Can't You See Me?

thirty two

"I want to sleep." I loosen my grip on her slightly and help her walk to the front door with her stumbling all the way there. The drink clearly still in her system along with injuries she sustained from Niki prohibiting her from being able to walk normally.

"I know I know. I just need to make sure you're okay first." The younger girl doesn't say anything else as I help her into the house and up the stairs and finally into her room. Hanni followed us all the way up standing in the doorway.

"I'm going to make sure Hyein is okay. Do you need anything else?" I just shook my head sitting Haerin down on the bed. Hanni soon left, shutting the door behind her. I turn back to the younger girl and try to decide what to do next. I should probably inspect her and make sure nothing too serious is wrong. Haerin is looking at me, but not really. It's almost like she's looking through me at something behind me.

"Haerin? Can I take the sweatshirt off?" Haerin doesn't respond so I reach for the hem of the shirt trying to pull it off of her, but she shoves me away causing me to stumble back a little bit.

"Don't." Her voice cracked a little bit as her shaking came back. I sigh in frustration. Not at her, but at what Niki and Leeseo did to her. How am I supposed to help her if she won't let me?

"Haerin I need to make sure nothing is wrong. Please it'll be fast I promise." Haerin seems to think about it for a moment. I can't tell what she is thinking right now. It reminds me a lot when we first met and I never knew what was going on in her head and I hate it.

"Okay." I sighed in relief that the younger girl would finally let me help her. I walked back over towards her reaching for the hem of the sweatshirt and pulled it over my head. I tried my hardest not to gasp at the marks and scratches all over her chest and stomach. Her torso is way worse than her neck. I quickly went to the bathroom getting the first aid kid and got the rubbing alcohol and Cotton swabs. When I got back Haerin was in the same spot hunched over, still violently shaking.

"This is going to sting, I'm sorry." I crouch down in front of her dabbing some of the rubbing alcohol on a swab and gently press it to a particularly nasty scratch on her side. The younger girl flinched, causing me to wince along with her. I looked up at her eyes and she was looking at me like she was scared. This is the first emotion I've seen from her since this all happened. I continued to clean up the cuts on her stomach and chest and eventually moved up to her neck where there was a dark purple large handprint covering almost her entire neck along with several bite marks. Anger and sadness was all I felt. How dare he do this to her. She has been nothing but kind to him for all these years, always thinking about his feelings. Fuck she even went tonight to make him feel better. They are not getting away with this. I don't care if I have to kill them myself.

Haerin suddenly reaches down and caresses my cheek with her hand. She began whipping tears that were falling from my eyes. I didn't even know I was crying until she did that.

"Don't cry." Haerin's hand was shaking as she continued to whip the tears falling from my face. I continued to clean up her neck and she held my face with her shaking hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Haerin." I finished cleaning her scratches, letting my hand fall next to her on the bed as she continued to caress my face. Why is she comforting me? I should be the one comforting her.

"It's no one's fault but mine. You don't have to be sorry." My eyes immediately shot up by the girl's outrageous words. I'm speechless. There is no way she believes that she is the one to blame here. This is Niki and Leeseo's fault and no one else's.

"It's not your fault you have to know that." Haerin smiled a little bit as she tried to stand up. I immediately stood up with her trying to help her get to her feet. Suddenly the younger girl collapsed in my arms luckily enough I was able to catch her and secure my arms around her to keep her steady.