Teenage Dream

Erin

We all left Karina’s house soon after Brittney thought her cuts to be properly cleaned; and had each taken a cab home. I watched out the window as houses and street signs passed by in a blur. It’s crazy how vast you think a place is until you drive through it at forty miles an hour. After that it looks exactly how it is drawn up-a tiny dot on a map.

The driver stopped in front of my house and I paid him the usual amount before stepping out onto the sidewalk and slamming the door. I could hear him mutter something about me under his breath through the rolled down window but he drove away. I could hear the wind blowing through the gaps and holes in the houses and trees. Everything seemed amplified to my ears; not to mention my eyes.

I used my house key to unlock the front door and then once it was shut, leaned against it for support. My body slid down the smooth wood as easily as if I were a round object rolling down a hill. I was completely torn. Never before had I seen Karina so scared; a frightened abused child. Her eyes were wide, unseeing saucers and every inch of her flesh was covered in some form of a bruise or slice.

My body shook and I felt salt water pouring from my eyes but I didn’t make a sound. I was silenced by the reality of it; Karina beaten to near death.

A knock resounded around the room and I realized that for some time someone had been trying to get inside. “Erin let me in? What are you doing?” I stood up at the sound of Josh’s voice and wiped my nose. The clock that hung above the fireplace said that almost two hours had passed.

I unbolted the door and tried to wipe the depression off of my face. “Babe what’s wrong?” He dropped his sneakers and rushed to take me into his arms. I felt another sob shake my body, but I still couldn’t bring myself to form any words. “Did that Nick kid touch you?” He sounded angry and I shook my head quickly to reassure him, “Then what’s the problem?”

The sound of his voice and the touch of his skin let me pull myself together enough to whisper one word, “Karina.”