Naomi

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    I decided to put a trigger warning before this chapter. No one really reads this story, but this is just in case. There is brief mention of flashbacks and abuse.
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    Naomi sits me on her lap. We are sitting on a smooth rock in the shade. My face is still stained with tears as she strokes my tangled hair. She whispers small assurances into my ears. The ocean and her voice are miles away. Muffled and in another realm.
    Films play behind my closed eyes. Ryan yelling. Hitting. Screaming. The key chain with the truck figurine on it. Stupid key chain. I can still feel the sting of the metal on my raised arms. Naomi told me not to trust older guys. I can't cry anymore. I vaguely register my small screams as the films keep playing. They don't stop. They never will.
    "A, please talk to me. Look at me. Please. You just need to breathe, babes. You are safe as long as you're in my arms. Please look at me." Naomi's pretty voice whispers into my ear. I snuggle into her and sigh. The films pause themselves somehow. She still smells like cinnamon and candy apples.    She lifts my chin and I look into her eyes. I give her a sad smile and she gives one back. She pulls me back into her chest and kisses my head. 

    "He can't hurt you as long as I'm here, baby. It's ok. Best friends protect each other, A. I love you, and as long as you are where I can find you, you won't be hurt again." Her voice is like a melody. Her words dance through my brain and Ryan's twisted face vanished from my tortured mind.

    "I love you, too. Thanks, Nao." My voice shakes and I wince internally. I sound weak. I hate it. I hate myself. I hate the burn mark on my palm. If I wasn't so weak I wouldn't have that mark.
    Naomi notices me scratching the scar and she gently pulls my hands apart. Her arms encircle my waist as she rocks back and forth.
    "I hate him. He shouldn't have talked to you like that," her voice turns into ice, cutting through the air.
    I don't know if she's talking about Ralph or Ryan. I hug her tighter and her body relaxes.
    "Let's not talk about that right now, Nao. Can-Can you sing? Please?" I whisper. My voice is horse from the screaming.
    "Sure, honey."
    Her voice is gentle and soft as she starts to sing. A slow, dark, and beautiful version of Lean On Me, by Bill Withers. I still remember that day last summer when we danced to this on her pool deck. She was so pretty in her red bikini top and jean shorts. I wasn't with Ryan back then. I remember how my dress fluttered and her hair shone. Her laughter was angelic as she spun me around and dipped me mockingly.
    Her brother came outside and pushed us into the pool. We laughed and we squealed. The water was cool, the sun was warm, and I was genuinely happy.
    I smile for the first time in about an hour as her voice whisks me away to a better time. Before Ryan. Before the crash. When it was just us, the song, and the sun.

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