baby bellinger / corey seager

34

   "Cloe, what are you doing here?" My dad asks. I was standing on his porch still, my bag around my shoulder. "Why were you crying?" I knew that he'd be able to tell.

   I step inside and discreetly wipe my eyes to try and dry them some more. "A lot happened Dad. A lot. And I didn't know what else to do, and I'm sorry that I just came without even calling first and I-"

   "Cloe, honey, relax. You know you're always welcome back here so why are you sorry? And sit down Clo, what happened? Why are you so upset?"

   I wanted to tell him, but when I tried to, I just broke down again. I cried puddles into my dad's chest while he held me like he did when I was a little girl, crying over a scraped knee.

   "Cloe, you need to talk to me. What happened?"

   "I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry." I couldn't figure out what else to say. All I knew was that I was sorry; I wasn't sure for what, but I was sorry.

   "Should I call Cody? Will he be able to tell me?"

   I shook my head. "I haven't told anyone. Not even Cody."

   My cheeks were becoming stained, and now my nose wouldn't stop running. I looked and felt like a mess; I'm such a basket case. All I do is cause stress and pain for my family, and all this was going to do was make it worse. But I know that I need to tell my dad, he'll know how to help me right now.

   "Did you and Corey get in a fight? Was he trying to force you to do stuff? Oh god Cloe, please tell me you're not pregnant. I do not need two grandkids on the way." He smiled lightly and put his hand on my leg, pretending like he was playing around, but I knew he was actually praying that I wasn't pregnant.

   "I'm not pregnant Dad." He let out a sigh of relief.

   "What's wrong then Clo?"

   I pursed my lips before taking a breath. "He raped me, Dad."

   It was like time stopped. My dad sat there, looking at me with a blank expression for what felt like forever until he finally snapped.

   "Who's he? Who the fuck touched you? I'll kill them, Cloe. I swear to god I'll fucking kill them!" He was pacing the living room now. His face was red, and his hands were clenched tightly in fists.

   "It was him, Dad. He came back. He found me."

   "No. No no no! How did he find you? Where were you? Where was your brother?"

   The screaming was starting to overwhelm me, and I could feel the tears starting to come back up. "I was by myself Dad; I was at a bar."

   "Why were you at a bar by yourself Cloe? Why would you put yourself in that situation?"

   My voice breaks when I speak. "I'm sorry Dad."

   His face softened when his eyes met mine, and my dad slowly walks over to me. He hovers over me for a second, almost as if he's too scared to touch me; as if I would break with the smallest motion.

   Finally, his arms wrap themselves back around me again.

   "I don't know what I'm supposed to do," I say, crying into his chest.

   "We'll fix this Cloe, okay? We're going to fix this."

   I nod, even though I was more than unsure. I've been torn apart and damaged before, but never this bad. This was pain that I just couldn't imagine ending. It was something I'd have to carry with me forever.

   My dad picked my frail body up in his arms and carried me down the hall to my old room. He set me on my bed and covered me with a blanket.

   "We're gonna fix this Cloe. I promise. And you know I'd never break any promise I make to you." I nod, not knowing what to say. "Goodnight, I love you." He leaned down to kiss my head, and it wasn't until then that I noticed the brims of his eyes filled with tears.

   He walked out, turning the lights out behind him and before I knew it, I was alone.

-------

   I was woken up by the sound of sniffles and chocked in cries. I turned over and saw someone I wasn't expecting nor wanting to see here.

   "Cody, why are you here?"

   He turns when he hears my voice. He's a mess. His eyes are red and puffy, and his cheeks are tear stained. His eyes were a bloodshot red, and his hair was all over the place. He looked how I felt.

   "Why wouldn't you tell me, Cloe? You get fucking raped, and then you leave me with an empty apartment and a fucking note to try and prove your okay! Why wouldn't you tell me!?"

   "How'd you figure it out?" I manage to choke out.

   "Dad called me and Corey crying; he told us everything you told him."

   I didn't reply, and Cody takes that as a cue to start getting upset again.

   "He hurt you again, and you didn't even come to me about it. I'm your best friend, Cloe! I'm your big brother for crying out loud! You're supposed to come to me about this stuff!"

    "I was raped, Cody!" I raise my voice back at my brother, startling him. "I was raped, and I feel guilty, and I feel disgusting, and I'm ashamed! I'm so fucking ashamed Cody. How am I suppose to come to you for this?"

   I want to punch a wall when I feel the tears flowing again. I've cried so much today, and I hate that I still am.

   My brother's eyes soften, and he sits next to where I was laying on my bed. "There is nothing to be ashamed about Cloe. None of this is your fault. None of it at all."

   "He's right."

   Cody and I both turn when we hear a voice coming from the doorway of my room. It was Corey.

   "None of this is your fault, Cloe. It's mine. I shouldn't have freaked out on you last night, and I shouldn't of let you leave."

   It wasn't until he stepped closer that I could see the tears lining his now dark blue, sad eyes.

   "Cody can Corey, and I talk for a second please?"

   My brother nodded and walked out of my room, leaving Corey and me alone.

   "Cloe..." He says, reaching out his hand an hesitantly grabbing mine.

   "What you said really hurt me, Corey." I was blunt with my statement, but I truly felt what I said. I wasn't usually this flat out with my feelings, but I needed him to know how I felt. I didn't want to start a fight with him. I have too much going on to be in a battle with one of the few people who sincerely care about me.

   "I know. And I have no excuse. I never should have spoken to you the way I did, and I shouldn't have taken my bad game out on you. This never should've happened to you. I'm sorry."

   I don't reply. Instead, I fill the gap that was lingering between us.

   I kiss him softly. "I love you, Corey. And I'm only upset with what you said because I know that it's true.

   He kisses me again and nods. "Who did this to you, Cloe?"

   "It was just some guy from the bar."

   I didn't want to tell Corey the whole truth on who the guy really was. He would know the name in a heartbeat. And that would not be a good idea, especially with the All-star games coming up in a few days. I wasn't about to let Cody's first all-star experience be ruined because he's so worried about Bryce.

   It was my job to be worried about Bryce. Their job is baseball.