I Didn't Realize

Chapter 19

 Hiro opened up the garage door and I smiled. He had completely transformed the seldom used room, and it was more like his personal lab now than anything else. Computers sat on messily organized desks, containing miscellaneous contraptions and inventions that Hiro had made. He even had an entire desk dedicated to blueprints.

"Wow, Hiro," I breathed. "This is... so cool! Man, I wish I had a place like this for my writing back at home."

"What, a smelly garage that you've slightly fixed so that it looks less like something out of a horror movie?" He teased.

"No." My voice was as serious as my expression when I looked at him. "Somewhere far away from my father."

Hiro didn't say anything, but placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Maybe if I had been farther away from him, this never would have happened. If I had been in a room farther from him, he wouldn't have ever been sober enough to come and try to find me."

"But where would that get you?" Hiro asked, making me look up. "You'd be cowering away in some dark, desolate room, sneaking in, out of, and around your house whenever you needed something. You'd still be neglected and abandoned." He took my chin in his fingers and made me look him in the eyes.

"Mae, listen to me. You made the right decision coming here. I know some bad things have happened since you've come, but that's all over now, alright."

I didn't want to believe Hiro. There was always another chapter in the stories, and all the books I've read ended with everyone not getting what they wanted. But I said what he wanted to, just so that he would get off my case.

"Yeah, alright."

I thought he was buying it, until he looked down at my arms. I was wearing sleeves again, which pretty much gave away what was happening.

"Mae..."

Before Hiro could grab my arm, I rushed off and slammed the door to my room, locking the door. I breathed heavily, trying not to cough as my broken lungs had a panic attack, then sunk to my knees and began sobbing uncontrollably. Everything was so wrong, and my whole life was just one horrible event after another. I curled up into a ball and collapsed onto the floor, hair of fire pooling around my head. I cried and cried, eyes slowly drying out, until there was a soft knock on my door.

"Mae, can I come in?"

I sniffled, and attempted to speak through my garbled voice and plugged nose.

"No." The answer was simple, but it was all I could choke out.

"Mae, please."

"I said no, Hiro!" I didn't know where the sudden strength cans from, but now I was practically screaming at him. Just get out of here!"

I heard him take a breath to speak, and I cut him off.

"I said get out of here!"

Hiro didn't try to protest. He stood there for a minute, and then I heard his footsteps getting farther and farther away. I curled up again and eventually cried myself to sleep.