His eyebrows were scrunched together, while his forehead was creased. His lips looked sewn together, his jaws were tense, and his nostrils flared. He stared at me like he was looking into my soul. He did not blink once. His whole body was shaking as if someone had put him on a vibrating plate. His knuckles were whiter than snow. The back of my baby hair stayed straight up, and my blood ran cold. I glanced around the room, trying to avoid straight eye contact while trembling. 

Do I run?  Do I try to save myself from my crazy ex? I gazed at the door; it was only ten feet away from me. If I tried to bolt to the door, would he catch me? Either he beat the living crap out of me or ran for safety. I focused my eyes back on him, and he seemed less unruffled. His knuckles were pink, and his body was delayed from shaking. What if I could distract him so I could escape? 

“Are you okay?” 

With a shaky voice. It took him a second to respond. His hands faced up while his shoulders scrunched. He had furrowed eyebrows and squinting eyes. 

“You serious?”

 His voice sounded angry and upset.  

“I realized I did not call you back last night. I am sorry. What are you doing in my apartment?”  

He perched himself on the edge of the brown leather couch ledge. 

“I am here to see you and see if you are messing around with anyone. I miss you a lot, Kailey.”

Was this my moment to run? He is perched on the couch and simmered down. He is not in a position to catch me. I took a glance at the door, and it was not latched. That is when I bolted to the door. I heard him jump up, but my focus was opening that wooden screen door. I whipped open the door and sprinted as far as I could away from my psycho ex. I was in fight or flight mode. My heart was pounding out of my chest, and all I could pray for was him, not behind me. My hair was flying with the wind, and my breathing was nowhere to be found. I took a glance behind me and then “Bang.” 

“Ugh”

My head was pounding. It felt like a hundred nails went through my head. I tried to open my droopy eyes, but they just wanted to stay shut. Near me, I heard a rustling noise like a chip bag. 

“There is Mrs. Sleepy head.”

It sounded like my ex. He seemed happy and perfectly content. 

“What happened? Where am I?” 

He laughed.

“You’re at home, silly. You ran into a wire pole while running away from me. Why were you running?”

I dreaded answering that question. I felt like if I was honest with him, he would get angry and do something unimaginable to me.

“I’m sorry, Kyle. I don’t know why I was running from you.”

He took a second to respond to decide if he believed me or not. 

“It’s OK. I’m glad I can take care of you. Just rest while I get some medicine from Meijer.”

I take a deep breath, relieved he is leaving me alone. He has an advantage that I don’t. I can’t keep my eyes open for the life of me right now. I hear him walk around our creaky wooden floor. He is going back and forth to my living and dining room. He recollected all his belongings, and I heard him grunt, putting on his tight Nike shoes. Then I heard him open the wooden screen door, and it snapped back, making a loud “Slam”. The loud noise pains my headache even more. I tried to open my eyes, but they were so sensitive to the light surrounding me. The noisy 2008 Dodge minivan engine starts up as I hear it getting farther and farther away from me. I touched my pounding head, and it was sensitive due to the big bruise I expected was there. I tried to get up, but my whole body told me to sit back down. 

It has been an hour since I last tried to get up. Kyle still hasn’t come back yet from retrieving things from Meijer. What could he be getting me that’s taking this long? Was he getting all the supplies to kill me tonight? My heart started beating a little faster. I tried to open my eyes, and they pried open more than last time. I hear a car pull into the driveway, and the door shut. I open my eyes and see Kyle having bags pilled on each other.

“What did you get for my pounding headache?” 

He drops the bags on the counter across the room from me. 

“I got you some good food like soup, along with Aspirin and Ice Bags.” 

“Thanks, Kyle.”

I say it lovingly as I try to please him for doing something good for me.

“You’re welcome.”

He smirks as he puts all the items away in the cabinets. I hear him going back and forth again. Cabinets opening and closing back and forth. He huffed as he sat down on the recliner.

“Do you feel any better?” 

I sit in my thoughts, wondering if I felt better. 

“I think so.” 

Nothing was said back to me. I see him reach over and grab the remote from the coffee table. He put on Saturday night football, the Chiefs against the Lions. 

“Can you grab me some ice and Aspirin for my head, please?”

He just stared at me like I was wearing a ridiculous hat. He said nothing and returned to look at the football game. I was confused. He was just happy, but now he seems annoyed. I tried to stand up, gripping the couch ledge. My body felt chained down, but eventually, I got up and started walking to the kitchen.

 I first grabbed some ice-cold water since I hadn’t drunk anything all day. It felt so good, the ice-cold water going down my trout like a desert finally getting the big rainstorm that year. Then I went to grab some medicine and food. My head was still pounding, but it was nothing like this afternoon. I grabbed some green grapes and a couple of slices of ham, took some Aspirin, and returned to the couch. 

“You didn’t get anything for me after I did all that for you all afternoon?”

He sounded annoyed for no reason.

“I’m sorry. Would you like me to get you anything?”

I set down my food and ice water on the coffee table. He smirks like something is so funny. I was  confused. What did I do? 

“Kyle, would you like me to get you anything before I sit down?” 

“I would like you to shut the f*ck up, I’m watching the game.”

I was shocked, standing still like someone told me to freeze in, Simon says. I didn’t know what to say. I quietly sat down, thinking over things. Kyle is focusing on the TV while shoving chips down his throat. What happened to him growing up to make him so abusive? Did he have an abusive family? We dated, so I should know this, but we never discussed it. Now I know next time to ask a potential boyfriend if they had an abusive family. 

My headache is starting to feel better now as I hold a ginormous ice pack across my forehead. Kyle is still watching the football game. It’s the fourth quarter, and the Lions are up. I hope he goes to his apartment after the game. I don’t feel like dealing with his psychotic behaviors anymore today. I say.  

“What are you doing after the game?” 

He looks over, annoyed, and says. 

“Why do you care?”

“I was just wondering if you are going home after that all.”

He looked confused at the question I asked him. His face looked like I had just asked him a NASA question.

“Do you want me to leave?”

He asked in a genuine way of wanting the real answer out of me.

“Well, I don’t know. We have been together all day. Don’t you want some space from me?”

He shrugs his shoulders, wondering if he does want to go home. 

“I will let you know if I want to leave after the game.”

“Okay.”

I was glad he was thinking about going home. 

The last eleven minutes seemed like eleven hours. I was staring at the clock on the wall, which was going slower than usual. It was eventually the end of the game; the Lions won fourteen to ten. Kyle was happy that his team was on a winning streak. 

“Alright, I think I might go home now. I have work tomorrow morning.”

He said in a restless voice. 

“Ok, sounds good. Have a good night.”

He slowly sits up and stretches his back. He slowly walks towards the door and again puts on his old Nike shoes. My head is feeling better now, and it is not pounding anymore. I slowly go to the kitchen to grab more water and a handful of puffs and head to my room down the hall. I squeeze my way under my blue covers and relax all my muscles.

 I start to drift asleep, and I hear some racket in the kitchen. What was that? Is it my stupid cat, Butters? I don’t bother to investigate and try to fall asleep again. A couple of minutes go by, and now I hear a creek on the wood floor. That’s weird Butters couldn’t make that noise walking throughout the house. He isn’t that fat of a cat. I froze under the covers. Should I move? Should I see what’s making that noise? I was frightened. I didn’t know what to do. I quickly decided to get up and find something sharp to protect me quietly. I quietly opened the drawer from my nightstand and grabbed my pocketknife that my mom had given me a few years back. I began to lift my feet ever so slightly and headed towards the hallway. 

I reached the point where my bedroom connected to the hallway, and my heart was pounding again like yesterday. My heart rate overconsumed me. I just stand there quietly, trembling, dreading to look around the corner. It was so dark I couldn’t see anything. It was only my ears that could see for me. I heard another creek on the floor, and this one was really close. It felt like they were just a few steps away from me. When I hear it again, I’ll try to stab the intruder and call the police. It only seemed like five seconds passed, and I heard the sound again. That’s when I turned the corner and reached my hand with the pocketknife as far as possible. As soon as I did that, I felt liquid on my hand and gagging sounds. What just happened? What did I just do? I quickly turned on the hallway light, and all I saw was Kyle.   

“Oh My God! What did I just do?”

Kyle looked shocked and tightly holding on to the wound I just created. He didn’t say anything back to me. 

“Kyle, you, ok? Kyle, ANSWER ME!”

Kyle said nothing back. I didn’t know what to do. Why was Kyle here? Do I call the police? No, they will put me in jail. What should I do? Ideas surrounded my head. I checked his pulse, and his heart wasn’t beating. 

I didn’t feel sorry about it, though. I quickly grabbed his arms and pulled all my weight to move him into the garage. His head and legs moved side to side when I moved him. What do I do with his body?  I looked around frantically and saw a big blue rubbermaid container. Perfect, I can just stuff within there. I struggled to pick him up, but eventually, I stuffed him into the container. Now what? I grabbed a mental shovel and a flashlight and headed toward my backyard. I had a few acres and a neighbor one mile away, so I wasn’t concerned if someone caught me. I trenched my way towards the back of my property and started digging. An hour passed, and I got a two-foot hole in, a perfect fit for him. I left my supplies and made my way back towards the house. I was exhausted, sweat dripping from me like I had just taken a shower, but I could not stop now. I grabbed ahold of the rubbermaid container and yanked it onto the red rusty wheelbarrow. This will be easier to carry him. I started to head back to the hole. I finally got there and lifted the wheelbarrow up, and he plopped into the dirt hole. I was relieved that there were no more crazy ex around. I began covering him up with the dirt I used to put him in there. I finished, grabbed all my supplies into the wheelbarrow, and headed home. I was so tired I just wanted to go to sleep. That’s when I never thought of my crazy ex again.