Meet What They Send You

A Scream in the Silence

And there was nothing stopping her from going. She had the money. She could afford to take the time off from her classes and make it up later. It would be a quick trip; she couldn't stay with 'Shelle for long. People around Devil's Eye still remembered her and not in a good way. Dismayed, she realized she was already working out the particulars of going in her mind.

"Cory, I...I...don't unde...understand...what..you do or le...let oth...other people do to you. But I love you. And if...if...you...le...let it...it can be...be...enough. Okay? Just...let me lo...love you."

"How? How can you say that?" Cory pulled away and looked at Kris.

Cory knew people and people tended to say things that were impossible to follow up on. They said them in the moment because the words were a temporary balm over whatever gaping wound had come to light. But once people saw how slow-healing—or non-healing—that wound was, they quickly moved out of the way and all those words were forgotten.

Kris looked back at her, her eyes soft.

"Be...because it can be en...enough if you let it." The girl replied.

Was that true?

And did Kris really believe that? 

Cory studied the girl as she tried to get her tears under control. She didn't cry, not like this, not in front of people. And now, twice in one day. It made her feel out of control.

The first time she'd really cried was when her daddy took her to bed the first time and she was maybe seven—eight? She'd cried and cried, and he'd walked her to Lonnie's afterwards and bought her ice cream.

She had told herself then that she wouldn't ever cry again. And she had rarely broken that promise and just look at how this day had turned out.

"Kris...I don't...understand. Are you saying you want to stay with me?"

And that was her biggest fear, because if she compared the two: Wolf flaying every bit of skin off her and fucking her for hours on end and Kris saying she never wanted to see her again, if she had to choose, she'd pull out the business card and make another call. And Wolf would answer. And speak to her in that soft, calm voice. 

Daddy's girl.

Cory shuddered.

 Kris looked puzzled.

"Leav...leaving you was never on...on...the table. I...don't...understand. And I don't li...like seeing you hu...hurt like this. But I under...understand you...you...met...someone...and...and..."

Kris stopped. There was a hurt animal look in Kris's eyes that the girl was probably not even aware of.

"...wh...why...I mean...you...you...tri...tried to get aw...away and...and...couldn't...right?"

"I remember saying I didn't want to do...what it was all shaping up to be but...but nobody heard me. I don't even know if I said it out loud. I was drinking and I did...some coke. I thought it was just coke but PattyJo explained it to me, what all it was. A bunch of junk mixed together to...I can't remember everything. "Cory said then stopped. 

She felt like she was trying to translate her language to someone who'd never even heard English spoken before. As she watched, Kris's face went from confusion to stoicism as the girl shut herself down. And it hurt Cory to watch that happen.

Should have listened to your parents kid, when it came to the horrible hillbilly girl. Because they were fucking right.

"Were you drinking too?" Kris asked.