I Thought You Meant That You Were Falling Apart

Alex's Point Of View

I watched Talia run away, my vision slightly blurred. Footsteps came up from behind me. Someone tapped my shoulder. I spun around to face my sister, who was frowning at me.

"Alex," She sighed, "Drinking again? Come on, you're better than that! Who was at the door?" She asked, seeming uninterested.

"Who are you to fucking judge me, huh? You're the little trampy whore who gave in to Renee! And it was Talia at the door, she wanted to speak with you," I slurred.

"I didn't just give in, she saved me," Kaleena stated dramatically, "And what did she want from me?"

"I don't know, I told her you didn't want to talk to her."

"Why the fuck would you do that?" Kaleena looked pissed, or maybe she just had a wrinkled forehead. When you're drunk, everything seems the same.

"Well, I told her some stuff, and then she started to cry and told me I didn't know what she was going through because I called her a princess and some shit like that," I stumbled over towards the couch, grabbing another bottle of Jack.

"Alex! She's right, you don't know what she goes through!" I felt like somebody just snapped me out of being drunk.

"What do you mean?" I set the bottle down on the coffee table.

"I mean, her father abuses her dammit! He fucking beats her! Ever notice all the scares and stuff? He fucking beats her, and he may even rape her for all we know. You can't judge people, Alex. You were dead wrong!" Kaleena looked very upset.

"I thought you hated her for what she did?" I asked. This upset me too, I was a complete ass, and I would go apologize.

"You know, maybe Talia was right, maybe Renee was the one who over heard and told Jack. Maybe I should ask Jack," Kaleena whipped out her phone and called Jack, who clarified things.

Kaleena set her cell phone down on the table, "Oh my fuck, it was Renee."

"We should both go apologize," I said.

Kaleena nodded, and headed for the door. We began walking, but got lost and winded up just going back home.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, so we can walk in the daylight. It's too dark now," I suggested.

"Yeah," Kaleena agreed.

*Saturday Afternoon*

"Come on, Kaleena," I groaned, "I actually have a life!"

"Alright, let's go. She said her father always went to the bar around noon, so we should be good," I looked at the clock. It was one o'clock.

We were smart enough this time to take a cab, which dropped us off at her front door and offered to wait and take us back.

The house was small, and pretty run-down. Kaleena walked right up and knocked on the door, which wasn't shut all the way and creaked open. Kaleena looked at me, and waved her hand. She pushed the door open all the way.

The lights were all off. We walked in and flicked on the kitchen light. "Hello?" Kaleena cried out. Nobody responded. There was a note on the kitchen table, which Kaleena picked up and read to herself.

"No," Kaleena cried out, tearing up.

"What?" I asked with a stern voice.

"She's - she ran away, Alex."