[> Discontinued <] Wish upon a Star

Chapter 5

"Hey." I heard Ron say, unsure if I'd let him be near me. I nodded and he sat a little ways away from me. He stared into the fire. I could see him trying to make out the pictures that were charred now.

After a little bit, he cleared his throat. "I......Will said you solved the case of me staying or leaving." I dipped my head in acknowledgement.

"Thank you." I nodded again and let my hands slid over the picture. I inhaled shakily.

"Ron?" He looked over at me. "Have you ever had a child? You're wife?" He shook his head. "I have had neither." I looked away from him. "I'm sorry." He glanced at me.

"It's not your fault." I closed my eyes. "It's not that... You're a nice guy. Yet you have no one." I looked at the pictures. "I'm still looking." I nodded. "You'll find her." I said, softly.

"Chloe?" I glanced at him. "Can I ask what happened?" I went stiff and my eyes hardened. I could feel him studying me. He got up, thinking he asked at the wrong time, and started walking away.

"I met him at the county fair." He stopped and turned his head towards my direction.

"You could see the stars that night for the first time in three months. The smell of deep fried food filled the air and laughter. Screams came from the rides as they spun around and went upside down. The sound of registers opening and being slammed shut. People chattered about the most useless things. I had went to get an ice cream cone and we toppled into each other. His coffee and my ice cream went all over my History Report. That's when it started. He helped me rewrite it. 'Let me help you.' He said. I agreed." Ron sat closer to me as I put more sticks into the fire.

"We were Juniors in High School. I had barely any friends. He was the preppy kind of kid. Hanging with the snobby crowd. I knew how to fight and he was the brainiac. I knew how to shot a gun and he knew how to cut someone with just a sentence. We had each others backs when one fell. We became friends immediately when I kicked Lilliana's ass when she shoved him into the mud. We were inseparable. Twins joined at the hips. We did everything together. One day, I got really sick and stayed in bed for two weeks. He visited me the whole time. He skipped work to be with me. Will did his best to make me better since our parents died a year earlier. It was my greatest weakness. I loved my parents. Everyone did. I just took it the hardest. Again, he said to let him help. I clung to him the whole time, fearing to lose someone close to me again." I kicked a stick into the fire.

"Senior year came and like always, we fought the preppy kids. He gave up the preppy category to be with me. On my 17th birthday, he asked me out. I agreed. We dated until I turned 19. He took me out to Olive Garden. He proposed and I thought he was the greatest, said yes. But the one rule was, to give up fighting. Guns and all. I gave them to Will, knowing he'd need them. That's when the beatings began. He'd say he was sorry, he didn't mean to. Being the sucker I was, I always forgave him. Eventually, I found that I couldn't fight like I used to from being out of practice. I never rose a hand to him but once. He cursed Will out and I lost it. No one insult my brother without me going after them for blood." I growled. Ron was soaking up my words, listening and not talking.

"It had been two years I had dealt with the beatings and... Unauthorized sexual happenings. He didn't care. He knew that my parents were my weakness. He talked down to me about them, saying that they didn't love me and I should be thankful for what he was doing. He said he was saving me. I was already broken down and built back up the wrong way. I had the same treatment from his family. Anyways, as I said, it had been two years. I knew something was going on inside my body. I could feel it. I set up a doctors appointment and went to it the next week while he was at work. The doctor told me I was pregnant. He knew that I was being abused. He was my old doctor. I begged him not to talk to the police. It'd make it worse. I was so happy, it was like getting my Christmas wish twice in one day. A rocket launcher." I stared off, dreamily. I could see a smile on his face.