Letters to Anonymous | ✔️

confrontation

"Claire, can I please talk to you alone?" Lexi asked her ex-friend.

Flashes of Lexi's anger towards Claire and her father made Claire hesitate because she knew her old friend's violent nature. Given the few fresh bruises she already had on her body, Claire decided to play safe. "I don't really feel comfortable doing that."

Lexi's eyebrows shot up. "You don't mind an audience then?" She asked, gesturing mainly to Adrian.

Shooting a glance at Adrian, Claire thought about whether she wanted to let Adrian into her complicated mess of a life.

He's gone through a lot, she thought, he'd know to keep a safe distance.
Then, looking back at Lexi, she answered, "No, I don't."

"Fine, your call." Lexi said and ran her fingers through her short brown hair. "How many times has your father done what he does?"

Claire's eyes widened. She thought Lexi was going to get angry and throw jabs at her like last time. Instead, she was questioning her. "Uh—uh, what do you mean?"

"Why do you let him sleep around with women when you know it'll ruin them?"

"What do you mean why do I let him? You think I can stop him?" Claire asked, getting angry. Why was she getting blamed for something that was out of her control?

"Well, you can try!" Lexi yelled. Claire saw behind Lexi's anger was sadness. Sadness because she had to see the result of her father's crime. Her family is suffering because Claire's father slept with her mother. "It's not even just me! He leaves a trail of broken families wherever he goes!"

Seeing Lexi's sadness made the feeling reflect in Claire. She gave Lexi a sad smile and spoke softly, "You think I didn't try at first? I did, and you found out what he did, where that got me." A look of realization passed on Lexi's face and it was now a mixture of sadness for herself and for Claire that she felt. "And of course I know about the trail of broken families. It makes me feel terrible because I can't do anything and I know how they all feel. After all, all trails have a starting point and on this trail, it's my family."