Officer Scott

Chapter 8

Hi Everyone! Here's another short one, but that's because I wanted to update ASAP!

Chapter 8

"Get up." Harsh words were spat at me. I scrambled off the couch and stood up straight. Lola Redwood didn't like it when I slouched. I looked down at my shoes, which were worn out and the wrong size. She approached me wildly and laid a hard slap across my face. I stumbled back a few steps but recovered just in time for her to go at me again.

Sharp, red acrylic nails dug into my flesh as she yanked my arm towards her. I felt the familiar pop of my shoulder dislocate from the socket. I winced at the pain, but that didn't stop Lola.

"Come with me." She snarled with her beautifully white teeth that flashed brighter with her deep red lipstick. Her frame wasn't as slender as mine, but she squeezed herself into heels and spanx and still managed to drag me along to the kitchen.

"What the hell is this?!" She thrust me forward roughly into one of our appliances. I could feel the blood draining from my face as I realized why she was so angry: I had left the oven on after I made chocolate chip cookies a little while earlier.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." The pain in my shoulder, although severe, was quickly forgotten as my body started to break out in the sweat of fear.

"I'll teach you to leave the oven on, you brat." The oven door was kicked open so forcefully that I was afraid the door would fall off the hinges and I'd get in trouble for that too. Luckily, the appliance only made a croaking sound, and the door stay put. My mother kicked me forward and grabbed my elbow tightly. I fought against her, knowing what was going to happen next, but I wasn't strong enough.

She thrust me forward and pressed my hand onto the interior of the oven. I screamed at the intense burning, but almost as quickly as I felt the pain did it disappear. It was so hot that my palm was numb instantly. For a long seven seconds she held my hand there.

When I was finally released, I jumped away so fast I thought I would knock into something. My mother let me suffer in peace as she stormed out of the room, going on about ungrateful and unusable daughters. A 'waste of space' I think she called me.

When I woke up in my own room, I didn't experience one of those instances where you're like "what happened?" No, I knew what happened. I passed out on the side of the road after Officer Scott arrested me. I woke up briefly in the cab of the cop car, half on Caleb's lap with Marcus in the driver's seat. I didn't know where we were, because everything was so fuzzy but I vomited onto the Officer's shoes and then passed out again.

So when I woke up, a little dizzy from the horrendous nightmares I had while I was unconscious, I began to tremble. I felt the scorching pain in my palm and my shoulder, but I knew it was only mental.

For now.

Who knows what Officer Scott will do to me when I see him next.

I remembered being nine years old and learning how to treat a blistering burn at home, which I did with lots of slow-running cool water, ibuprofen, and ointment and gauze which Grandma Irene had brought me. I remembered being nine and leaning up against my bedroom wall to try and pop my shoulder back in its socket.

Bring that bad cop on because he couldn't possibly do anything worse to me that hadn't already been done.

Ok, well, being brave is easier said than done. So while I thought that thought in my head, my body wasn't having it and I couldn't help but feel lightheaded and shaky as I kicked my covers aside and made my way to the bathroom to clean myself up.

I went to work the next day, feeling out of it. My head hurt, my stomach was queasy and I still had the mental pains in my shoulder and palm. Sophia noticed I was off, and tried to get me to talk about it, but she gave up after a little bit of time. I was glad she could tell I needed space.