Love You Regardless

6

CW's:
-Muscle disease
TW's:
-Mentions (child) abuse (bruises)
-Emotional abuse

George's POV

The rest of the day I sat on the couch without saying anything. I just played a bit on my phone and went to my room as soon as the furniture was in there. The boy had left just before dinner, it seemed like he went home.

I went to sleep late at night, I couldn't sleep because of the pain in my arms and legs. I was also thinking about whatever and stressing a lot. I ended up falling asleep at quarter past three and woke up at six am the next morning.

My face felt really sore and I stood up to walk to the mirror in my room. My cheek was bruised, just as my eye and I looked horrible. I looked away again and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Luckily the house was mostly done when we moved in here, we just had light, water and so on.

I showered for ten minutes, dried off to put on some clothes after that. I slowly walked to the stairs. I didn't really want to see my family after yesterday. I practised a fake smile and slid  down the stairs as I greeted my parents.

'Hi, good morning!'

'Good morning,' my dad mumbled as he had a piece of bread in his mouth

I nodded at him and went to the kitchen as I grabbed a piece of bread and some cheese. I sat down in front of my mum and dad and my mum looked at me. 'Did you sleep well? You look tired.'

'I didn't sleep long, but it was fine. You?'

'I slept fine.'

I nodded and ate a bite of my bread as I felt my dad stare at me. 'Can you wake your sister up?'

'Me?' I asked confusedly. 'Can I eat my bread first?'

'No, go wake her up.'

'But I-.'

'Do you want to get hit again?'

'I'm so sorry, I'm going.' I stood up and crawled up the stairs, opening the door to my sister's room. I softly shook her awake and she looked at me furiously, pushing me away.

'Can't you get off me? I can wake up myself.'

'Dad asked me to wake you up,' I whispered.

'Okay so?'

'I woke you up. He would have hit me otherwise.'

'Too bad for you, don't you dare to wake me up again. I don't care if you get hit.'

I nodded. 'I'm sorry, I will go away.'

I quickly walked to the stairs, let myself slide down it and opened the door to the living room as I sat down on my chair again.

'Did you wake her up?'

'I did.'

'Why is she not here?'

'She told me to go away, so I left her alone. I didn't want to make her mad.'

'You're making me mad now, go get her.'

I stared at my bread and laid it back down as I walked back to the stairs. I ended up sitting in the middle of it as I felt a tear roll down my face. I didn't dare to not listen to my dad, but I also didn't dare to yell at my sister either.

I sat down and heard footsteps downstairs, they neared the door and I stood up to go upstairs, but my dad saw me.

'Have you called your sister, George?' he shouted at me.

I knew my sister could hear me, so I couldn't lie. I shrugged and saw my sister's head appearing above me. She was probably going to tell my dad I didn't call her and I would get hit again.

'He called me, dad. No worries.'

I smiled and my dad closed the door behind him.

'Thank you,' I whispered.

'Why are you crying?'

'Because it's all just a bit too much. I don't want to get hit, but you were mad at me as well. I'm sorry for being disappointing.'

My sister didn't answer me, which made me think she found me disappointing as well. I went down the stairs again to eat the rest of my bread with cheese and saw my dad constantly stare at me.

'Do you have some makeup? We are going to have dinner with the family close to here this evening. If you don't cover those bruises, just make up a story.'

'How would I have makeup?' I muttered. 'You're probably homophobic as well.'

'How dare you speak to me like that?'

'Is it not true then?'

'You better make up an excuse for those bruises.'

'I'll say that I walked against a door. What family are we going to?'

My dad pointed outside to Clay's house. 'That family there.'

'Why?'

'Because they invited us, idiot.'

I nodded. 'I'm sorry.'

My dad just rolled his eyes at me and I stared outside, seeing the boy suddenly walk by again. He was hopping up and down with a smile on his face and a box and a bottle in his hands. He ran to the sheep and kneeled down as he started talking to him and refilled his bowl with food.

I saw him holding Wolly, his stuffed animal, again. He cuddled with Wolly and the sheep at the same time as he had a smile on his face. I must have admitted that I found him pretty cute now.

He sat on the ground, curled up in a ball shape as he hugged them tightly. He changed the water bottle and I smiled. He took care of the sheep every day and very carefully. He was a bit strange, but I was sure he had a reason for it. Maybe I would get to know the reason for that this evening, but I wasn't sure about that.

I stood up from the table and walked to the bathroom to look at the bruises on my face. There wasn't really a way to easily make it less obvious than it was now. I hoped the new family wouldn't comment on it, although they probably hit their children too. It was normal, I was the one being in the wrong here.

1021 words