When we were at home though, Brandon changed from a loving husband to a compliant stranger. He would lock himself down in the game room and play video games all afternoon or sit in the living room and watch movies. After dinner, he’d go to his room and watch TV till he went to sleep, leaving me bored.
If I wasn’t doing my homework, I would be helping his mother with dinner and cleaning up. When I went to the room at night, he would never say anything to me. I would just go to the bathroom to change into the clothes his mother had picked up for me the day after I had married him. When I would walk back in the room, he wouldn’t speak to me, even as I got under the covers. I would feel him pull the covers to me, but would not say anything.
When Saturday came for us to get the paperwork, Brandon seemed more ecstatic that the marriage would be final and he could truly say I was his wife. After picking up all the paperwork, he said we needed to go out on a date to keep the image of being a couple. It wasn’t anything special, he just took me out for pizza where a lot of our classmates liked to hang out on Saturday afternoon. Then we went home and watched a movie and became strangers to one another again.
When the following Monday morning came and they still haven’t figured out that Jasmine was the person in the bathroom with me, I thought they just gave up on it. But Brandon didn’t forget and wanted to know each day and would ask me every now and then if it was this girl or that one when we walked down the hall. He never pointed to Jasmine, which I was thankful for because I was sure that if I stuttered for a second, he would know the truth.
Another Saturday came and the distance between us grew even further, and his mood swings were starting to really get to me.
“Brandon, wake up.”
“Kami, it’s Saturday. There’s no need for me to wake up at the crack of dawn,” he said in his sleep and turned his back to me. “Go back to sleep or go help mom with breakfast, I don’t care. Just let me sleep.”
“No. I need to talk to you,” I replied as I shook him awake. “Please, I need to talk to you. This is important.”
He turned back to face me with an annoyed look on his face. “What could be so important that it couldn’t wait till later when I’m more awake?”
“You and your mood swings,” I answered, sitting up and looking down at him. “It’s throwing me in a loop and it’s starting to depress me a little. I feel like you’re second guessing this marriage thing when we’re alone.” r />
He sat up and rubbed his eyes before yawning. “This is the reason you woke me up? To talk about the effect I’m having on you? Did you stop and think about the way you act around me and how I’m just doing what I think you want?”
“What effect am I having on you?” I asked him, feeling baffled about what it could be that I’ve done to make him act hot one moment and cold the next.
“Kami, every time I try to touch you, you flinch. People can tell you’re not used to being around me with how stiff you are when we walk down the hall. You don’t act like the loving wife or that you have any affection for me. You asked me to give you space and I have since that afternoon I told you about my past, but now it seems that’s not good enough. Please tell me what it is you want from me now,” he responded, sounding annoyed with me.
I was puzzled and didn’t know what to reply back to that. I never paid attention to what I was doing to him. “Never mind, sorry I said anything,” I told him as I lay back down, turning my back to him as tears started to fall. This was truly a mistake and I was ready for it to be over. I knew I couldn’t get over the fact that I was scared of being abused again, even if Brandon promised to never lay a hand on me.
I felt him move from behind me then said, “Kami, don’t be this way. I’m sorry. Please look at me.” When I didn’t, he continued. “It’s just taking a lot of adjustment being married. I’ve been so used to doing whatever I want, but now I have to stop and think about you.”
“Then don’t think about it. Just go do whatever you want to do. I’ll just stay here with your mom so there’s no need to worry about me,” I replied, trying to stop the tears from falling, feeling I had trapped him into this marriage.
He let out a loud sigh, as though frustrated with me. “Kami, we’re married. I have to think about you before doing anything. You’re my wife and I’m doing the best I can, to be the kind of husband people want me to be. It’s just hard.” He gently held my shoulder and made me face him. “Ever since that damn bathroom incident, you distanced yourself from me and I never understood why.”