PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 02, 2021
❝ Your life is your own. Don't waste it trying to be what others expect you to be. Don't sacrifice your happiness to make everybody happy. Don't give up on your dreams to build other people's dreams. Your life is your own...
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Cicatrize (v.) to find healing by the process of forming scars. ———
Once everyone went home, it was just Cooper, Benjamin and I cleaning up the apartment. The party was rather enjoyable but I kept noticing Benjamin giving me side glances throughout the night. Grabbing the three trash bags by the door, I couldn't get my hand around the knob.
"Let me help," Benjamin said as he came up behind me and grabbed one of the bags before opening the door. Not able to muster a reply, I stepped into the hall and made my way down the stairs toward the back of the building with him on my heels.
Pushing the door to the alley open, I stepped out into the cool night air and walked over to the dumpsters. Benjamin put a hand on my shoulder as he threw one of the garbage bags in before grabbing the two from me and doing the same.
"Now really isn't the time, Benji," I told him as I saw the look he was giving me. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as I folded my arms over my chest.
"When is going to be the time, Elli? When Coop or King see you with your mother? When everything goes to shit? You need to tell someone and the time is now."
I groaned in defeat, knowing he was right. I swallowed the lump in my throat as tears sprung to my eyes, turning around to lean against the brick of the building.
"When I was young, my father had cheated on my mom and my mother threatened to take me and my brother away. All hell broke loose and that night he dragged me out of the house. After a messy divorce, I was living with my father while my brother was with our mom.
"On nights when my father couldn't get a girl to come home with him, he used me instead. So after awhile, when I got a little older, I finally ran away to my mothers. It was then that I realized she had shipped my brother away and to this day, I still don't know where he is or why she did it."
My voice cracked as the tears finally escaped my eyes. I brought the back of my hand up to wipe them away as Benjamin put a calming hand on my forearm.
"Anyway, one night I was up late when she came home and I hid in the closet because I didn't want to deal with her but she wasn't alone. She was with Kingsley's dad.
"I confronted her immediately because she was my best friend and King's parents were still married but she threatened to send me back to my father if I said anything. I couldn't go through that again.
"This went on for about a year before her father wanted to end it. Said he felt horrible and didn't want to keep hurting his wife and daughter anymore and wanted to come clean. Then my mom dropped the bombshell that she was pregnant."
