This Still Belongs to You and Always Will
Chapter 12
Elena’s P.O.V:
Frank looked down at me, his eyes wide. Maybe I should’ve kept this to myself. He looked angry but frightened at the same time as he held me tightly.
“Have you been talking to him?” He questioned.
“No,” I replied truthfully “He keeps turning up at the school gates but…I don’t talk to him! He’s a sick freak in my opinion!”
“Ok,” He said, sighing with some kind of relief “I believe you.”
There was a silence. I wondered what was going on inside his head. What is he thinking about? About how Bert used to beat Dad senseless? About the time he was shot? I remember asking him about it once and how it felt; he wouldn’t tell me and Dad asked me never to ask him again.
“Maybe we should talk about Bert,” He began “You were probably too young to remember everything.”
“Ok.”
“But…I’m deadly serious; I shouldn’t really be telling you this and don’t you dare mention this to Gerard ok?”
“I promise.”
“Swear?”
“I swear that I, Elena Louise Way, will never tell my Dad what you, Frank Antony Iero, are about to tell me.”
He smiled briefly and ruffled my hair.
“Well…how much do you know about your Dad and Bert?”
“Bert used to knock the living daylights outta’ Dad. They lived together. Dad, I think, was desperately in ‘love’ with him.”
“There’s more than that.” He sighed “D’you remember the time he sent you round to my apartment?”
“Yeah…kinda’.”
I was five at the time. Bert told me to go to bed, so I did; leaving him and Dad on their own in the living room.
“Do you know why?”
“He and Bert had a fight?”
“That’s one way to put it.” He wavered.
I looked up at him for some kind of explanation. His expression was serious and concerned. I’d never seen him use that expression before.
“He raped your Dad; Elena.”
My eyes widened with pure shock. He’d raped my Dad?! And then I remembered his screams. How I’d curled up under my duvet with my hands over my ears. His screams of pain and suffering that pierced through me and chilled me to the bone. I remembered his sobs as I’d pattered along fearfully and knocked on the door. The way he’d told me not to come in and instead asked me to go get Frank. Frank smiled when he saw me and picked me up. He’d carried me back and tucked me back up into bed, promising to take care of Dad and telling me not to worry.
“Oh God I shouldn’t have told you that,” He fretted, seeing my expression “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you ok?”
“Mm.” I replied unconvincingly “Just the once?”
“Twice,” He said sadly “As far as I know. And you remember the time he was in hospital with those blisters?”
“Yeah. He said he accidentally spilled bleach on himself.”
“Well…”
“Oh God! You’re not gonna’ tell me Bert did it are you?” I gasped.
“No, no. He did it himself. He said he felt dirty and the bleach would clean it off!” He replied “D’you want me to carry on?”
“Go on.”
“He used to drug your Dad,” He began quietly “He put something in his coffee once and took advantage. After that he kept doing it and Gerard knew about it but he just went along with it.”
I shook my head in disbelief. My Dad. My big strong caring unconquerable Dad who’d always been there to protect me. And he was…violated? He’d been taken advantage of right under my tiny five year old nose? And I’d never realised it.
“Elena; I’m sorry.” Frankie said, resting his chin on my shoulder “D’you wanna’ be on your own?”
“Yes please.”
He got up from the bed and headed for the door as I curled up. When he reached the door he looked back at me.
“I’m sorry to break my promise but I dunno’ if we should be keeping this from him.”
“What?”
“I’m gonna’ have to tell him Elena!” Frank explained “It’s better someone tells him now than he runs into Bert in the street or something.”
“Don’t.” I begged “It’s not fair on him! Bert’s put him through hell!”
“But it’s not fair if we keep it from him! He’s already heard a rumour about Bert getting out soon anyway.”
I sighed deeply as he left the room. My posters smirked down at me, watching me flop back onto the bed to stare at the cracked white ceiling above me.
Frank looked down at me, his eyes wide. Maybe I should’ve kept this to myself. He looked angry but frightened at the same time as he held me tightly.
“Have you been talking to him?” He questioned.
“No,” I replied truthfully “He keeps turning up at the school gates but…I don’t talk to him! He’s a sick freak in my opinion!”
“Ok,” He said, sighing with some kind of relief “I believe you.”
There was a silence. I wondered what was going on inside his head. What is he thinking about? About how Bert used to beat Dad senseless? About the time he was shot? I remember asking him about it once and how it felt; he wouldn’t tell me and Dad asked me never to ask him again.
“Maybe we should talk about Bert,” He began “You were probably too young to remember everything.”
“Ok.”
“But…I’m deadly serious; I shouldn’t really be telling you this and don’t you dare mention this to Gerard ok?”
“I promise.”
“Swear?”
“I swear that I, Elena Louise Way, will never tell my Dad what you, Frank Antony Iero, are about to tell me.”
He smiled briefly and ruffled my hair.
“Well…how much do you know about your Dad and Bert?”
“Bert used to knock the living daylights outta’ Dad. They lived together. Dad, I think, was desperately in ‘love’ with him.”
“There’s more than that.” He sighed “D’you remember the time he sent you round to my apartment?”
“Yeah…kinda’.”
I was five at the time. Bert told me to go to bed, so I did; leaving him and Dad on their own in the living room.
“Do you know why?”
“He and Bert had a fight?”
“That’s one way to put it.” He wavered.
I looked up at him for some kind of explanation. His expression was serious and concerned. I’d never seen him use that expression before.
“He raped your Dad; Elena.”
My eyes widened with pure shock. He’d raped my Dad?! And then I remembered his screams. How I’d curled up under my duvet with my hands over my ears. His screams of pain and suffering that pierced through me and chilled me to the bone. I remembered his sobs as I’d pattered along fearfully and knocked on the door. The way he’d told me not to come in and instead asked me to go get Frank. Frank smiled when he saw me and picked me up. He’d carried me back and tucked me back up into bed, promising to take care of Dad and telling me not to worry.
“Oh God I shouldn’t have told you that,” He fretted, seeing my expression “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you ok?”
“Mm.” I replied unconvincingly “Just the once?”
“Twice,” He said sadly “As far as I know. And you remember the time he was in hospital with those blisters?”
“Yeah. He said he accidentally spilled bleach on himself.”
“Well…”
“Oh God! You’re not gonna’ tell me Bert did it are you?” I gasped.
“No, no. He did it himself. He said he felt dirty and the bleach would clean it off!” He replied “D’you want me to carry on?”
“Go on.”
“He used to drug your Dad,” He began quietly “He put something in his coffee once and took advantage. After that he kept doing it and Gerard knew about it but he just went along with it.”
I shook my head in disbelief. My Dad. My big strong caring unconquerable Dad who’d always been there to protect me. And he was…violated? He’d been taken advantage of right under my tiny five year old nose? And I’d never realised it.
“Elena; I’m sorry.” Frankie said, resting his chin on my shoulder “D’you wanna’ be on your own?”
“Yes please.”
He got up from the bed and headed for the door as I curled up. When he reached the door he looked back at me.
“I’m sorry to break my promise but I dunno’ if we should be keeping this from him.”
“What?”
“I’m gonna’ have to tell him Elena!” Frank explained “It’s better someone tells him now than he runs into Bert in the street or something.”
“Don’t.” I begged “It’s not fair on him! Bert’s put him through hell!”
“But it’s not fair if we keep it from him! He’s already heard a rumour about Bert getting out soon anyway.”
I sighed deeply as he left the room. My posters smirked down at me, watching me flop back onto the bed to stare at the cracked white ceiling above me.