"Well, why don't you just join the party." I say, sarcastically as I grab the pizza from his hands. I slip the money I owe him into his pocket, because I know his hands are so tightly bound into fists he wouldn't be able to accept it. I place the pizza on the table, already knowing it will probably end up be eaten cold. Alek is watching everything that's happening with wide eyes, full of wonder, excitement. As if he was watching on of those soap opera's I compared his relationship to earlier in the week. I look at Cassadee and the little boy in her hands and shake my head.
"I don't think Lucas should be here right now." I tell her softly as we both look back and forth in between my brother and Roxas. They are both on either sides of the house, but even from a distance the look in their eyes are serious. As if the slightest move from the other could start an all out fist fight - one that could very much end up with someone in the hospital. Cassadee nods and practically drags Alek out the door.
"Call Me." She says, her eyes are wide and I know she means it. She wants to hear the whole explanation. She wants to know why I'm really mad at Denton, what I was about to say before Roxas interrupted. She wanted to know what Roxas meant and what happened to get him so pissed. She literally wants to know everything. I nod my head, knowing it's the only way to get her to leave, if I agree to finally open up.
I close the door behind her and look up at the clock, five. Only an hour until he comes home. Only an hour. I look at the two very handsome boys who are still in a dead lock stare contest. It's funny how I could probably eat that entire pizza and the two of them still wont have moved from those spots. But, I know I can't do that. I need them out of here and soon, so I need to solve their problem.
I step in between their lines of vision, making it so they can't see the other - it snaps them out of it as they lay their eyes on me. Denton shakes his head and looks at me in confusion, but Roxas just stomps forward and into the kitchen.
"I will ask again." He says, stopping in front of my brother. Roxas grips at the collar of my brother's shirt and shakes him. "Was. It. You?"
His words were clipped and I could tell that he was furious. Does Roxas actually think the one who hurt me was Denton? Denton might be some big, bad and tough football player on the field - but otherwise, he is a complete softy. Wouldn't be able to hurt a fly and not regret it fifteen seconds later. There is no way that Denton would be able to hurt me to this extent and still be able to call himself a Blues boy, much less be able to stand barely three feet away from me.
"Was what me!?" Denton yells in Roxas' face. "What are you goin' on about,? God Dammit!"
Roxas turns his head so he is looking at me, his eyes are questioning, but his body is still tense. As if he would be ready at any point in time to fight my brother. His eyes tell me that I hold the key, all I need to say is yes or no. I shake my head.
"It wasn't him, Roxas."
"What wasn't me!?" Denton screams, pulling himself from Roxas's grip.
"You mean to tell me, he doesn't know?" Roxas doesn't sound happy, if anything he sounds even more pissed then he did when he walked in. I shake my head and Roxas throws his hands in the air. "How the hell did you not notice this!?"
"Notice what!?" Denton looks lost, confused and angry at the fact that he has no idea what is going on. He thinks it's something only Roxas and I know and that must anger him even more.
"Take a good look at your sister." Roxas points a finger at me. "Her neck, under her eye, her arms, her wrists." Roxas looks at my legs and I realize that I'm in shorts. The really short kind. Then, I remember a few nights ago. The bruises on my thighs, on the insides of my legs. I see his eyes grow dark as he realizes what these bruises must mean, he looks up and meets my eyes. The anger slips out of them and he actually looks somewhat hopeful, hopeful that they mean something else. I close my eyes tight and look away, unable to stop my lip from trembling. I almost break when I hear Roxas start speaking again, his voice is soft, but it holds much more pain and anger in it then before. "Shit, Denton, look at her legs for christ sake. You're sister is..."
Roxas can't finish that sentence, I'm actually glad he couldn't finish it. I open my eyes and look at my brother who is carefully looking me over. He is closer than before, so close we could be touching, but far enough that we aren't. He shakes his head and faces Roxas.
"No." He scoffs, trying to sound strong as he denies the truth. "She gets into fights alot, she is bullied by girls from her old school."
"There is no girls bullying her." Roxas practically screams. "Nobody would bully her, there is not reason to. Look at her Denton. Stop avoiding it, you spent God knows how long avoiding it. Look at your sister! Look at her!"
Denton turns to me slowly, he is having a hard time look at me and then I get it. My self mechanism was to use sarcasm and laugh things off. Denton's is to ignore everything and pretend it's normal. Denton isn't stupid, he has always been a smart kid. Which is why I've been angry with him - if he was always so smart how could he have not noticed? That's what I have been thinking. But, It's not that he wasn't paying enough attention to me to see what was going on. In reality, he was paying such close attention that he ignored the whole situation. It explains everything. The reason why he doesn't live at home anymore, why he doesn't come see me unless it's to bring me to and from school. Denton never wanted to ruin me, even with the thought of me being tainted. I have always been his little sister, he said it before. He never could bring himself to see the truth, he wouldn't let himself see me in pain. Deep down, he knows what's going on - he has just never been able to admit it to himself.
Tears spill out his eyes and he holds me at arms length. " I didn't know, I had no idea. I'm - I'm sorry."
"It's okay." I admit, finally. It really is okay, I'm not angry at him. I'm not sorry that it took him this long to realize or that Roxas was the one who made him realize it. I'm just happy he is paying attention. My brother is smart.
"But - who is doing this?" Denton asks me, his voice shaky. Okay, maybe he isn't as smart as I give him credit for.
I hear the front door open and Denton pulls away and look at the door confused. It was as if he completely forgot about David's existence.
"Oh, Denny. What a surprise." David's voice is tired, as usual - like any time he comes home from his once a week work schedule. "I was planning on ordering out today, care to join us. Your friend too. I'm sure Roni doesn't mind - Oh, she already ordered pizza."
At that moment I see recognition flash through Denton's eyes. Me calling David a monster, David lying, multiple times, about how and where I got my mysterious bruises, me insisting that Denton comes home to visit more often. Everything and anything, I watch as Denton slowly realizes. Then I look at Roxas, who up until now was watching me intently. The moment I meet his eyes, he knows too. He knows that it's David. He knows that this is the man that has dirtied me.
And knowing is all it takes, because then next thing I know...Roxas is on top of David, the two of them are fighting on my kitchen floor. Denton disappears somewhere, leaving me alone to watch. I'm scared because David was an MMA fighter, I have no idea how strong Roxas is. But, after a few minutes - I realize Roxas must be strong because no matter how hard of a fight David puts up, Roxas is beating him back down.
That's when I notice it. That curved shape, the metallic black color, it's a gun. David is holding it in his hands and Roxas is trying to pull it away, he has already stopped hitting, now he is more focused on the deadly weapon.
The only thing running through my head right now is : I don't care if I continue to get hurt, I don't care If I'm always in pain or have to deal with David forever - but I will not let him hurt Roxas. I will not let him shoot Roxas. I will not let Roxas die.
I sneak passed the two rolling men on the ground until I am by their arms, then I slam my foot down on David's wrist, hard. He cries out in pain and looks up at me with eyes that I have never seen before. He looks scared, frightened. He continues to struggle against Roxas's hold, he tries to grab his gun, but my foot is placed down securly on his wrist, making him unable to move the gun at all. It seems like we are in this little dead lock for hours, until I hear the sirens. A noise I have always dreamed to hear. My brother wraps his arms around my shoulder and pulls me into a hug as the cops pull David off the ground, telling him his rights. Roxas watches him go with a mean expression on his face. I watch him as he watches David leave, and no doubt is Denton watching me.
The moment I've never thought would come, came.
I'm free.
David's been arrested.
But, what happens to me now?
Comments, Questions, Concerns? They mean alot <3