The Perfect Imperfection(#Wattys2015)

Chapter#4

The next morning I woke up, I felt my head heavy and felt as if I was having a fever. I washed my face and again slipped into the bed. I checked my phone for any emails, Sarah had left me with motivated quotes and many stickers.

It was past noon till I waited for Sarah to show up but she didn't. I had tried calling her but she didn't answer at all. I had a bad feeling about it now.

The next day I got ready for school and once again I was ready to face the world. I reached the school but I was stuck at the start of the hallway as the crowd of students had blocked it. They were shouting.

"Hickey! Hickey! Hickey!" They shouted together.

I didn't get it and of course I knew that once again the crowd  had united to humiliate someone else. Such a pity.

I took the stairs and went to the cafeteria where me and Sarah always met before and after the class.

Several minutes later I saw Sarah coming towards me. She was wearing a hood that covered her face but I recognized her from her garment.

"Hey....." my voice trailed off.

Sarah cried as she sat beside me burying her face into her arms as she wrapped them around herself. She sobbed as I watched her in a mixed state of worry and confusion.

"What happened? Why are you...look at me please. Tell me about it. Please now you're scaring me Sar." I kept on asking as I caressed her back and tried to lift her face to compel her to look at me.

After several minutes she finally lifted her head up and told me what had happened  which left me in a state of horror and helplessness.

"The day I left your house, I reached home and found my father lying drunk on the couch smoking a cigar and watching porn. I told him to abstain from such things at least when Ainnie was at home. I swear I didn't misbehave with him but just tried to make our house a home and not a porn club.

It was then when he started beating me up.

He stood up stumbling to his feet and threw the glass filled with alcohol on me. I told him to stop but he wouldn't. He held me with my hair and banged my head against the wall. He told me that I was a bitch like my mom. Only for the reason that I didn't let him do the activities he wanted to.Twisting my arms around my back he threw me on the couch and told me to apologize and I did but still he picked up the shouldering cigar and branded it on my neck many times, telling me that this mark would remind me of my misbehaving. Ainnie was asleep but she woke up when I started screaming. When she tried to stop him, he slapped her hard across the face and aimed the ashtray on her. Thank goodness,she escaped it. He kept on hurling abuses till he took out his belt and gave me a lesson that I'd remember. He was too drunk and I thought he'd kill us this time. I fainted until I regained my senses and found myself on the lounge carpet with Ainnie sobbing in horror. My little sister thought that I was dead. What more can be horrifying for a fifteen year old? Then I gathered myself and Ainnie helped me to the room. You know what, I was bleeding. He hit me with the belt's buckle."

My jaw dropped in terror as she continued. I went numb hearing her out,how was she not suppose to pass out during the assault. I couldn't even utter a word. I knew that he hurt her physically but this way.........

"That's not it. Today when I came to school....." Sarah trailled off as her voice started to tremble again in fear and helplessness.

I held her hands in consolidation for her to carry on.

"When I came today, Shawn made a rumor out on me that I had spent a night with a guy and I got a hickey. He mistook a burn mark for a hickey.It was a fucking mark of a cigar! And fucking everyone out there started their work,they made fun of me. Of my pain and my situation. Nobody has the right to do this to me.