No More Room To Breathe
Chapter 10
**************Marilyn’s POV***************
I’d been here three weeks. Three amazing, wonderful, and (at the expense of Chris’ hair) funny weeks.
The only problem about living with hot guys is…..they like to make sure they look hot, especially Chris.
I’d been waiting for a shower for the past hour and a half. The guys had to play an early morning radio show today and I had last “Dibs” on the shower. I didn’t really mind because Maika had to wait with me. We had gotten close over these past days, but not close enough for me to share much. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but this was a guy that I did NOT want to scare away.
“Hey…..Marilyn? Marilyn?” a waving hand went past my face.
I guess I was zoning out a bit.
“Sorry. I was just thinking.”
Maika smiled that adorable, crooked smile. “Yeah, you do that a lot.”
I blushed. I was sitting in a towel on his bed, so I had plenty to blush about. Before you get any ideas…I didn’t plan to be sitting on his bed in only a towel. I had mixed up the dibs schedule and was about to get in the shower when Chris came barging into the bathroom. Thankfully, I don’t think he saw much since he was so focused on his hair. So now, I was on Maika’s bed waiting for my turn.
“Where’d you get this?” I heard as I felt a hand go across my back. I stiffened. Maika noticed.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean… You don’t have to talk about it.”
But….under the circumstances, I think he deserved to know.
*******************************************
“Don’t scream, Marilyn!”
My breath caught in my throat as I heard his voice.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, honey. It's Daddy. Everything’s going to be alright.”
I turned slowly and looked at him, absorbing every detail: slightly tanned skin from our family camping trip the week before, the wrinkles by his eyes that showed years of laughter, and eyes reflecting my own panic. I hugged him tightly.
“Marilyn,” he said in a shaky voice. “I want you to run. I’ll take care of Jason.”
“No! I won’t leave you! Please, come with me!” I pleaded, but I could see in his eyes that he wouldn’t chance it.
“I’m going to run in the other direction and make as much noise as possible. OK? I’ll draw Jason to me.”
I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. *How could he?* But in my heart I knew why…. I was his daughter. So, I nodded my head and gave him a kiss on his weathered cheek.
“That’s my girl. I love you. Now go.”
He pushed me a little in the direction towards the city and headed off the other way, throwing sticks and making as much noise as he possibly could. I saw Jason move away from me and towards all the noise. I turned and ran.
*******************************************
“I thought I’d make it. I thought my fight was over and maybe my dad would make it out too. But, I was wrong.”
*******************************************
I should’ve known that Jason wouldn’t fall for it. I felt a searing pain in my back and screamed in agony. Then, I heard a cold laugh.
“Did you really think Daddy could save you?”
I began to crawl away. I was so close. A foot landed on my back and I was paralyzed with the pain.
“Here, let me get that for you,” I heard Jason say in a mocking voice.
There was so much pain. And then a large knife came into my vision. Jason’s face was next to it. What was on that knife, it was like the cherry glaze on a cheesecake. It was blood. My blood. Jason had stabbed me in the back, and not in the metaphorical sense.
“Poor, poor Marilyn. You’re mine.”
“Jason, please…”
“What? You want forgiveness now? Well…it’s too late for that.”
I closed my eyes and waited for the deathblow. But, it didn’t come. I looked up. My dad had saved me again. Too bad he couldn’t save himself.
*******************************************
I was back on Maika’s bed. He was holding me silently as I cried.
“It’s OK Marilyn, you’re safe now.”
I burrowed under the covers with him and began to drift off.
“I’m glad your dad did what he did. Without him, I wouldn’t have you.”
I snuggled closer to Maika, and for the first time slept with no nightmares. Just silly dreams of showers, boys, and Dr. Pepper.
I’d been here three weeks. Three amazing, wonderful, and (at the expense of Chris’ hair) funny weeks.
The only problem about living with hot guys is…..they like to make sure they look hot, especially Chris.
I’d been waiting for a shower for the past hour and a half. The guys had to play an early morning radio show today and I had last “Dibs” on the shower. I didn’t really mind because Maika had to wait with me. We had gotten close over these past days, but not close enough for me to share much. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but this was a guy that I did NOT want to scare away.
“Hey…..Marilyn? Marilyn?” a waving hand went past my face.
I guess I was zoning out a bit.
“Sorry. I was just thinking.”
Maika smiled that adorable, crooked smile. “Yeah, you do that a lot.”
I blushed. I was sitting in a towel on his bed, so I had plenty to blush about. Before you get any ideas…I didn’t plan to be sitting on his bed in only a towel. I had mixed up the dibs schedule and was about to get in the shower when Chris came barging into the bathroom. Thankfully, I don’t think he saw much since he was so focused on his hair. So now, I was on Maika’s bed waiting for my turn.
“Where’d you get this?” I heard as I felt a hand go across my back. I stiffened. Maika noticed.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean… You don’t have to talk about it.”
But….under the circumstances, I think he deserved to know.
*******************************************
“Don’t scream, Marilyn!”
My breath caught in my throat as I heard his voice.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, honey. It's Daddy. Everything’s going to be alright.”
I turned slowly and looked at him, absorbing every detail: slightly tanned skin from our family camping trip the week before, the wrinkles by his eyes that showed years of laughter, and eyes reflecting my own panic. I hugged him tightly.
“Marilyn,” he said in a shaky voice. “I want you to run. I’ll take care of Jason.”
“No! I won’t leave you! Please, come with me!” I pleaded, but I could see in his eyes that he wouldn’t chance it.
“I’m going to run in the other direction and make as much noise as possible. OK? I’ll draw Jason to me.”
I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. *How could he?* But in my heart I knew why…. I was his daughter. So, I nodded my head and gave him a kiss on his weathered cheek.
“That’s my girl. I love you. Now go.”
He pushed me a little in the direction towards the city and headed off the other way, throwing sticks and making as much noise as he possibly could. I saw Jason move away from me and towards all the noise. I turned and ran.
*******************************************
“I thought I’d make it. I thought my fight was over and maybe my dad would make it out too. But, I was wrong.”
*******************************************
I should’ve known that Jason wouldn’t fall for it. I felt a searing pain in my back and screamed in agony. Then, I heard a cold laugh.
“Did you really think Daddy could save you?”
I began to crawl away. I was so close. A foot landed on my back and I was paralyzed with the pain.
“Here, let me get that for you,” I heard Jason say in a mocking voice.
There was so much pain. And then a large knife came into my vision. Jason’s face was next to it. What was on that knife, it was like the cherry glaze on a cheesecake. It was blood. My blood. Jason had stabbed me in the back, and not in the metaphorical sense.
“Poor, poor Marilyn. You’re mine.”
“Jason, please…”
“What? You want forgiveness now? Well…it’s too late for that.”
I closed my eyes and waited for the deathblow. But, it didn’t come. I looked up. My dad had saved me again. Too bad he couldn’t save himself.
*******************************************
I was back on Maika’s bed. He was holding me silently as I cried.
“It’s OK Marilyn, you’re safe now.”
I burrowed under the covers with him and began to drift off.
“I’m glad your dad did what he did. Without him, I wouldn’t have you.”
I snuggled closer to Maika, and for the first time slept with no nightmares. Just silly dreams of showers, boys, and Dr. Pepper.
♠ ♠ ♠
For anyone wondering, I wrote this story about a year- a year and a half ago. I'm editing as i repost. Bear with me.