Since Birth

Chapter Eleven

I wasn't off the hook when I got home. Aimee arrived shortly after me and she was not happy at all. So instead of trying to eat I was grilled by her.
"You gotta tell me what's up." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Or I have no choice but to get mom and dad involved."
"Can't I have one day? One fucking day when I'm not miss cheery? Can't I mope?" I shook my head at her.
"No, this is day number three. You had me scratch your hair until you fell asleep. Dad did that all the time for you when you had nightmares. You slept all yesterday."
"Why do you care!?" I yelled at her widening my eyes in frustration. "Why does everyone care? I just want to be left alone!"
"Well you're not alone Em!" She screamed back at me. "And I don't want you to think that you are. People care about you." She calmed down stepping towards me in attempt to be civil. "Just talk to me please sis."
"You didn't talk to me about you and Sean. You keep things from me and so I can do the same."
"Is this really out of spite? You're jeopardizing all of your friendships and relationships because I kept a secret from you?"
"Several Aimee. He hurt you. And you didn't come to me! He put his hands on you and took advantage of your age and vulnerability. He took advantage of you!" I screamed the last part at her and began to weep.
"So you're upset because of that?" She walked closer to me and tried to comfort me. "You don't have to worry about me Em. I can handle myself."
"No." I shrugged her off wiping away my tears. "I wanted to confront him, defend you and-" I shut my eyes biting hard on my lip. I cried shaking my head. "He's a monster." My voice broke as I tried to keep myself from falling to the ground. She reached out to me again and I shoved her hard away from me. All of the air was sucked out of me again and I opened my mouth but no sound came out. I kneeled over feeling sick to my stomach.
"Emelie." Aimee said sternly coming to my side. She began to touch my back and I immediately vomited all over her shoes. She dry heaved and I got to my feet running for the front door trying to escape and trying to breathe again. I threw up again in the grass and just began to walk fast and aimlessly. I couldn't think. If I tried I thought of him and the images flashing over my eyes like a picture show. It was suffocating me and I couldn't escape it as I stumbled looking for an escape. I found myself wandering to the woods and clawing at my shirt and neck trying to free myself. I finally fell to my knees pulling at me hair and hitting at the dirt angrily. I had so much pent up aggression and pain. I was mentally tormenting myself by staying silent but I had no idea how to tell anyone. Me being a social butterfly losing all of my social capabilities after one incident. I felt isolated and alone. So very alone.
The leaves crinkled behind me and I spun around seeing legs behind me. My eyes shot up to his face and realized I had no idea who he was. I immediately became alert and defensive even though I knew from experience that I couldn't defend myself. He threw up his hands and shook his head at me confused.
"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have followed you but I just- I just wanted to make sure you're okay." His face was kind but he looked afraid of me.
I slowly got up and shook my head at him ready to sob again.
"I'm Nolan." He said nearing me with his hands still up. "I've seen you around school before." He had dark hair that was thick and piled on top of his head messy. It was long and so was he. I don't think I had ever seen him before.
"I'm Emelie." I said quietly and he stopped a few feet in front of me. He grabbed the bottom of his white t shirt and ripped it, handing me a large part of it. I frowned confused and he gave a small laugh shaking his head and then hitting the side of his legs.
"It's all I have to offer for you to use." I looked him up and he smiled looking over my face. "Unless you'd like the rest of my shirt?"
"No," I blew my nose with the shirt which was surprisingly soft against my nose. I bet I had looked a mess. He had distracted me from balling my eyes out. I wiped my eyes and looked up to him again.
"You shouldn't have followed me." I shook my head looking down at the piece of shirt again.
"You looked like you needed a friend." He neared me and I looked back up to him giving the first smile I had today.
"I actually just needed this open space and air." I took a deep breath. "I'm usually not this disgusting." I laughed shaking my head and he laughed too.
"No, you're still very pretty. I wouldn't rip my shirt off for just any girl." He joked shoving his hands in his pockets. "Plus I've been there, I've had to come to these woods several times to clear my head. I know how it feels to be alone and in turmoil. I could only wish someone had ran after me too."
"I'm assuming you didn't make as big of a scene as I had." I laughed again thinking about my sisters shoes. "I threw up all over my sister." I tried to stop myself from laughing but once he started I couldn't stop.
"I threw up on my dog once and he just ate it up." He added to the laughs making me forget why I had even run out there. He made me laugh until my stomach hurt.
"You can't imagine how embarrassing I am. If you would've hurled on me I would've hurled right back on you."
"Stop! Enough vomit talk please." I looked up to him smiling big.
"Sorry, I'll stop." He nodded biting his lip gently. "I just figured you needed a good laugh today Emelie."
"Thanks, for all of this Nolan. I think I needed someone that knew nothing about me to make me feel better." He didn't say anything but instead just nodded and gave a lopsided grin. "I should get back before my sister worries even more about me."
"Why go back when you can stay here? Be free in the woods?"
"Because I look like shit?" I snorted shaking my head at him. His face went blank and he nodded stepping out of my way.
"I hope you day begins to look up for you."
"Thanks Nolan."
"Nolan Reid by the way." He didn't follow me as I left and went home. But I was glad he had followed me in. I felt I had a little pep in my step and things were seeming to be better. When I got home I saw my dads car was parked outside along with my moms which was rare at this time of day.
When I walked inside I was bombarded by worried stares from all of them.
"Emelie where have you been?" My mom walked towards me and I looked to Aimee who was refusing to look at me in this moment.
"Your school called and they sounded worried about you." My father walked to me as well.
"Your sister won't speak but she was cleaning vomit off of her shoes when we came home."
"I told you that I don't know what's wrong with her! She won't talk to me." She looked to me finally and I looked back to my mom who had her mouth set in a hard line.
"Are you pregnant?" She asked and my eyes widened in shock of what she was asking me.
"You're kidding right?" I frowned at her shaking my head and she threw up he arms and pointed to our dad.
"He told me you were all over that Mullins kid at his house."
"Not my exact words, but I did tell her Em and I'm sorry." My dad tightened his jaw trying not to overstep her.
"I'm just having a rough day and I threw up all over Aimee by accident but I was feeling sick." I looked to Aimee and she frowned to me sympathetic that I was being hounded on.
"Are you being safe Em? I mean I can't work and babysit at the same time here." She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back to me shaking her head.
"I hope you guys know this has nothing to do with your daughters sex life. She's upset because no stupid boy has asked your precious girl to homecoming yet! She's overwhelmed with college applications, keeping up her good grades, not being able to do sports and our fathers sudden surprise reentry into our lives. That is more than enough to send a girl into a panic attack. The nagging in unnecessary right now she needs comfort and support." Aimee spoke up for me now, bringing the heat off of me and forcing them to listen.
Both of them stayed silent before turning to one another and talking. Aimee flagged me and I walked over to her and she grabbed my arm pulling me upstairs with her. She didn't let me go until we made it to her room. She closed the door and pointed a finger at me and then to her feet.
"First of all, ew." She started to say shivering in disgust. "Second, I broke up with Sean. I tried to talk to him and diverted and diverted until I asked him what had happened."
"Aimee." I warned shaking my head at her. "Please."
"He said he was drunk and doesn't remember but he thought I was there Saturday Em." She nibbled on her bottom lip and looked to the floor shaking her head. "You went there to stand up for me and," she paused and my eyes began to fill up with tears. "He hurt you. Didn't he?"
"Aimee I don't want to talk about this." I shook my head trying not to think about it.
"You don't have a choice."
"He knew it was me!" I blurted out. "And he just-" I swallowed hard shaking my head again repeatedly hoping I didn't have to say it out loud.
"It's okay." She came to her senses finally. "You don't have to tell me. I can't force you to tell me how he sexually assaulted you. That's what he did right? He hurt you that way?"
I looked away from her and she walked over to embrace me tightly.
"I should have never gotten you involved with this Em. I'm so sorry that I was a bitch to you today but I was so worried. Everyone kept talking about you and I felt out of the loop. I had no idea what was wrong until you said he was a monster." She held me closer. "He is a monster. He's vile and manipulative and I'm going to end him. He won't get away with this." She held me close for a very long time and we both cried not knowing at all what this maniac has put either of us through. He wasn't a good man. He was no longer that hero that I looked up to. He was just a boy who thought he could take whatever he wanted.
Not anymore.

"Girls?" Our dad pushed the door open and looked from the both of us sympathetic. "I know this hasn't been easy for you two. I definitely apologize for leaving and just reappearing like this. It's hurts me to know the amount of damage I have caused my two favorite ladies." He sighed shaking his head in remorse. "I do want to make this better and your mom suggested family therapy, but I think just being there for both of you, both of us, will make this better. We've decided that I will move back here for most of the time, try to fix things and have some structure."
"It won't be nice to have you back if you both are arguing all the time." Aimee declined his offer. "If that's how it's going to be it will be more devastating than not having you available at all." She let go of me and I balled up the piece of t shirt I still had in my hands.
"Yeah don't try and force being together if you're better off apart dad. It's not healthy for any of us"
He nodded taking in what we were both telling him. "We'll figure something out. But for the time being, I'll be here. And your mother will not leave the house until you both have left and she'll be here to sit down and have dinner with all of us."
"But not every night, that'd be overkill." I nodded in agreement with her and he sucked his teeth. He couldn't win. There had to be comprises.
"Okay." He finally said after studying us both. "I'm sorry you had a shit day Emelie. It wasn't fair for us to bombard you like that and accuse you of things we shouldn't have." He was looking at me and Aimee snorted.
"Yeah next time don't do that, it was a disturbing and dreadful display of affection."
"Tell that to your mother, the ultimate over reactor." He rolled his eyes and smiled. "I did however invite your boyfriends to dinner tonight to make things even more spectacular."
"We don't have boyfriends." We both said simultaneously as we looked at one another.
"Well Aidan and Trevor will be joining us tonight. I told them to ask you to homecoming properly." He smiled big and escaped before we could scream at him.
"I met a boy in the woods." I turned to her shaking my head. "Aidan saw me rejecting Trevor today so I think he thinks I was flirting with him."
"He did say you were pretty harsh." She clicked her tongue shaking her head. "You fucked my sister is what he told me you said to him."
"Well he did." I shrugged looking away from her.
"Only once. It was a mistake.  Only because he's really good at it and I miss it." she lied trying to exaggerate the story by being sarcastic.
"Thank you for standing up for me today and not forcing me to talk Aimee."
"I realized my mistake and I'm sorry he took advantage of you Em. No one should ever go through that but it happens so often. That's why I'm going to hurt him. Bad."