This Still Belongs to You and Always Will
Chapter 17
Elena’s P.O.V:
“You should just ask him.” Katie insisted.
“But-“
“Your Dad’s cool!” She interrupted “He won’t mind!”
“Yeah but…Frank said he doesn’t like talking about my Mom! I don’t want him getting upset.”
“But then you’ll never find out!” Katie replied “But whatever, it’s your decision and I’ll support you whatever you decide!”
“Aww,” I cooed “Thanks.”
“That’s what best friends are for!” She smiled.
I grinned and hugged her. She laughed and hugged me back. We were, of course, discussing what I should do about Bert’s claims of knowing my Mom. Katie’s my best friend and she always has really good advice for everything. I tell her everything and vice versa. We’ll sit up at 3:00 am and talk about her latest crushes or who I had a fight with the other day.
“Anyway,” She continued “What’s the story behind this Bert guy?”
“He’s some psychopath my Dad was with once! I dunno’ how long they’d been together for but he was there until I was about five! Until Dad left him and we moved in with Frank. But he’s psycho! He used to beat my Dad around.”
Her eyes widened just like I thought they would. She’s easy to predict. It also helps that I know her like the back of my hand. She stared at me, wide-eyed, demanding more.
“He used to knock my Dad senseless!”
“Oh my God! But your Dad never seemed the kinda’ person to get knocked about!”
“I know. But I can remember it! He used to have huge purple bruises across his cheek and I saw his chest once while he was changing his shirt; there were these huge green and purple ones all over his chest and stomach!”
“Whoa! And he just put up with it?”
“Yeah. I think he had it in his head that Bert loved him!”
“Why would anyone think that when they’re being beaten?”
“I dunno’.” I replied, hanging my head slightly.
She saw my face and put her arm round me.
“Hey, hon! Don’t get all depressed on me!”
I smiled.
“Don’t worry! I won’t.”
“Ok then! Hey, d’you wanna’ come back to my place?”
“I’d love too! But I can’t,” I said sadly “Mikey and Alicia are coming over for dinner tonight!”
“Ok,” She shrugged “Tell ‘em both I said ‘Hi’!”
“Will do!” I grinned, waving her goodbye as she turned off into her street…
…”Hey Elena!” Uncle Mikey grinned as I opened the door.
“Hey Mikey!” I beamed, hugging him and then turning to Alicia “Hey Alicia!”
“Hi Elena!” She smiled, stepping into the house behind her husband.
I followed Alicia into the living room while Mikey went to go say ‘Hi’ to Dad and Frankie.
“How’ve you been?” She asked, taking a seat on the couch.
“Good thanks! You?”
“Great!”
I grinned and took a seat beside her. She met Uncle Mikey at Dad and Frankie’s wedding! She was the wedding planner. I can just about remember Mikey taking her out onto the dance floor for a dance! And there are heaps of shots of them together on the tape we have of Dad and Frank’s wedding. Although, we now also have a DVD of the wedding ‘cause Frank got some computer genius he knows, through a guy he works with, to put it onto a DVD for them! He did ask me to do it but it was a bit beyond my level of skill.
“So,” Mikey exclaimed loudly, entering the room “Fifteen soon, excited?”
“Mm. Birthday’s are kinda’ losing their effect on me!”
“That’s a sign of getting old!” Alicia laughed.
“Well, if I’m old, you guys must be ancient!”
They both clammed up immediately and didn’t say anything else about me being old for the whole evening. Works every time.
“You should just ask him.” Katie insisted.
“But-“
“Your Dad’s cool!” She interrupted “He won’t mind!”
“Yeah but…Frank said he doesn’t like talking about my Mom! I don’t want him getting upset.”
“But then you’ll never find out!” Katie replied “But whatever, it’s your decision and I’ll support you whatever you decide!”
“Aww,” I cooed “Thanks.”
“That’s what best friends are for!” She smiled.
I grinned and hugged her. She laughed and hugged me back. We were, of course, discussing what I should do about Bert’s claims of knowing my Mom. Katie’s my best friend and she always has really good advice for everything. I tell her everything and vice versa. We’ll sit up at 3:00 am and talk about her latest crushes or who I had a fight with the other day.
“Anyway,” She continued “What’s the story behind this Bert guy?”
“He’s some psychopath my Dad was with once! I dunno’ how long they’d been together for but he was there until I was about five! Until Dad left him and we moved in with Frank. But he’s psycho! He used to beat my Dad around.”
Her eyes widened just like I thought they would. She’s easy to predict. It also helps that I know her like the back of my hand. She stared at me, wide-eyed, demanding more.
“He used to knock my Dad senseless!”
“Oh my God! But your Dad never seemed the kinda’ person to get knocked about!”
“I know. But I can remember it! He used to have huge purple bruises across his cheek and I saw his chest once while he was changing his shirt; there were these huge green and purple ones all over his chest and stomach!”
“Whoa! And he just put up with it?”
“Yeah. I think he had it in his head that Bert loved him!”
“Why would anyone think that when they’re being beaten?”
“I dunno’.” I replied, hanging my head slightly.
She saw my face and put her arm round me.
“Hey, hon! Don’t get all depressed on me!”
I smiled.
“Don’t worry! I won’t.”
“Ok then! Hey, d’you wanna’ come back to my place?”
“I’d love too! But I can’t,” I said sadly “Mikey and Alicia are coming over for dinner tonight!”
“Ok,” She shrugged “Tell ‘em both I said ‘Hi’!”
“Will do!” I grinned, waving her goodbye as she turned off into her street…
…”Hey Elena!” Uncle Mikey grinned as I opened the door.
“Hey Mikey!” I beamed, hugging him and then turning to Alicia “Hey Alicia!”
“Hi Elena!” She smiled, stepping into the house behind her husband.
I followed Alicia into the living room while Mikey went to go say ‘Hi’ to Dad and Frankie.
“How’ve you been?” She asked, taking a seat on the couch.
“Good thanks! You?”
“Great!”
I grinned and took a seat beside her. She met Uncle Mikey at Dad and Frankie’s wedding! She was the wedding planner. I can just about remember Mikey taking her out onto the dance floor for a dance! And there are heaps of shots of them together on the tape we have of Dad and Frank’s wedding. Although, we now also have a DVD of the wedding ‘cause Frank got some computer genius he knows, through a guy he works with, to put it onto a DVD for them! He did ask me to do it but it was a bit beyond my level of skill.
“So,” Mikey exclaimed loudly, entering the room “Fifteen soon, excited?”
“Mm. Birthday’s are kinda’ losing their effect on me!”
“That’s a sign of getting old!” Alicia laughed.
“Well, if I’m old, you guys must be ancient!”
They both clammed up immediately and didn’t say anything else about me being old for the whole evening. Works every time.