XPLR | Colby Brock

~7~

"Do not ever touch me like that!" The woman screamed at her husband.

The only light in the small motorhome flickered on and off, leaving the young girl in the corner in the dark every few seconds. She sat with her knees to her chest and her hands over her ears. "One more straw and Rose and I are out of here!" But the young girl knew that was far from the truth. The woman would never take her daughter and leave. She's said it so many times the girl had stopped counting.

"Rose! Where are you?" The man called to his daughter. Rose didn't say anything. She sat in the corner of her room, not moving, not breathing. "Come out, come out, wherever you are! Don't you love Daddy?"

She does not love Daddy. Maybe she had, at one point, but she never wants to see him again.

The door crept open slowly. "Rose!" he yelled angrily. He reeked of alcohol. He looked to the thirteen-year-old and his eyes filled with rage, causing terror to fill in hers.

He tried getting help, it never worked. Rehab, AA, nothing. Every other night ended the same way, Rose's mother gives empty threats, Rose cowers in a corner of her room, and then her father comes in and roughs her up a little. She was terrified.

He walked to her and took a handful of her hair, lifting her to her feet. She let out a soft cry of fear as he bent down to be level with her face. His breath smelled so much like alcohol Rose could no longer smell the salt from her tears that had dried on her face.

"Why would you hide from me?" he asked gently, forcing Rose to hold eye contact. When she didn't answer, he asked again more forcefully. "Why would you hide from me?!"

Rose knew it was better to keep her mouth shut rather than tell him the truth. He got frustrated with her and shoved her back and brought his arm behind him. He whipped his hand through the air so fast Rose could hear it slice the air in two.

His hand met her face with striking precision. His hand to her cheek made a loud, "CLAP". She held her cheek, shocked yet not surprised. This happens more often then you'd think.

"Why don't you just tell someone?" her one friend she could trust once asked. "It's not as easy as that."

"You like it don't you?"

"What? No! Why would I?"

"You've had so many chances to tell the teachers," she said hatefully, irritated, "you've had so many chances to tell anyone."

"But... I'm just... I can't, alright?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I can't do this anymore," she said. Rose felt her chest go cold. "What?"

"I can't continue being your friend," she said. "You can't leave me alone," she said, "please don't leave me alone."

"I'm sorry."

She still left.

And everyone who tried to help eventually gave up and left too. And it went on and on and on until Rose finally packed up and moved away.

And now she has Elena. But she's not convinced she'll be around forever either.

Even though she tries her hardest to let her guard down, she can't seem to really trust anyone.