Bombshells ~ Complete

Chapter Twenty-Three: Library Talks Part Two

"Of course, everyone said it was an accident. My brother was only a toddler, a year old. My uncle always hated me and Jeremy. Personally, I always thought he was in love with my mother. Uncle Ryan was my father's brother, so when he started hanging around my mom more and more, it was normal. Until he tried to kiss her. She was already married to my father, so she screamed bloody murder and ran. My dad kicked the crap out of Ryan for that, which led to even more problems.

"Mom got pregnant with Jeremy a couple months later. It was the proudest moment of my dad's life. He desperately wanted a son to be named after him. Ryan got so angry, yelling and screaming about how it should have been his child and mom should have been his wife. Then he left. We didn't hear from him for a while. Then, when Jeremy turned one, Ryan showed up at his birthday party. Obviously my parents were wary of what Ryan would do or say, so they kept Jeremy as far away from Ryan as possible. But after a couple of months, a lot of apologies, and some therapy, everyone was back to trusting Ryan. Big mistake.

"One morning, I woke up to my mother screaming. She had found Jeremy, dead. He had choked on his own pacifier. But the funny thing was that the pacifier Jeremy choked on was Ryan's favorite to give him. And the pacifier hadn't been in his mouth when mom put him down. Ryan had checked on him right before he went to bed, and no one else checked on him. He didn't cry all night, so mom got worried. And that's when she found the body.

"Mom quit her job to grieve, but she had a friend from high school get her into Heroin so that she didn't have to grieve. At first, mom was completely shocked that one of her friends was trying to pressure her into drugs. And then mom gave in when the pain of losing her child got to be too much for her to handle. Dad got into drinking. Nasty, violent drunk. He started beating mom whenever he got drunk. I was six, I didn't want to see my own dad hurt my mom. So, I jumped in between them thinking that maybe dad wouldn't hurt his own daughter. I was wrong.

"Over the years everything got worse. Dad got more and more abusive, and eventually started drinking all the time. Except when he was working. I was terrified to go home, terrified to go to school in fear someone would see the bruises. I was afraid of everything. And then someone saw that I was pretty and nice and I became Queen Bee. Then it was even harder to hide all the bruises. But it was easier to say I couldn't go home because I had plans. And that's kinda where my life is right now. Druggie mom, drunk dad, dead brother. But don't worry. I've met people who have it even worse than I do." Kas shrugged at the end of her explanation, then hissed at the pain in her side.

Xavier and Gabriel didn't move. Their mouths were open and their eyes were glazed over. I really hoped Kas wouldn't have to explain all that again.

I helped her sit up, yanked up her shirt, and pursed my lips when I saw the black and blue bruises. One of her ribs was jutting out against her skin. Definitely broken.

"Be glad it isn't bikini season." I muttered, pressing against her other ribs. She bit her lip and kept down a scream. She was panting when I finally let up.

"How many?" She asked. I looked over to the boys, who were simply staring at the two of us. I shook my head at their lacking responses to the scenario.

"I'd say three, but that's not a professional opinion. Two on the right, one on the left. Maybe one or two fractured on both sides." I told her, sitting back on my heels. She curled up into a ball, snuggling my pillows. I put my hand on her shoulder comfortingly, then picked up my book and started to read.

This was normal to Kas and I. I suppose it wasn't normal to Xavier and Gabriel, who then flipped out.

"We need to talk to the Sheriff or something! You can't just keep getting the shit beat out of you!" Gabriel exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Kas and I looked at each other. It was sad how little time we'd known each other and how easily we could read each other.

"You're smarter than that, Gabriel. Her father is a Detective. No one will believe, and even if they did, he would kill Kas if he found out. Which he undoubtedly would, since he is apart of the Police Department. There's only waiting it out." I told him softly, trying to make him see sense.

"Remember our rules." Kas said, but the sound was muffled because she was talking into one of my pillows. I just pet her hair, which made her curl closer to me. I put my book down and ran my fingers through her hair.

"We can't just sit around and do nothing." Xavier spat, looking at me with wide and somewhat fearful eyes. He was scared for Kas, for her life. He didn't know that he should have been a lot more frightened. But he had never been put through everything she had been through.

"She can stay with us all the time, then. I can stay with her all the time. That way, she'll be out of danger." I said reasonably. Why did I sound so much more mature than a sixteen year old? Was it because I had been put through hell since before I could remember?

"But if you go over there wouldn't it put you in danger of getting hurt?" Gabriel asked, sounding lost and confused. I shook my head quickly. God only knows what those two would do if they thought someone had hurt me. Why did that thought make me chuckle to myself?

"Micah, my father, wouldn't dare to touch me in front of another person. He's scared of getting caught." Kas said with a firm nod of her head. Then she went still so I could continue gently brushing my fingers through her silky hair. She always felt better when I did this.

"Then we'll do that. Make it to where Micah has no chance of touching you for the next two years. We need to tell the rest of the boys, though." Xavier said sternly. I hesitated, looking at Kas for direction. She gave a small, meek nod. Meek was not exactly Kas's personality, so I knew she wasn't sure about this. I pursed my lips but nodded, just relaying the message. The two left Kas and I alone. Kas started to softly snore a few minutes later.

Why couldn't I do that? Open up and trust people? It would have made my life so much easier. It would have helped so much. I could have been far away from the abuse, away from the pain, maybe even happy for more than random intervals.

Then again, if I had told someone, I would never be able to help Kas. I would never have made Lila have a daughter. I never would have been able to help the boys smile and laugh more.

So maybe, just maybe, this wasn't the worst thing in the world. It was horrible, I could admit that. But not the worst.

With that thought I looked down at a sleeping Kas.

If I could help my best friend this way, the pain I went through was worth it.