A Collection of Stories

The Girl Who Signed

Three months passed since Damien attacked me in class. He was expelled and in jail for two months before his father got him on probation. Landon and Mom got worried once they heard he was able to walk the streets of town. Mom made sure Landon was always with me, and if Landon wasn’t Daniel was at my side in an instant.

Daniel.

He’s a subject of discussion, big time.

He’s making me crazy. The more time I spend with him, the more I want to strangle him.  But at the same time, I want to know him better, I want to know more about him, I want to be able to call him more than what we are. I want to be someone he can call his love, someone he’ll be able to hold at night. And yet, there are so many variables acting against us.

Our age difference, no matter how slight it may be, could get him thrown in jail, Damien’s constant pursuit of me for his own... entertainment. For him to constantly abuse me. And my constant struggle with Dad’s death. It’s just three months from the anniversary of his death. The closer it got to the day, the more I pulled away from reality. Dad was always my rock, and when I lost him, my world came crashing down. Daniel has been trying to bring me back to a somewhat conscious state, but I knew it was hopeless.

~

Daniel looked at me, a worried expression on his face. I haven’t signed for the past two weeks; I could tell that there was something bothering him. Normally, I would have a witty retort to something he was saying, but so far, I’ve closed myself off. At the end of class, I didn’t move. I stared at the board, my arms crossed over my chest. Daniel picked me up, fed up with how I’ve been acting lately. He carried me out to his truck and deposited me in the passenger seat. He got in the driver’s seat and looked at me, his eyes boring into mine.

“What’s wrong, Maddie?” He asked. I shrugged and pulled my knees to my chest. He growled and slammed the steering wheel, getting my attention. “Maddie, please talk to me.” He said, turning to me and taking my face in his hands gently. He was so warm and soft, contradicting the tone of his voice. It made me want to cry.

He stared at me with those beautiful eyes, waiting for me to answer. I told him, my hands shaking so badly, I’m amazed he understood at all. I had started crying silently, unable to stop the pent up tears. I closed my eyes, feeling like the barrier I put up just fell and Daniel can really see me now. I felt his thumb wipe away my tears, pulling me close to him. I opened my eyes, looking at Daniel. He was blurry, but I could still see him well enough to figure out that he was doing.

He leaned in slowly, almost hesitantly. I sniffed and pulled him close, leaning in the rest of the way and pressing my lips to his. They were soft yet firm, it seemed he had a lot of practice. I pulled back abruptly, pushing away from him and stumbling out of the truck. I couldn’t do this, not to him. I was going to hurt him, I can’t open up anymore. I’ve tried, and it just hurts. I looked at him before running away from the truck. I just wanted to be alone right now. I ran down the street, having no idea where to go. I just ran, and ran until I ran into someone’s chest. I stumbled back and looked up, then froze in fear.

Damien.

He smirked and grabbed me by the wrists and dragged me to his car. I struggled against him, but he was too strong for me. He opened the back doors and shoved me in, climbing in after me and locking the doors. His smirk turned into an evil grin.

“You’re gonna pay for what you did to me, you little bitch.” He spat, gripping my arms.

~

Damien beat me then raped me. He dumped me in an empty parking lot, half dead and shaking. If anyone found me, I wouldn’t be able to sign, let alone move. I heard my name being shouted, if I could talk, I’d yell, letting them know where I was. The voices found me, kneeling next to me. I tried to open my eyes all the way, but one wouldn’t open and the other was blurry. I tried to move, but two gentle hands held me down.