Always & Forever (Choni)

Chapter 9

⚠️THIS CHAPTER MENTIONS: PHYSICAL ABUSE⚠️

"Are you sure? I don't have to know yet, Cher." The soccer player said. Cheryl shook her head, "I want you to know." She took a deep breath.

Toni nodded, bracing herself, "Alright. I'm all ears."

Cheryl moved closer to Toni if that was possible. "It started when I turned 9," Cheryl whispered.

"The first time, I didn't really think of it as abuse, I just thought of it as I did something wrong and I deserved the hit. I accidentally knocked over his favorite baseball that he got signed by one of the players. The glass broke and I apologized so many times-" Her voice cracked making Toni hold her tighter.

"I kept telling him that I was sorry and that my mom could get him another one. But he just tsk'd at me, and told me that I deserved the hit. He smacked me. I just let him do it because I was small, and I thought that he was r-right I did deserve that h-hit." Cheryl sniffled.

"I didn't tell my mom how I got the bruise. I just told her that I fell, but Jason wasn't trying to believe me. Him being 6 years older, he was much wiser. The second time was a few months after that. He came home and I was in the living room. He was already pissed off about work or something, me being his small child I smiled and said hi. Then out of nowhere he picked me up off the couch and pushed me on the floor." Cheryl explained.

"When I asked him what was wrong and why he was so angry he just shouted at me, telling me it's my fault why his day was bad and that I made it worse. But I didn't understand...how can a 9-year-old mess up your day? I was a child. His child. It stopped for a while, just two years. On my 11th birthday, I ran inside to help Jason with the water cases. When Jason exited the kitchen my father grabbed me by the collar of my dress and told me that he hated that I was here and that I didn't deserve a party because I was a brat. But I wasn't, I never asked for anything unless needed. Anything I wanted my mom would have to ask me." Cheryl sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"The 3rd time. I was on my bike in the yard, just by myself being that I didn't have any friends. My mom was inside with Madison and Jason was busy with studies so I had no one to play with. I saw my dad and I asked him if he wanted to play with me. But instead, he pushed me on the ground, He kept yelling 'Stop asking me for shit!' and I made sure no one found out, but that day Betty came over. She saw the bruises and I told her what happened. That's when I learned the two words 'physical abuse' I begged Betty not to tell my mom. She was hesitant but agreed." The redhead sighed, pushing her head further into Toni's chest.

"Fast forward to age 15, the day my mom found out. She stepped out for groceries and my father came home drunk. He hadn't come home that night, my mom had mumbled something about him not coming home that night anyway. That made me happy knowing I was free of him for a few hours. I was in the living room, on my phone when he walked in. I had already learned my lesson from the last times when I spoke to him so I kept quiet. And that triggered him. He started yelling at me, asking me why I didn't greet him. And when I said 'but you told me not to speak to you' he got so upset and he started yelling louder. I got up but he pushed me back down and slapped me. Hard. My cheek was purple for a month after that. When my mom got home, she dropped her bags when she saw me crying on the couch. He had already left, mumbling words to himself. I told her about all the times he hit me. We cried for a while and Jason came home from college that day and I never saw him so upset. He started calling my father yelling into the phone but it was too late. On the way to where ever he was running away to, he got into a car accident...killing him on the spot. I was in a dark place for a while and I was sent to my Nana in New York but I was used to staying there because I was always there from age 6-8." Cheryl finished.