Mateo handed her a red sweater and a pair of loose pants, which Soh took gratefully, unconcerned with where they came from or who they belonged to. How Mateo liked to dress was his own business, after all. She was just glad to get out of her ripped and torn shirt and skirt. With a soft, "Thank you," Soh went into the bathroom and closed the door. She stripped down to her undergarments and pulled on the comfortable clothes Mateo had given her, grateful for their warmth. Though it wasn't cold out by any stretch, Soh still trembled, a chill in her bones that just wouldn't subside.
When she caught a look at herself in the mirror, she gasped. Her golden hair was disheveled, tumbling in tangled waves across her shoulders. Blood had smeared down her face from where her attacker's punch had split her left eyebrow, and her left eye was swollen from the same blow. Her lip was split from where he'd slapped her. She could barely recognize herself - and that was just the injuries that were visible. Her hands and knees were scraped from where she'd fallen on the ground, and there were scratches on her back from where she'd been flung against the brick wall of the alley.
Swallowing hard, Soh emerged from the bathroom with her ruined clothing in her hands. "Can I - can I throw these away?" she asked hesitantly, unsure if Mateo would want her torn and bloody clothes in his trash. What if they implicated him?
She responded sharply when Mateo suggested going to the authorities, wincing as soon as the words left her mouth. He didn't deserve such a harsh reaction, and her lip quivered as she inwardly berated herself for her reaction. Still, what Mateo said made a good deal of sense; she certainly wouldn't wish this on anyone. "I... but I almost killed him," she said tearfully. "Won't I be in trouble?"
When she caught a look at herself in the mirror, she gasped. Her golden hair was disheveled, tumbling in tangled waves across her shoulders. Blood had smeared down her face from where her attacker's punch had split her left eyebrow, and her left eye was swollen from the same blow. Her lip was split from where he'd slapped her. She could barely recognize herself - and that was just the injuries that were visible. Her hands and knees were scraped from where she'd fallen on the ground, and there were scratches on her back from where she'd been flung against the brick wall of the alley.
Swallowing hard, Soh emerged from the bathroom with her ruined clothing in her hands. "Can I - can I throw these away?" she asked hesitantly, unsure if Mateo would want her torn and bloody clothes in his trash. What if they implicated him?
She responded sharply when Mateo suggested going to the authorities, wincing as soon as the words left her mouth. He didn't deserve such a harsh reaction, and her lip quivered as she inwardly berated herself for her reaction. Still, what Mateo said made a good deal of sense; she certainly wouldn't wish this on anyone. "I... but I almost killed him," she said tearfully. "Won't I be in trouble?"
