Make Me Feel Glorious
Chapter 2
-PJ's POV-
I looked around the dark room my eyes adjusting to being woken up by the sound of someone stumbling around in the flat. I swung my legs slowly out of the bed and moved silently across my room picking up a stray camera tripod as I went, I rolled my eyes at my choice of weapon feeling somewhat stupid, I gently pulled on the door handle and pulled my door open slowly sneaking out in to the dimly lit hall and following the light coming from the living room. I shuffled along the hall a wave of nausea and nerves tying my stomach in to knots, with a deep breath I barged through the living room door brandishing my tripod, my defences dropped as soon as I laid eyes on the sorry shell of a girl that was meant to be my older sister,
“Sophie”
She sat back on the brown leather sofa in the dim light of the floor lamp in the corner I saw her face gaunt and marked with fresh tear tracks, her hair was a mess and her eyes cast downwards afraid to make eye contact, I sat next to her slowly wrapping my arm over her slim shoulders, she pulled away terror on her face, I pulled her in insistently
“He’s hurt you again hasn’t he?”
She nodded and crumbled in my arms sobbing deeply in to my chest as I held her, I sway gently playing with the ends of her hair until she stopped crying, she was always better off without Frankie, she met him in university and he was a brute routinely beating Sophie for the smallest things. She used to be so strong and happy then she met him and she just faded, I worry that one day he goes too far and I loose sophie for good.
“Look Sophie I’m inviting a few friends over tomorrow for a drink and a catch up you’re more than welcome to stay and meet them?”
She looked up at me her big bloodshot blue eyes,and nodded slightly I smiled at her and joked
“We can get you dressed up and get you a real man”
She smiled and nodded
“Thank you Peej”
I sat wide awake for a few hours after Sophie had gone to bed wondering what she could ever see in some one like him, she was intelligent and wouldn’t harm a fly making her easy prey, her kind heart and child like innocence made it easy for people to take advantage of her just the way her partner was right now.
I trailed off in to my room and managed to drift in to a light dreamless sleep awakening at every sound fearing that he may have found her and had come to harm her more. Even though Sophie was an adult with a well paid rewarding career and her own chic flat not far from mine this was her safe place the only place she could be with out fear of Frankie lashing out at her.
I woke up to see the sun beaming through the window, I rubbed my eyes causing my vision to come in to quick sharp focus, I stretched a small groan escaping my dry lips, and rolled out of the
bed my back stiff and legs aching.
I glanced at the time in the kitchen clock after clicking the kettle down
“Fuck!”
It was already 3.45 and I was expecting people to arrive at 5, I looked over to the living room to see Sophie surrounded by paperwork her long hair tied in a loose bun thoughtfully chewing on a pink gel pen, her thick rimmed glasses balanced on her nose as she read through several English books occasionally writing a well thought out critique of the childs work.
With out looking she said
“Don’t you have a party to get ready for?”
“Don’t you? And anyway its not a party simply a small alcohol fuelled gathering of friends”
She glanced over giving me her trademark pissed off teacher look, looking at me sternly over the top of her glasses,
“It never takes me long to get ready Peej you should know that”
She closed the book on her lap and added it to the large pile on her right, she put her pen back in to her pink pencil case and took her glasses off,
“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
“You needed your rest I heard you go to bed last night, now go shower before you start complaining that you haven’t got time to get ready”
I sighed and shuffled out of the kitchen
“Fine you can finish making my tea then”
She sighed and stood up gliding over to the kitchen in her usual weightless way and continued making the tea as I went to shower.
I looked around the dark room my eyes adjusting to being woken up by the sound of someone stumbling around in the flat. I swung my legs slowly out of the bed and moved silently across my room picking up a stray camera tripod as I went, I rolled my eyes at my choice of weapon feeling somewhat stupid, I gently pulled on the door handle and pulled my door open slowly sneaking out in to the dimly lit hall and following the light coming from the living room. I shuffled along the hall a wave of nausea and nerves tying my stomach in to knots, with a deep breath I barged through the living room door brandishing my tripod, my defences dropped as soon as I laid eyes on the sorry shell of a girl that was meant to be my older sister,
“Sophie”
She sat back on the brown leather sofa in the dim light of the floor lamp in the corner I saw her face gaunt and marked with fresh tear tracks, her hair was a mess and her eyes cast downwards afraid to make eye contact, I sat next to her slowly wrapping my arm over her slim shoulders, she pulled away terror on her face, I pulled her in insistently
“He’s hurt you again hasn’t he?”
She nodded and crumbled in my arms sobbing deeply in to my chest as I held her, I sway gently playing with the ends of her hair until she stopped crying, she was always better off without Frankie, she met him in university and he was a brute routinely beating Sophie for the smallest things. She used to be so strong and happy then she met him and she just faded, I worry that one day he goes too far and I loose sophie for good.
“Look Sophie I’m inviting a few friends over tomorrow for a drink and a catch up you’re more than welcome to stay and meet them?”
She looked up at me her big bloodshot blue eyes,and nodded slightly I smiled at her and joked
“We can get you dressed up and get you a real man”
She smiled and nodded
“Thank you Peej”
I sat wide awake for a few hours after Sophie had gone to bed wondering what she could ever see in some one like him, she was intelligent and wouldn’t harm a fly making her easy prey, her kind heart and child like innocence made it easy for people to take advantage of her just the way her partner was right now.
I trailed off in to my room and managed to drift in to a light dreamless sleep awakening at every sound fearing that he may have found her and had come to harm her more. Even though Sophie was an adult with a well paid rewarding career and her own chic flat not far from mine this was her safe place the only place she could be with out fear of Frankie lashing out at her.
I woke up to see the sun beaming through the window, I rubbed my eyes causing my vision to come in to quick sharp focus, I stretched a small groan escaping my dry lips, and rolled out of the
bed my back stiff and legs aching.
I glanced at the time in the kitchen clock after clicking the kettle down
“Fuck!”
It was already 3.45 and I was expecting people to arrive at 5, I looked over to the living room to see Sophie surrounded by paperwork her long hair tied in a loose bun thoughtfully chewing on a pink gel pen, her thick rimmed glasses balanced on her nose as she read through several English books occasionally writing a well thought out critique of the childs work.
With out looking she said
“Don’t you have a party to get ready for?”
“Don’t you? And anyway its not a party simply a small alcohol fuelled gathering of friends”
She glanced over giving me her trademark pissed off teacher look, looking at me sternly over the top of her glasses,
“It never takes me long to get ready Peej you should know that”
She closed the book on her lap and added it to the large pile on her right, she put her pen back in to her pink pencil case and took her glasses off,
“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
“You needed your rest I heard you go to bed last night, now go shower before you start complaining that you haven’t got time to get ready”
I sighed and shuffled out of the kitchen
“Fine you can finish making my tea then”
She sighed and stood up gliding over to the kitchen in her usual weightless way and continued making the tea as I went to shower.