Waiting for Superman

One

"Daddy! Stop! Please daddy!"

"Shut up!" I flinch backwards as his hand strikes against my cheek. I stumble a few steps before colliding on the hard floor. I can feel the tears seeping out of my blackened eyes, dripping down my bruised cheeks.

I look up in terror as he moves above me. His hands are clenched in fists and his eyes clouded with intoxication and rage. When my ears heard the patter of footsteps racing down the stairs and through the hallway, my small body froze.

"Mark! Stop that! That's your daughter! That's Bri!" Mom screams at him. His fists clench harder as he spins around, swinging them into her left temple. Her body instantly falls to the floor. She scrambles backwards, trying to get away from him. But he moves closer to her. He grabs onto her legs and pulls her towards him. His fist connects with her face so many times... She's left unconscious on the wood floor.

"Daddy what did you do!" I keep yelling at him... He finally stands up, facing me. Mom's blood drips from his hands, falling into little puddles on the wood. He inches towards me, and I do as Mom did; I scramble backwards.

"No. No. No!"

My eyes snap open and my lungs scream for air. Sitting up in my bed, one of my hands moves to my forehead, wiping away the sweat leaking down my face, and the other stays where it is, fisting the blanket. I pull in a few deep breaths, trying to clam myself down.

The same nightmare has tormented me since I was thirteen.... But the worst part of that; it's not just a nightmare. That's how my life was. For sixteen years, my father... He beat me and my mom, everyday.. My life was full of constant fear and pain. I can remember the kids at my school always asking me about my bruises and my scars...

I shook the dark memories from my head as I pulled my body out of the bed, stepping towards the bathroom. I looked into the mirror, coming my fingers through my messy locks before reaching for the brush.

After a little while of playing around with my hair, I walked back to my bedroom. I picked up my phone from the nightstand, reading over the one message I had.

Lindsey: You going to see mom today?

I replied back with a simple yes, stating when I was going. Lindsey was lucky, she was four years older than me, so she didn't have to go through all of what I did... She moved out the day she turned eighteen.

Mom was in the hospital again, but this time it was worse than ever. Mom has cancer, but this is the worst it's been... I go see her every chance I get, especially knowing what little time she has left.

I shut the door to my apartment, locking it behind me and step down the stairs to my car. I drive silently to the hospital and thankfully, it doesn't take me as long as I thought it would when I park in the lot.

I find the room effortlessly and step inside. Lindsey is sitting on the sofa reading a book and mom is asleep.

"Hey Bri. How are you?" I shake my head sadly, causing a frown to form on her face. "I'm sorry love."

"It's fine. I just wish I knew how to get them to go away.." I trail off as mom starts to stir. Her blue eyes open slowly, scanning the room.

"Hey girls.. How are you?" She mumbles. I move to her side, sitting on the chair by the bed. I reach for her hand, smiling.

"I'm good mom. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. They put me on too many drugs." She chuckles.

"I'm sure."

I spend almost four hours at the hospital with my mother before I leave, going back to my apartment for the rest of the day.

In the morning, I put some of the food from the crockpot into a bowl before putting the lid back on and shuffling back to the living room. I flick on the television before deciding on 21 Jump Street. I love it. It makes me laugh and that's what I need right now.

I don't know how, but I fell asleep during the movie, waking up to the buzz of my cell phone. I reach for it, answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Bri, it's Lindsey," She sniffles.

"Lin, what's wrong?" I shuffle into a sitting position, holding my breath. "Is mom okay?"

She sniffles again, "No... Mom... Mom died a little bit ago... Bri, she's gone!" My body goes completely numb.

Mom is dead.

She's gone...

Hey guys! To the right is a picture of our lovely girl<3