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Trapped
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No one said anything the next day at work, but I could see the worried and curious stares they sent my way when they thought I wasn’t looking.
It wasn’t until a month later, when TJ had gotten furiously intoxicated and busted my lip open, that one of them said something. Lauren, Kaysie, Shelby, Sasha, and Jenna were all sitting behind the counter when I walked through the door. Kaysie and Lauren were the first to notice me, and when the others noticed them looking, they too turned to face me. It was Jenna who turned to me with a gasp, her brown eyes widening in shock.
She ran over to me, a worried look in her eyes. “Kymmie, what happened to your lip?” She exclaimed.
Sasha, a newly-hired girl with mocha latte skin and a pretty smile, ran over with a washcloth clasped in her hands. She used it to started wiping at my lip before moving it elsewhere across my face, taking my makeup with it. “The same thing that happened here,” Sasha answered Jenna, pointing to my bruised cheek. “Kymber, you are too pretty for this,” Her British slipped out to mix with her words and form a sentence that made me turn pink.
“No,” I objected, denying her statement. “Not like you or Jenna,”
“You are,” Jenna insisted. “Kymberlin, you have so much potential, honey. You could be whatever you wanted to be, but you let that TJ guy push you around and tear away at your self-esteem.” She told me. “You’re too good for that; too good for him.”
“That’s why you left that one day, isn’t it? You’re terrified of him,” Kaysie mumbled.
“Because he hits you,” Shelby concluded.
“Look, honey, I’ve been where you are. I allowed a man to abuse me because I thought I had no one else. You do, though,” Sasha sighed.
“That’s right,” Lauren smiled. “You have us!”
Lauren turned to me. “Do you have any family you could call?”
“I haven’t talked to my family in years.” I admitted, ashamed. “I wasn’t allowed to,”
“Do you remember your parents’ number, maybe?” Jenna asked me.
“I, uh, maybe . . . ?” I murmured, worriedly. I didn’t know if I could call them. Would I even be able to? It seems like a lifetime ago that I spoke to them. Even longer was it that I spoke to my brother or sister. Would they even speak to me, after three years of no contact?
Lauren grabbed the cordless phone from its charging base and handed it to me. Looking at the time five girls around me, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I hadn’t talked to any of my friends or family members in so long; what would they say? How would they react? Would they be happy? Upset . . . ? Mad . . . ? I didn’t know the answer to any of the questions running through my mind, and that worried me. I didn’t know what I would say when they answered, if they even did. What do you say to your loved ones in this situation?
“Go ahead, Kymmie,” Jenna encouraged. “We’re here for you.”
I dialed the familiar number on the dial pad, praying this wasn’t for nothing. I heard the typical ringing and then a soft voice picked up on the other end. “Sanders' residence,” They spoke. “This is Kim speaking,”
“. . . Mom,” I whispered. “It’s Kymberlin.”
She was quiet for a few minutes, letting my words sink in. “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you called me.” She sighed. “It hasn’t been the same without you here. Your father and I have been so worried about you.” She told me. “Are you okay? Do you need us to come get you? You sound upset, Kymmie.”
“I haven’t been so good, mom.” I admitted on the verge of tears. “I need a place to stay for a while. Do . . . do you think I can, um, come home for a couple days?”
“Oh, baby, of course you can.” She told me. “We would love the company. Do you need us to come get you, sweetie?”
“No, I don’t want you to have to get out this late. I’ll just stay at a friend’s house tonight, and call you in the morning, okay?”
“Sounds great, baby,” She murmured, happily. “I’m so glad you called.”
“Me too, mom,” I smiled, feeling somewhat better. “Me too,”
After saying the proper salutations, I pressed the end button and placed the cordless down on the counter.
“So . . . ?” Shelby asked. “You feel any better . . . ?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, rubbing at my cheeks.
“Um, Kymber,” Looking at Jenna, I saw her bite her lip in wonder. “Did I hear her say Sanders?”
Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, I nodded my head. “Yeah, why?”
“I. . . I think I know your brother.”
“How,” I asked, confused.
“My boyfriend is, uh, good friends with him.”
“Oh,” I mumbled.
I didn’t bother asking who her boyfriend was, because I figured my brother Matt knew way more people than I would ever dream of knowing.
“I know where your parents live, if you want me to take you in the morning. You can just stay with me tonight at my place. It’s not the Ritz, but it’s homey.”
“That’ll be great, Jenna.”
I was just about asleep when I heard Jenna’s doorbell ring. Wearing nothing but a big t-shirt and shorts, I was cautious to answer the door. Plus, it wasn’t my door to answer. Luckily, Jenna came around the corner to answer what was rightfully her door.
“Oh, Jonathon, right now isn’t a good time.” I heard her say.
A much manlier voice followed after hers. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Johnny. I just have a friend over, and she’s not doing so well right now.”
I, of course, chose this moment to go to the bathroom. I froze in my tracks when my eyes—my uncovered natural greenish hazel eyes—met a familiar pair of golden brown ones. He squinted at me until realization hit him. “Kymberlin . . . ?” He looked at me like I was a ghost, and I guess, in a sense, I was. It’d been forever since we last saw each other.
Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I bit my lip and waved shyly at him. “Hey, Johnny,”
He stepped past Jenna with a small smile as he looked me over. “Just wait until the guys find out you’re back,”
Jenna and I both jumped forward to interrupt him while we had the chance. “No, no one else can know about me, Johnny. At least until I’m stable, then we’ll see.”
Looking me over once again, I saw his eyes turn angry and hard. “Kymber, did he...” He stopped, his hands doubling into fists. “He did, didn’t he?” He nodded his head. “God dammit!” Jenna and I both jumped as Johnny slammed one of his fists into the wall next to him. “I will kill him!”
“Johnny, honey, calm down,” Jenna sighed.
“Calm down,” He exclaimed. “My best friend’s sister, once my best friend too, looks like she got hit by a freight train and you want me to calm down? I will kill that son of a bitch myself!”
“Johnny, please,” I pleaded. “It doesn’t matter. I’m okay, I promise. Just-just leave it alone, okay? I don’t want you to go looking for trouble.”
“Fine,” He sighed. “But I won’t make any promises to not kick his ass if I see him.”
“Thank you, Johnny,” I smiled—well, almost smiled; my lip still hurt.
“How long has he been hitting you?”
“Johnny,”
“No, Kymberlin; how long?”
“Does it matter?” I asked, avoiding his eyes. I rubbed my arms, nervously.
“Yes,” Johnny demanded, gritting his teeth in annoyance.
As soon as my mother saw me, she went straight to work on cleaning me up. She started with my busted lip, dabbing some kind of ointment on it, and then moved onto my cheek, where she also dabbed ointment on my bruise.
“Would you like to talk about it?” She questioned as she made me lie on my back so she could tend to my stomach.
“I thought. . .” Looking to the ceiling, I groaned. “I thought he was different.”
I was on the verge of tears as I told her how it all started. I lost my ability to really cry years ago, but I still felt the pain. Three years of nothing but being a punching bag for someone. I was forced into a shell I never knew I had. Forced to never cry again, to never speak, and never feel; I was a robot. I was forced to believe that I would never be good enough for anyone.
“It’ll take some time to overcome what you went through, honey.” My mother sighed, patting my knee. “Your father and I are here for you, just so you know.”
“Thanks, mom,”
I slid out of my shirt and laid down on my stomach, giving mom the opportunity to patch up my back.
It felt good to be taken care of, instead of being treated like shit. My mom knew that all I needed was time and someone that cared. After being gone for so long, I was ready to see my friends and family again, but at the same time I was hesitant. My mom and dad is one thing, and so is my sister Amy, but Matthew and his band mates were a-whole-other story. Sure, I already saw Johnny, who informed me he was the band’s current and permanent, as far as he was concerned, bassist. That was where I wanted to draw the line, though. I didn’t want Liv, Mattie, Brent Haner, or my brother and his friends to see me this way. I didn’t want them feeling sorry for how pathetic I had become.
“Your brother and his friends are coming over tomorrow,” My mom informed me. “Now, don’t you worry, honey. You don’t have to see them. I’ll make sure they avoid the upstairs at all costs.”
“I’m just not. . .”
“Ready to face them,” She finished for me. “I know, honey. It’s fine.” She smiled at me before getting up to leave.
She was halfway to the door when I stopped her. “Mom,” Looking over at her, I sighed. “I’m sorry I let things get so out of control.”
“It’s not your fault, honey.” She sent me her infamous motherly smile. “Now, get some rest. You need it.”
It felt good to be home, but I couldn’t help feeling that things were a little awkward; almost like I didn’t belong here. Hopefully, that would change soon.
It wasn’t until a month later, when TJ had gotten furiously intoxicated and busted my lip open, that one of them said something. Lauren, Kaysie, Shelby, Sasha, and Jenna were all sitting behind the counter when I walked through the door. Kaysie and Lauren were the first to notice me, and when the others noticed them looking, they too turned to face me. It was Jenna who turned to me with a gasp, her brown eyes widening in shock.
She ran over to me, a worried look in her eyes. “Kymmie, what happened to your lip?” She exclaimed.
Sasha, a newly-hired girl with mocha latte skin and a pretty smile, ran over with a washcloth clasped in her hands. She used it to started wiping at my lip before moving it elsewhere across my face, taking my makeup with it. “The same thing that happened here,” Sasha answered Jenna, pointing to my bruised cheek. “Kymber, you are too pretty for this,” Her British slipped out to mix with her words and form a sentence that made me turn pink.
“No,” I objected, denying her statement. “Not like you or Jenna,”
“You are,” Jenna insisted. “Kymberlin, you have so much potential, honey. You could be whatever you wanted to be, but you let that TJ guy push you around and tear away at your self-esteem.” She told me. “You’re too good for that; too good for him.”
“That’s why you left that one day, isn’t it? You’re terrified of him,” Kaysie mumbled.
“Because he hits you,” Shelby concluded.
“Look, honey, I’ve been where you are. I allowed a man to abuse me because I thought I had no one else. You do, though,” Sasha sighed.
“That’s right,” Lauren smiled. “You have us!”
Lauren turned to me. “Do you have any family you could call?”
“I haven’t talked to my family in years.” I admitted, ashamed. “I wasn’t allowed to,”
“Do you remember your parents’ number, maybe?” Jenna asked me.
“I, uh, maybe . . . ?” I murmured, worriedly. I didn’t know if I could call them. Would I even be able to? It seems like a lifetime ago that I spoke to them. Even longer was it that I spoke to my brother or sister. Would they even speak to me, after three years of no contact?
Lauren grabbed the cordless phone from its charging base and handed it to me. Looking at the time five girls around me, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I hadn’t talked to any of my friends or family members in so long; what would they say? How would they react? Would they be happy? Upset . . . ? Mad . . . ? I didn’t know the answer to any of the questions running through my mind, and that worried me. I didn’t know what I would say when they answered, if they even did. What do you say to your loved ones in this situation?
“Go ahead, Kymmie,” Jenna encouraged. “We’re here for you.”
I dialed the familiar number on the dial pad, praying this wasn’t for nothing. I heard the typical ringing and then a soft voice picked up on the other end. “Sanders' residence,” They spoke. “This is Kim speaking,”
“. . . Mom,” I whispered. “It’s Kymberlin.”
She was quiet for a few minutes, letting my words sink in. “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you called me.” She sighed. “It hasn’t been the same without you here. Your father and I have been so worried about you.” She told me. “Are you okay? Do you need us to come get you? You sound upset, Kymmie.”
“I haven’t been so good, mom.” I admitted on the verge of tears. “I need a place to stay for a while. Do . . . do you think I can, um, come home for a couple days?”
“Oh, baby, of course you can.” She told me. “We would love the company. Do you need us to come get you, sweetie?”
“No, I don’t want you to have to get out this late. I’ll just stay at a friend’s house tonight, and call you in the morning, okay?”
“Sounds great, baby,” She murmured, happily. “I’m so glad you called.”
“Me too, mom,” I smiled, feeling somewhat better. “Me too,”
After saying the proper salutations, I pressed the end button and placed the cordless down on the counter.
“So . . . ?” Shelby asked. “You feel any better . . . ?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, rubbing at my cheeks.
“Um, Kymber,” Looking at Jenna, I saw her bite her lip in wonder. “Did I hear her say Sanders?”
Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, I nodded my head. “Yeah, why?”
“I. . . I think I know your brother.”
“How,” I asked, confused.
“My boyfriend is, uh, good friends with him.”
“Oh,” I mumbled.
I didn’t bother asking who her boyfriend was, because I figured my brother Matt knew way more people than I would ever dream of knowing.
“I know where your parents live, if you want me to take you in the morning. You can just stay with me tonight at my place. It’s not the Ritz, but it’s homey.”
“That’ll be great, Jenna.”
I was just about asleep when I heard Jenna’s doorbell ring. Wearing nothing but a big t-shirt and shorts, I was cautious to answer the door. Plus, it wasn’t my door to answer. Luckily, Jenna came around the corner to answer what was rightfully her door.
“Oh, Jonathon, right now isn’t a good time.” I heard her say.
A much manlier voice followed after hers. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Johnny. I just have a friend over, and she’s not doing so well right now.”
I, of course, chose this moment to go to the bathroom. I froze in my tracks when my eyes—my uncovered natural greenish hazel eyes—met a familiar pair of golden brown ones. He squinted at me until realization hit him. “Kymberlin . . . ?” He looked at me like I was a ghost, and I guess, in a sense, I was. It’d been forever since we last saw each other.
Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I bit my lip and waved shyly at him. “Hey, Johnny,”
He stepped past Jenna with a small smile as he looked me over. “Just wait until the guys find out you’re back,”
Jenna and I both jumped forward to interrupt him while we had the chance. “No, no one else can know about me, Johnny. At least until I’m stable, then we’ll see.”
Looking me over once again, I saw his eyes turn angry and hard. “Kymber, did he...” He stopped, his hands doubling into fists. “He did, didn’t he?” He nodded his head. “God dammit!” Jenna and I both jumped as Johnny slammed one of his fists into the wall next to him. “I will kill him!”
“Johnny, honey, calm down,” Jenna sighed.
“Calm down,” He exclaimed. “My best friend’s sister, once my best friend too, looks like she got hit by a freight train and you want me to calm down? I will kill that son of a bitch myself!”
“Johnny, please,” I pleaded. “It doesn’t matter. I’m okay, I promise. Just-just leave it alone, okay? I don’t want you to go looking for trouble.”
“Fine,” He sighed. “But I won’t make any promises to not kick his ass if I see him.”
“Thank you, Johnny,” I smiled—well, almost smiled; my lip still hurt.
“How long has he been hitting you?”
“Johnny,”
“No, Kymberlin; how long?”
“Does it matter?” I asked, avoiding his eyes. I rubbed my arms, nervously.
“Yes,” Johnny demanded, gritting his teeth in annoyance.
As soon as my mother saw me, she went straight to work on cleaning me up. She started with my busted lip, dabbing some kind of ointment on it, and then moved onto my cheek, where she also dabbed ointment on my bruise.
“Would you like to talk about it?” She questioned as she made me lie on my back so she could tend to my stomach.
“I thought. . .” Looking to the ceiling, I groaned. “I thought he was different.”
I was on the verge of tears as I told her how it all started. I lost my ability to really cry years ago, but I still felt the pain. Three years of nothing but being a punching bag for someone. I was forced into a shell I never knew I had. Forced to never cry again, to never speak, and never feel; I was a robot. I was forced to believe that I would never be good enough for anyone.
“It’ll take some time to overcome what you went through, honey.” My mother sighed, patting my knee. “Your father and I are here for you, just so you know.”
“Thanks, mom,”
I slid out of my shirt and laid down on my stomach, giving mom the opportunity to patch up my back.
It felt good to be taken care of, instead of being treated like shit. My mom knew that all I needed was time and someone that cared. After being gone for so long, I was ready to see my friends and family again, but at the same time I was hesitant. My mom and dad is one thing, and so is my sister Amy, but Matthew and his band mates were a-whole-other story. Sure, I already saw Johnny, who informed me he was the band’s current and permanent, as far as he was concerned, bassist. That was where I wanted to draw the line, though. I didn’t want Liv, Mattie, Brent Haner, or my brother and his friends to see me this way. I didn’t want them feeling sorry for how pathetic I had become.
“Your brother and his friends are coming over tomorrow,” My mom informed me. “Now, don’t you worry, honey. You don’t have to see them. I’ll make sure they avoid the upstairs at all costs.”
“I’m just not. . .”
“Ready to face them,” She finished for me. “I know, honey. It’s fine.” She smiled at me before getting up to leave.
She was halfway to the door when I stopped her. “Mom,” Looking over at her, I sighed. “I’m sorry I let things get so out of control.”
“It’s not your fault, honey.” She sent me her infamous motherly smile. “Now, get some rest. You need it.”
It felt good to be home, but I couldn’t help feeling that things were a little awkward; almost like I didn’t belong here. Hopefully, that would change soon.