Being Held

Chapter 5

If he comes back tomorrow, they won't be here either. I went to the bathroom and cried. Even though they abused me, they were the only people I had ever really known. I don't want to get hurt, but I don't want to lose them.

I stayed there. Laying in the bathtub. Crying. Look at this mess I made. What is wrong with me? When I was able to calm myself down, I washed my face. My eyes were puffy and red. My nose was a bright shade of pink.

Who cares? I left the bathroom and went to get my sister up. "Anna... Come on. Hurry up. You're going to be late for camp." She opened one droopy eye and looked at me, groaned, and turned over.

"You better hurry before mom gets back." Anna bolted out of bed and ran to the closet throwing some clothes at her bed. She was 9 years old. She is also the only person I have ever really cared about.

I left to make us some oatmeal. All we have around here is oatmeal, cereal, and hot dogs. I put the oatmeal mixture in the microwave to warm. I guess I should go shopping again. The microwave beeped.

When my sister came down the stairs, she was dressed in shorts and a t shirt. I handed her the oatmeal and glanced at my watch. "Anna the bus is gonna be here any minute to pick you up. Leave the oatmeal. Go catch it."

She gave me a small smile and hurried out the door. I cleaned up the kitchen and did the rest of the chores and then I went to cover up my bruises. Seconds after I finished, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered. "Hello this is the Lincoln County Detention Center." Why are they calling here? "I'm calling on behalf of a David Waters. He was recently arrested for drunk driving. You'll need to pick him up immediately."

I stood there, gripping the phone like a lifeline, stunned. "Hello? Are you still there?" I didn't answer. "Hello..." Then they hung up. When they tried to call again, I yanked the cord from the wall. That idiot. Drunk driving.

He's a good for nothing alcoholic. I walked to my room, closed and locked the door, and curled up in a ball under my bed. That was my safe spot. The safest spot I had anyway.

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Banging. So much banging and noise. "Scarlett, unlock this door, you bitch. Open this fucking door." It was my mom. "How dare you not tell me your father was in jail! Unlock this door so I can kick your ass." She shouted at me.

She yelled, kicked, screamed, and punched my door for hours. "You can't hide forever. And when you come out, I'm gonna kick you all the way to Missouri." Then she left. I cried again.

She heard me and started screaming "Crybaby, Crybaby" as she ate leftovers. I don't fucking care. I don't have time to deal with her. I thought. I still gotta fix tomorrow. I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do.

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I didn't come out for the rest of the night. Luckily, my dad didn't feel like beating me up. When I woke up, light was streaming in my small window. I got up and opened the door slowly.

Silence. I guess they both left for work. I went to the bathroom to take a shower and brush my teeth. When I got out, I got dressed and ate some cereal. Anna doesn't have camp so I can let her sleep.

I went downstairs and got some cereal. I was sitting at the kitchen table when the doorbell rang. Horror and panic crept across my face. I sat there being as quiet as I could, hoping he would go away. I can't believe I forgot about him.

The doorbell rang again. Then he knocked on the door. The knocking turned into pounding. Finally, he stopped. He took out his phone and made a call. Is he calling for backup?

Then my little sister came downstairs. She looked at me, annoyed. Then, before I could do anything she turned the handle and opened the door.

Sorry for any grammer or spelling errors. Thanks for reading. Please comment! I love to hear from you.