Emancipation

fifteen

I can taste blood in my mouth from his slap but I don't care, I'd rather him hit me than touch me where his hands are roaming right now. I notice how he unbuckles his belt and I shake in his grasp, continuously pushing at his chest but he holds both my wrist with his free hand.

"No, no, no. Please please please don't do this." I cry, sobs leaving me one after another.

Just as he moves his hand under my dress again and fingers are about to slide into me, the bathroom door opens. My eyes look up in immediate hope and sobs wreck through me when I see the familiar face of my brother.

"What the fuck?" He takes in the sight and Richard immediately steps away from me.

He doesn't even falter before stepping in and immediately punching Richard and I fall to my knees, not being able to hold up on my own. "You fucking asshole!" Jeremy booms as he continues to throw punches but Richard doesn't let go without a fight as he punches him back.

"What the hell is going on in here?" I hear Hale's familiar voice which only makes me scoot closer to the wall as I bring up my knees to myself, wrapping my arms around it as tears leave my eyes one after another.

Hale immediately rushes to Jeremy to push him off of Richard and holds him back and then looks at me, his eyes wide in shock, "Jeremy! Jeremy. Stop listen to me. You need to stop."

Jeremy finally looks away from Richard who stands up, sending a deathly glare to my brother who looks down at me and then at Hale, "He was— oh my god, he was!" He tugs on his roots before tears fill his eyes and he rushes to me.

"I need —"

Hale's voice is cut off when there's another presence on the door. It's James. His eyes meet mine, worry immediately clouding his face before he looks at Richard and his cut lip and then between his best friend and my brother. I can see him connecting the dots in his head before the realisation dawns upon him.

"No." He breathes before looking at Hale to contradict him.

"James, no! No." Hale tries to stop him but he doesn't blink before going straight for Richard and punching him so hard that he falls to the ground.

James keeps throwing punches until I hear a bone crack, that's when both Jeremy and Hale start to push him back, "That fucking asshole." He shouts and I only quiver from his loud voice.

"You'll kill him, James. You need to get it under control." Hale holds his face to look at him and my vision blurs a little from the tears before they leave my eyes.

Jeremy is by my side in an instant, "Lil. Lil, talk to me. Please." He speaks, tears running down his face but I just continue to shake my head because I don't know what else to speak.

"I—" I try to speak but my voice croaks, catching the attention of both James and Hale. I look at my brother, "Don't tell Mom and Dad."

"No, no, no. You're not staying. You're coming back home." Jeremy tells me and I want to laugh because recently I don't seem to know where home is.

"Like hell she is." James snaps and I close my eyes. "She's not going anywhere."

"Why? So another of your clients can get his way with her?" Jeremy yells back at him, anger coursing through his face.

"Jer, no. Don't tell Mom and Dad. Promise me." I look at him and he gives me a painful expression before nodding as I look at the other two, "Don't tell anyone. Just please, please get him out my sight." I break down, a sob escaping me and Jeremy wraps his arms around me.

I shake as one sob after another leaves me before I hear Hale talking to Richard, "You're lucky I stopped him or a dead body would've left this place."