River Rat
Shoulder to Cry On
"What the hell," Ethan murmured, absolutely stunned. He didn't yell, didn't glare at me. Just stared as if I'd accomplished something great. "How in the world?" He was more asking himself than me so I just stood there, my arms crossed.
"Don't bug me so much," I said simply before turning around to leave, but I was dragged back. Before I knew it I was soaking wet and being laughed at. His laughter was mocking, but only to my ears. He was trying to be friendly. I wasn't buying it. "You asshole!" I shouted at him.
"Hey, you started it," he replied, raising his hands in a symbol of innocence. I cried out in frustration as I dragged myself up onto the nearest rock and back on the grass, away from him. "Where you going?" he called as I stormed off.
"Away from you," I retorted, making sure I was loud enough for him to hear me. Of all the rotten things, I thought to myself. Why did I have to be stuck with him?
~
Later that night, as I was coming out of my room and to the kitchen to ask my dad something, I overheard him talking to Ethan.
"It's great that you're giving us money for rent, but I really need you to do this extra thing for me. I want my daughter back," my dad said to Ethan. I ducked behind the wall, picking up on the privacy of the conversation.
"I don't know, sir," Ethan replied, shaking his head. "She's one tough nut."
"Take her out somewhere. Help her, get her through this tough time. Lord knows I've tried."
I could believe my dad was just giving up on me like that. Handing me over to some stranger and letting him do all the work. He was being totally selfish. This alone made me come out from behind the wall where I was hiding.
"So I'm just some toy?" I asked, tears in my eyes. I looked straight at my father and said, "You just want to fix me up. Like I'm not even a person. Just so you can have someone to say hello to in the morning? It's like you don't even care."
"Mel, I-" he began, but I cut him off.
"Don't, just ... don't," I said, heading for my bedroom instead of the door leading to the lake. They were blocking it, and I didn't feel like putting up a fight to get outside. Instead, I slammed my door shut and began bawling. He didn't even care that mom was dead. Didn't even care that I was still in pain.
Someone knocked on my door and I groaned, collapsing on my bed. "Go away!" I shouted through my tears, even though I desperately wanted someone to hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay.
"It's Ethan, can I please come in?" he said through the door and I didn't have the energy to say no. I just waited as I continued to cry, keeping my eye on the handle. It slowly, cautiously began to turn and in stepped Ethan, closing the door behind me.
"You came to fix me?" I asked rudely, not caring that I looked like a total mess.
"I came to comfort you," he said softly, asking with his eyes if I wanted him to join me on the bed.
"No," I said softly, but you could hear in my voice that I was lying. I really just needed a shoulder to cry on. He could tell instantly, and sat down softly beside me, putting an arm around my shoulder. I slowly put my head and rested in the crook of his neck. "Thank you," I whispered.
"No problem," he replied, rubbing my back soothingly as I continued to cry into his shoulder.
And there we stayed for the rest of the night.
"Don't bug me so much," I said simply before turning around to leave, but I was dragged back. Before I knew it I was soaking wet and being laughed at. His laughter was mocking, but only to my ears. He was trying to be friendly. I wasn't buying it. "You asshole!" I shouted at him.
"Hey, you started it," he replied, raising his hands in a symbol of innocence. I cried out in frustration as I dragged myself up onto the nearest rock and back on the grass, away from him. "Where you going?" he called as I stormed off.
"Away from you," I retorted, making sure I was loud enough for him to hear me. Of all the rotten things, I thought to myself. Why did I have to be stuck with him?
~
Later that night, as I was coming out of my room and to the kitchen to ask my dad something, I overheard him talking to Ethan.
"It's great that you're giving us money for rent, but I really need you to do this extra thing for me. I want my daughter back," my dad said to Ethan. I ducked behind the wall, picking up on the privacy of the conversation.
"I don't know, sir," Ethan replied, shaking his head. "She's one tough nut."
"Take her out somewhere. Help her, get her through this tough time. Lord knows I've tried."
I could believe my dad was just giving up on me like that. Handing me over to some stranger and letting him do all the work. He was being totally selfish. This alone made me come out from behind the wall where I was hiding.
"So I'm just some toy?" I asked, tears in my eyes. I looked straight at my father and said, "You just want to fix me up. Like I'm not even a person. Just so you can have someone to say hello to in the morning? It's like you don't even care."
"Mel, I-" he began, but I cut him off.
"Don't, just ... don't," I said, heading for my bedroom instead of the door leading to the lake. They were blocking it, and I didn't feel like putting up a fight to get outside. Instead, I slammed my door shut and began bawling. He didn't even care that mom was dead. Didn't even care that I was still in pain.
Someone knocked on my door and I groaned, collapsing on my bed. "Go away!" I shouted through my tears, even though I desperately wanted someone to hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay.
"It's Ethan, can I please come in?" he said through the door and I didn't have the energy to say no. I just waited as I continued to cry, keeping my eye on the handle. It slowly, cautiously began to turn and in stepped Ethan, closing the door behind me.
"You came to fix me?" I asked rudely, not caring that I looked like a total mess.
"I came to comfort you," he said softly, asking with his eyes if I wanted him to join me on the bed.
"No," I said softly, but you could hear in my voice that I was lying. I really just needed a shoulder to cry on. He could tell instantly, and sat down softly beside me, putting an arm around my shoulder. I slowly put my head and rested in the crook of his neck. "Thank you," I whispered.
"No problem," he replied, rubbing my back soothingly as I continued to cry into his shoulder.
And there we stayed for the rest of the night.