Life Can Do Terrible Things

I scurried away from Alex and opened the basement door as I walked down the steps. I used the downstairs shower since Danielle was using the one upstairs.

When I was done I towel dried my hair and put on a pair of jeans and a tank. I threw the dirty towel into the hamper and walked back upstairs, turning the basement lights off behind me. I searched the whole house but I didn’t find Alex anywhere.

When I was closing Alex’s door, my foot took the wrong step and made me fall flat on my face. I hear Danielle’s laugh echo from downstairs as she yelled “He left a while ago”. I sighed as I stood up, fixing my top and walked down the steps.

“Where’d he go?” I asked Danielle. She shrugged her shoulders then turned her attention back to the tv screen. I sat down on the loveseat, awkwardly looking around the house. I’ve never really been left alone with Danielle before. We’ve exchanged small talk before but there were other people in the room.

I still remember the first day I “met” her.

“No, come on! I want you to meet her!” Alex cried. “She’s not going to like me” I heaved a fake laugh. He stopped pulling me by my arm and turned to look at me. He narrowed his eyes at me and pursed his lips. “Shut up. She’ll love you.” He reassured me. I sighed, letting him drag me to her bedroom door. I figured Alex would knock, but he didn’t. He turned the door knob and swung the door open to reveal a sight that I wish I had never saw. I quickly covered my eyes with my arms as Alex turned around. “What the fuck?!” His sister yelled. “I’m sorry! I just w-wanted you to meet St-Stephanie!” Alex stuttered. “Oh my god…” He whispered under his breath and shook his head to himself. “I’m sure she’s a lovely girl and all, but seriously Alex? Knock!” I ran out of her room and into the living room where I collapsed onto the couch and began to hysterically laugh into the sofa’s cushions. “Oh my god…” Alex repeated muttered to himself “I’ll never be able to un-see that…” I laughed, getting up off of the couch to rub it in his face. “I told you to wait” I snickered. “Shut up. I didn’t even know she had her boyfriend over…” He hung his head in his hands, trying to get the thought of seeing his sister naked out of his mind. “She was having sex… oh my god” I laughed at him again as he looked up at me and began to laugh. After a minute he shook his head. “That was not okay” We laughed again.

I snapped out of my memory and slightly laughed to myself. I looked over at Danielle then studied her face for a second as I noticed she was furrowing her eyebrows, deep in thought. As I was about to open my mouth to ask her if she was okay she blurted out “I’m not trying to be rude, but why’re you always here?” Danielle fiddled with her thumbs, looking down.

I softly sighed and started “My home isn’t a “healthy” place to be” I stifled a laugh. “Why not?” She questioned, looking at me. I chewed on my bottom lip for a minute before answering her. And so I began the story that only my best friend knew.

“When I was 8 years old, my mother was pregnant with a boy – the child she’s always wanted. She even tried to abort me when she was carrying me because I wasn’t boy but my dad convinced her not to. Once my baby brother was born, my mother was the happiest I’ve ever saw her. She always had a smile on her face, even at 3 am making bottles. She quit caring about me so my dad was left to look after me, even though we all lived in the same house. My brother was her whole entire world.”

I sighed before closing my eyes, remembering the next part I was about to tell, the old wound I was about to reopen.

“One day I woke up from my mother’s loud screaming, I went downstairs and she was holding my brother in her hands with tears streaming down her face. My dad was running around the house looking for his keys as he picked me up and ran me out to the car while my mother carried her son. We rushed through traffic and to the hospital, but it was too late. The doctors said he passed from SIDS… and since that day at the hospital, my mother has never been the same. She fell into severe depression for 2 months after then before she began to turn to alcohol to drown out her problems…”

I took another deep breath, remembering this next part just like it was yesterday.

“One day while my dad was at work, my mom came home completely wasted and came into my room and repeatedly kept hitting me while yelling the most harshest words at me… that was the day it all began. She’d wait for my dad to leave for work so she could beat the shit out of me. When he’d come home, she’d sober up and act like nothing ever happened. I’d be in the hospital regularly, children services would be at the house all the time, it was a horrible mess. The day my dad caught my mother beating me, was the last day I ever saw him. She didn’t kill him – if that’s what you’re thinking. My mother packed everything up and moved us two to Texas. It’s been the same routine for 8 years.” I sighed, finishing the horrid story from my past. The story that is my life. I felt a tear slide down my cheek as I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.

Danielle just sat there on the couch, soaking all of it in while she slowly shook her head. “No… No. You’re getting out of that house, sweet heart. You don’t fucking deserve to be treated like that. Steph, you’re moving in with us and that’s fucking final! If I would’ve known all of that’s been happening to you, I would’ve packed your things up myself years ago!” Danielle shot up from the couch and began dialing a number on her phone as I just sat there in swallowed in my own thoughts.

“Steph, my friend’s letting me borrow his moving van. Will you take me over to your house?” Danielle’s eye glistened as her hands gripped the ends of her sleeves. “Dani, it’s fine, I promise I’m okay! It’s only 2 more y--” I choked out. “No! You’re not living there anymore! You’re too used to that life, and that’s killing me. You’d come over with baseball sized bruises, Steph! You’d make up an excuse every single time and now I know why you’ve been hiding it…” She sighed, and clenched her jaw. “Just please, let me take you out of that house. Please?” She voice lowered as it began to crack. Hair fell into her face as she covered her eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. “You mean the world to my brother and I-I won’t let anyone else put a hand on you! Just please, let me help you..” Her tone desperately cried out.