A Little Hope

11. Ohana

"Don't let them fuck you, honey.
Don't let them try. Don't
let them hurt you, baby.
Just say, "Recess, I'm tired"
~Melanie Martinez

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Savannah POV
Something was wrong with Rue. Over the course of two days, he has been more and more scared. I knew it wasn't because of Justin because he was no longer bothered anybody. There was something in the air when Rue was around. I could feel it. I understood his fear. It had to be his parents.

Rue always wore fluffy oversized sweaters. It made his small demeanor even cuter. However, I began to suspect there was a hidden reason as to why he wore them. Ever since Sebastian let him come over, we've been having play dates daily. He always lights up when we play with Winnie and watch cartoons, but when the time comes for Sebastian to drop him off, he starts trembling.

Sebastian didn't notice until I told him and when I did, he got very worried. He looked exactly like how he did when I woke up in his bed for the first time. I swore he was sent from heaven to be every little's guardian angel.

Today was no different in the sense of Rue coming over to play. After the bell rang, I gathered Rue's hand and we made our way to Sebastian's car. I leaned against the car door while Rue stood there fumbling with his backpack strap. We were waiting for a bit so I decided to question him about his parents.

"So, uhm, what are your parents like? You never talk about them and they never seem to call to ask where you are," I asked him.

Rue looked taken aback by my question but responded, "They're okay, I guess. They adopted me when I was four. My birth parents had passed away in a car accident when I was two. I was in the system until Mother and Father adopted me. They were older and couldn't conceive on their own so they adopted me. They have high hopes of me succeeding their business, so they're always pushing me to get good grades."

I burrowed my eyebrows and asked, "Do they know you come over?"

He smirked and said, "They think I'm at the library studying. I'm eighteen; they can't keep me hostage."

"What if they catch you and you get in trouble?" I questioned hesitantly.

His eyes darted to the floor, and I watched as his fingers twisted his backpack strap more fervently. "They'll just punish me a little... That's all... I've been through worse."

I grabbed his hands and gently looked him in the eyes and asked, "Can I pull up your sleeves?"

Rue look at me and became smaller. He had tears about to fall off as nodded slightly. I pulled up his sleeves and was horrified, but also, unfortunately, unsurprised. There were the familiar bruises I was so used to seeing. Some of them were fading but others were fresh.  Along side with those bruises, I also saw his scars. I gently traced my thumb over them. I guided my eyes upwards to meet his.

"They don't want their successor to suck on pacifiers."

I moved and hugged him tightly. He collapsed into my arms cried against me. I remember how it was to be in his place, the fear and anxiety that comes with abusive parents; however, I also remember Sebastian's place, like how he held me as I cried, still cry for that matter because this shit doesn't go away, and protected me from my father. It was because of him that I knew what to do and what I needed to protect Rue. Rue was my friend, but now, Rue was my family. And like Lilo said, "'Ohana' means family. And 'family' means no one gets left behind."