Eat.

I never expected Ellie to miss school, also, I never expected her to call me. I was entering Mr Cantenine’s room when my phone rang. I looked up at Mr C with pleading eyes and in return he gave me a nod and told me to go outside. Thanking him, I dropped my things on the floor and answered the phone, putting the receiver to my ear.

Just listening to Ellie’s broken voice, I knew this wasn’t just a social call. She told me to come over and when I asked if everything was okay, she simply told me that it wasn’t. I told her that I would be over at her house soon. When I hung up, I walked back to the classroom and told him something bad was going on. He sighed and looked down at his papers, obviously pondering about my obvious lying reputation. He looked at me again and looked at me good, and when he saw that my face didn’t indicate any bullshit, he nodded towards the door and said, “Out, Mr Haner. Go before I change my mind.”



When I got to her house, I knocked on the door rapidly, when she answered, she was dressed in nothing but a long t-shirt. Ellie took my hand and led me in, I laced my fingers with hers and frowned when I saw the bruises developing on her wrists. I asked her gently what happened and she said to go upstairs first. Following her up the stairs, I walked into her familiar room and sat on her bed, waiting for her to tell me. But every time she opened her mouth to say something, the tears would beat her to it.

Eventually, she let it all out. All she had told me was that her and her douche of a boyfriend had an argument the night before. It wasn't long before I put two and two together. The bruises on her wrists, the way she walked, it was almost obvious. So I held her, held her and soothed her because that was the only thing I could do. The urge to bash Mario's head in was indomitable, but Ellie didn't want a hero to seek revenge, she wanted someone to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright when they knew it wasn't going to be.

“It's alright, baby.” I sighed, my fingers combing through her thin brown hair, “I'll be here. I always will be.”

After minutes of her crying, her position on her bed made her scoot closer to me so that she was lying on top of me almost. Still rubbing her back soothingly, I watched her fall asleep slowly. Languidly, my eyes began to close.

x-x

Waking up to a door opening and an upset step father was not the way I wanted to wake up. Kicking myself internally, I noticed what it looked like.

Elizabeth and I, curled up in each others arms on Valentine's Day, with Ellie wearing nothing but a t-shirt down to her knees. I sighed and gently got out of bed without Elizabeth noticing or waking up, humming, she curled to the pillow and continued to sleep. I put my attention to Joe and put my hands up.

“Before you say anything. We were napping.”

“Napping?” Joseph scoffed loudly, “Do you think I was born yesterday, boy?”
“Not with those wrinkles.” I say lightly, attempting to joke, but his face told me he would have none of it. “I'll tell you the truth. I really will, but you have to promise you won't tell Ellie I told you.”

“Downstairs. Now.” He growled, allowing me to pass by him and walk down the stairs.

Cringing when I felt his breath on my neck, I took my time to walk to the table, resting on a chair that was pulled from the table.

“You've got five minutes. You're already in hot water as it is, so mind what you say.”

“Joe, you know me. You've known me since I was a little bastard running around in your backyard with Ellie and you know just as well as anyone else that I would never, and I mean never do anything to hurt her or take advantage of her. I've been trying so hard to actually prevent any of that from happening, but with that piece of shit of boyfriend she has currently, my job is getting hard.”

“It ain't your job to protect my daughter. That's my job.”

“But whose going to make sure she keeps from shit at school? You can't protect her there. Believe it or not, that's where most of this shit happens. If you haven't noticed, Ellie's losing weight faster than a bat flying out of hell. She's been lying and lying about eating when the only thing she really eats is yogurt and those oyster crackers that you eat with salads, and even when she eats those, she eats them at least once a week, if not, once a month.”

“Brian, if you're lying to me-”

“Joseph, I love your daughter more than anything in the world and seeing her starve herself is possibly the worst thing I could ever experience.”

“But why's she starving herself?” He said softly, his eyes looking down at the floor.

“It's him. Mario Strasser, that piece of shit,” My teeth against each other, “He's always said shit about her weight, it's always been her weight. The night after the party with a friend of ours, he hit her. She came to school the next day with a black eye and I fucking-” my hands clenched and relaxed, “That's why I was suspended for two weeks.”

“You're the reason for that? And...and Mario, he's the reason why my baby girl is so fragile?”

I nodded, which only made Joe's hand slam on the table, “Last night. What the hell happened last night?”

“I've got an idea or two that I gathered from the bruises on her wrists and the way she walks.”

“You're saying that, my little Ellie was taken advantage by some prick who can't defend himself?”

I pressed my lips together and looked down at the floor, nodding slowly. “That's why I'm here. That's why she didn't go to school.”

“Wait till I see the bastard.” He spat, “I'll make sure he gets castrated with a plastic knife.”

“What are you planning to do about him?” Joe asked me.

“What?”

“Are you going to give the fucker what he deserves or-”

“You can't hurt him.” A small voice says behind us, turning around, we saw that Ellie delicately walked towards us, taking a seat in the seat in between us.

“Elizabeth-”

“Daddy, I've tried.” She sighed, “I've tried to end it between the two of us. That's why I went over yesterday, to call it quits. But he screamed at me and he said that I belonged to him. That a car is nothing without her mechanic.” Ellie sniffed and looked up, “I told him that it was over and he said that if I didn't do what he told me to do, he would hurt Mabel.”

“Mabel?” I asked.

“His sister. I don't know her as much, but she's the sweetest girl and I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. I told him that I'd call the police and he grabbed me and that's when he-” Ellie didn't finish her sentence, she hid her face in her hands and cried.

“We'll take Mabel.” Joe said.

“What?” I looked at him with an arched eyebrow, “What do you mean you'll take Mabel?”

“We take Mabel, hide her until we've got Mario dealt with and we take her back home.”

“But how do we get rid of Mario?” Ellie asked softly.

“The guys and I have devised of a plan. Ship his grades and send him far away.”

“Where'd you get that idea? The back of a cereal box? That ain't gonna work.”

“We thought it was pretty good idea.” I mumbled, scratching at the table's wood finish.

“Joe's right. Mario isn't going anywhere, and if he was, he would take me with him.”

“Over my dead body.” Joe and I said in sync.

“But enough about that dick with legs,” Joe began, looking at Ellie with somber eyes, “Sweetheart, we have to talk about you now.”

“What about me?”

I sucked in my breath.

“Darlin', we know what you've been doing. It's no secret anymore.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“The eating, Elizabeth. Or rather, the lack of.”

You could almost see her stomach fall to her feet and her heart rise to her throat, “I'm not-”

“It's true Ellie,” I chime in, looking at her with sincere eyes, “I know you haven't gotten a good meal in about a month. How long do you think you can last on oyster crackers and yogurt.”

She didn't say anything for a long time, but when she did, you wouldn't have known, “Til I got to my goal weight. “

“And what weight would that be, Elizabeth? Nine pounds?” Joe asked harshly.

“Eighty nine.” She mumbled.

Rubbing his face roughly, he sighed and looked at her, “We're taking you to the doctor. Tomorrow morning.”

“There's nothing wrong with me!” Ellie lashed out.

“What would your mother think, eh?! To know that Marcela's daughter is starving herself to impress some stupid boy?”

“Joe-” I warned.

“Not now, Brian. My turn to talk.” He put his attention back to Ellie, “You have any idea what she would think of this? Your mother loved you more than anything and she left you to me because she knew you would be in the right hands. What do you think that reflects on me? That I'm the oblivious step-father who cares not of what her daughter does? You know what happens to this girls who don't eat, right? Do you?”

She didn't answer, she looked at the floor in shame.

“You're not saying anything because you know, Elizabeth. You know damn well what it does and you do it anyway. You're too busy trying to impress some kid who compares you to a damn machine and ignoring the one who is head over heels for ya. Another stupid kid who has loved you since the damn third grade and you're too busy trying to fix yourself for another. This stupid kid being the one right in front of you.”

I felt my ears warm up and my hands sweat. Ellie looked up at me with tear stained eyes.

“So dammit, Ellie, if you won't do it for your own father, your old man who fed you and change your diapers, do it for this idiot sitting right in front of you.”

Joe left.

And nothing else was said.