Together Under Our Roof

Misty sat in her desk, tucked deep into the back of the classroom by the large window that covered most of the wall. As the teacher monotonously recited lines of a famous poem to the class, Misty watched a distant cloud float freely. She thought back to that morning. Why had he gotten so angry, she wondered. She remembered the force he had used on her, rubbing her arms, flinching as she ran her fingers over the apparent bruises Michael had inflicted on her. She shuddered as she recalled the anger that had shown in his eyes.

When the bell rang, Misty slowly gathered her things as everyone else jumped at the door, making their way to lunch to get the quick gossip among their friends. Misty quietly moved out the door. Occupied by her thoughts about Michael, she did not realize that she had almost walked right into Claudia. Before she could, one of the guys had slightly shoved her away, pushing her into an open locker which slammed into her face before closing shut.

Claudia and her friends howled with laughter as the guys gathered around Misty. One of the guys, who was very large and muscular, lifted Misty up by her arm, causing her to stifle out a small scream as he gripped her bruised arm. The guys laughed as she tried to pull away with no prevail. The girls all laughed loudly behind the guys as they watched Misty struggle with the large boys.

“Pl – please let go of me,” Misty pleaded through clenched teeth. The boys laughed, and the boy who held Misty’s arm threw Misty into the wall of boys who caught her and tossed her around in the circle. The boys howled with laughter, enjoying the distress of the helpless girl.

“Come on Dylan, don’t you think she’s had enough?” Claudia asked the boy who had grabbed Misty by the arm, feigning innocence. She clung to Dylan who held her by the waist and glared down at Misty.

“Alright babe,” Dylan said bitterly. He motioned at the boys around him and walked away with Claudia under his arm. The guys followed them away, leaving Misty on the floor with various bruises and tears in her eyes.

Misty whimpered, curled on the floor as students passed her. She sat alone on the floor, not thinking of picking herself up, until lunch ended, thinking about her day. Her mind struggled to control the chaos she felt within her mind.

When students started to file into the halls to the next period, Misty slowly lifted herself up, pain shooting through her arms as she forced herself up. For the rest of the day, Misty huddled in the back, scared of the people around her more than she normally was.

She was scared someone would taunt her again and wished that she could just go home. She hoped for the day to end so that she could go home but then it dawned on her; Michael would be at home and what had happened that morning was not something she wanted to go home to. She did not know what she wanted or what she would do.

When the last bell rang, Misty sat at her desk, frozen. She knew that she had work and that she would be late if she did not get home to change, but she was scared. She was scared that Michael was still there, that he was still angry.

Trembling, Misty stood up and slowly moved toward the door. She stumbled down the stairs through the empty halls. She was quiet, pondering ways to avoid Michael’s anger.

When she left the school building, she trudged home. She walked alone, holding herself against the cold wind. As she approached her apartment complex, she slowed down. She looked up at the window to her apartment and was relieved when she saw that the lights were off.

She walked up the stairs, relief calming her. She opened her door to the apartment and stepped in. Inside, everything was quiet. Misty walked into the living room, removing her shoes and hanging her jacket up. She walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a cold bottle of juice. When she turned around, she saw a large plate on the table. Curious, she walked over to the table and looked at the plate of warm sweet smelling pancakes. Next to it was a small note.

Slowly, Misty picked up the note and read it slowly. The note said:

Misty,

I’m really sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to scare you. Please forgive me. I won’t hurt you again because I don’t think I’m confident enough to live with you so I decided to leave.
Michael

Misty dropped the note, dumbfounded. At first she felt something at the pit of her stomach that made her feel sick, but then she felt a rising guilt in her chest. She could not move, but then something in her broke. She dashed for the door.