𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

SIXTEEN

Vivianne

"Sit," my mother said sternly, her eyes bloodshot.

After this little bullshit of a talk, hopefully I could get my eyes bloodshot too...in another way. I'd probably need it.

My parents sat at one end of our dining room table and I sat at the other. Feeling lonely and out of touch with them. That's how it always was.

"What's going on, Vee?" my mother asked, her eyes filled with pain. My father watched me grimly, like he had found out I was pregnant or something.

"Nothing," I said quickly, starting to get irritated. I looked away from my mother's eyes, trying to focus on something that wouldn't make me feel regret.

"It's always nothing. Always a vague answer when I ask you what you did at school or how you're doing," she ranted. "You never share anything with us-

"Because you do this," I threw my hands up, "You start yelling or you're always judgmental. Who would wanna share with somebody like that? Someone that they don't feel safe with." My dad scoffed, "You don't feel safe with us? Vivianne, we're your parents and quite frankly, you didn't get your ass beat by us growing up the way my father used to do me. There's no reason for you not to feel safe with us. What's all this safe bullshit you goin' on about? Safe. Please. You're a child, Vee. That's why I don't understand this."

"Mason," my mother touched his hand softly.

"No, no. I just can't with this. Why would she take those pictures," his voice broke mid sentence, "This is not my baby girl. This is not a baby girl," he shook his head, crumbling on the table as he sobbed.

I sat still, all of my anger leaving me as I watched my dad break down in front of me. That was a different type of pain, especially because of the way he tried to keep his emotions so closed off usually.

I had hurt him.

I watched my mother console him.

I had hurt them.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," I said quietly.

"I don't believe you, Vee," my mother stated, looking up. My father collected himself besides her. "I also found a knife in your room..."

"Why were you in there? You never go in there?" I scoffed.

"I usually give you your privacy because you never had done anything in the past to make us consider otherwise but now...things obviously have to change in the Herida household," she stated.

"I use that knife for protection when I'm not here," I said, searching my parent's faces. "I'm a teenage girl- I need protection."

"And right now we're trying to protect yourself from you," my father cut in. "No more door." I shook my head, bouncing my leg as I stared down angrily at the table. "No more staying up in that room all day. No more knife. And no more...girlfriends."

My head snapped up. "What?"

"It feels like...ever since you started dating you've become a different person-

"Well yea. I finally had someone who listened to me after being stuck in this house for how long," I stood up.

"Vivianne, sit yo ass back down. Now," my father barked.

"Or what? You gon' whoop me?"

My father started taking off his belt. "Matter of fact, I just might," he yelled.