Winter's Wonderful Summer's Special

The Same But Different

Sometimes I worry about me. Anyway, content warning, mature. Mentions of sexual assault. This story is not meant to be taken lightly. Dark.

His dad had been obsessed with the girl with the pretty skin for as long as he could remember. So, besides the pain from his dad's heavy hands, that girl's face, with her skin like a chocolate bar and eyes the color of cinnamon, was one of his first memories. His daddy had a whole room dedicated to her with her pictures and things. That girl was the only other person the boy saw besides his daddy for a long time.

There was a room with all of her pictures, also a pretty bed with bright pink blankets and stark white walls. It had pretty white furniture and a bookshelf, because apparently she liked to read. The boy didn't have a room like that, just a cot in the cold basement and a worn table he sat the things he made out of wood on. Angelo use to wonder why his dad had so much love and gave so much to a child that wasn't his own, a child who didn't even live with them. Angelo use to want his dad to love him like that. To treasure him like that. To never hurt him like he bet he would never hurt that girl.

Years went by, and she changed like he changed, in the same ways but different. They both got taller and bigger. She developed things he did not, something his dad called breasts. And both of their faces thinned out. His dad would get mad sometimes because it became harder and harder for him to find pictures of the girl by herself, his dad would rage about the girl being around undesirables.

Angelo didn't understand any of it. He couldn't understand why any of the people his dad cut out of the pictures of the girl were 'undesirables'. He just couldn't understand, they were always smiling and he knew when people smiled it meant they were happy, it meant they wouldn't cause you pain. His dad really hated a boy with floppy black hair and brown eyes and didn't just cut him out of pictures but cut his picture into pieces and threw them into the fireplace.

Angelo stopped wishing his dad would love him the way he loved the girl when his dad returned one day from one of his long trips and called him outside. He had come quickly because he had learned a long time ago not to keep his dad waiting and rushed outside and to his dad's red, dirt caked truck.

His dad was smiling the biggest smile he had ever seen him smile, which made his stop and stare in wonder. "Don't just stand there like a dumb ass, boy, help me get her out." His dad shouted.

Angelo flinched and quickly moved forward, confused, until he saw what his dad had underneath a blue tarp and gray blanket. It was the girl with the chocolate skin, in the flesh. He had seen enough pictures of her to know it was her. He couldn't help but stare dumbly.

Pain sprung up along the side of his face and he blinked in surprise, looking up at his dad who had hit him. "I said help me get her inside, get out of that fucking, sick head of yours." He barked out, climbing onto the back of the truck and removing the tarp and blanket off the girl. He then grabbed her underneath her arms. Angelo quickly moved to grab her legs and helped his dad get the girl off the truck. His dad began leading the way inside, kicking the screen door open they both entered into the small cabin. "We're taking her to her room."

Once in the room they laid her down on the bed Angelo had just made that morning like his dad expected him to. Angelo stood back watched as his dad caressed the girl's hair and face gently as he stared at her with a look Angelo couldn't identify. He watched curiously when his dad removed a zip tie from his back pocket and attached one of the girl's wrists to one of the iron bars on the bed.

His dad stood back and just stared at his obsession on the bed, seemingly pleased. Angelo 's gaze bounced between his dad and the girl, wondering what was going on. Then his dad turned to him, making Angelo straighten up.

"You keep your eyes off her, you hear me?" The man growled at him.

Angelo quickly nodded. "Yes, daddy." He was sure not to look at the girl again.

"Now get on out, she gotta rest."

Angelo quickly obeyed his dad.

(SB)

His dad allowed him to have half of his steak, even though he was saving the other steak for the girl with the pretty eyes. Angelo chewed on the tough meat and drew a thing called a hippo he had seen in one of the pretty girl's book, he thought maybe he could give it to the pretty girl. He was licking the steak juices from his fingers when he heard the scream. He bolted on his feet and looked fearfully at the door which hid the pretty girl from view.

His dad burst out of his bedroom where he had been watching tv and drinking his beer, two things Angelo weren't allowed to touch. The man didn't spare him a glance as he went right into the pretty girl's room and slammed the door closed.

Angelo stood in the middle of the living room with dirty fingers and a greasy mouth. He had never heard anyone else scream before besides himself. He wondered was the pretty girl hurt.

"Angelo , get the fuck in here." His dad shouted.

Angelo jumped but quickly moved forward, entering the room. The pretty girl was awake and still screaming, thrashing and kicking on the bed. His dad was on the other side of the bed, attaching the girl's other wrist to the bed.

"Get in here and hold her legs down, damn it." His dad ordered. Angelo always obeyed his dad, so he stepped forward and wrestled the girl's legs down. One got free and kicked him in the face. "What in the hell is wrong with you? Can't hold down a fucking girl? Boy, I swear if you don't do as I say, you're going to regret it." Ignoring the pain emitting from his nose and the boy grabbed her legs again and was sure to hold them firmly on the bed.

"Let me go, let me go," the girl was shouting, "help," she was screaming.

Angelo frowned. His dad went to the opposite side of the bed and bent down next to the thrashing, crying girl. "Shhh, shhhh," he cooed, "everything is alright." He smiled, his large hand stroking her face.

Angelo watched as the girl shook his dad hand away and leaned away from him, cinnamon eyes wide with fear. "What are you doing? Why are you doing this?" She sobbed. "Who are you? Let me go."

The man shushed her again, gently, until she quieted. Her heavy breathing being the only sound she made. "There we go, good girl." Angelo had never seen his dad be so gentle. "You gotta be good. I've been waiting a long time for our meeting." The girl's eyes darted over the bedroom, briefly landing on him. He could feel her body begin to tremble under his hands.

"Let me go home, just, please, I won't tell anyone."

His dad looked so angry he almost began to shake. "This is your home now, Mila. And you're going to learn that and you're going to love living here."

The girl's pretty eyes darted to Angelo. "Please," she whimpered.

His dad roughly grasped the girl's chin, making her look away from him and to his dad. "Look at me, not him." He snapped. Angelo watched with wide eyes as the girl's eyes filled up with tears again. His dad shot him a dark look. "And what in the hell did I tell you, boy?" Angelo quickly looked down, no longer looking at the girl. "Better yet, just get the hell out of here. I'll hold her down myself. Go on, scram, you sissy."

"Yes, daddy," Angelo quickly said and went to exit the room.

"And close the damn door behind you."

Angelo did as told.