The Hurt You Sold

.:.11 years ago.:.

December 26th, 2005.

Although they all wanted to spend Christmas together they promised each other that they would spend the entire day with their families. Lyla enjoyed the one on one time she got with her dad. She hadn't had a full day with her father in many years. In fact it was probably before her mother died that she could remember a full day of them out to the park playing tag.

It was a rather cool day for July, Lyla's father wanted to get Lyla out of the house. Watching Amelia (Lyla's mother) wither away to nothing in her final days on this earth. Lyla was very attached to her mother so it was a wonder how her father James got her out of the house. Lyla knew in her heart that her mother was going to pass away but she didn't want to accept that. But nonetheless she did enjoy that day with her father, no child that young should have to watch their parent lose the life the once possessed. Amelia died a few days after that peacefully holding Lyla. It was bittersweet to know that Amelia held Lyla when she came into this world and Lyla got to hold her mother as she left it.

Gerard and Mikey sucked it up and spent the day with their grandmother aunt and their parents regardless of how many times Marie pinched their cheeks and gushed over them. The count down to the end of the day was the only thing that got them through. Stories of the cats and their soap operas were growing rather annoying.

Frank probably had the harder Christmas. It was the first one in his 17 years that he didn't have his father. Him and Linda made the most of it though. Seeing as they made cookies and just shared funny stories. He mainly enthused about how much he was in love with Lyla. Linda was over joyed at how well Frank spoke of her. She always dreamed her son would find love and would cherish the love he had for someone else. She only hoped that the day Frank gets married he'll be happy and stay committed.

Everyone was lucky to receive cell phones for Christmas. They were still getting the whole texting thing down but they were just happy to have their own private form of communication. Especially at night when they weren't aloud to have phone calls passed 9.

"I feel like we're secret agents now." Gerard enthused over his new phone.

"Yeah! Like I can message you guys at like 3am!" Mikey chimed in.

Frank and Lyla just looked at each other and busted out into fits of laughter.

"Hey! I will kick you out of the basement!" Gerard threatened pointing his little flip phone in their faces.

"Boy if you don't get somewhere with that shit." Lyla laughed slapping it out of his hands causing a girlish squeal escape from his lips.

"I'm telling you, we're getting into 2006 in style." Mikey smiled.

"Did you guys sign up for myspace yet?" Frank laughed out listening to Mikey's corny comment.

"What's that?" The rest of them looked at him like he was from outer space.

"Myspace? It's a social networking site. You can make your own page, put music on it, pictures. You can also find other people and make your top friends list." He explained.

"Why haven't I heard of that?" Mikey asked upset that he wasn't up to date on modern technology.

"It doesn't take long to sign up. G, get your laptop we'll get y'all on. We can talk this way as well."

"This looks so cool!" Gerard enthused constantly clicking on everything he saw.

"Maybe you should have signed up last." Lyla teased.

"Oh, sorry. Hurry up so I can have my turn again!"

"So let me type in Frank Hero....Oh who's this handsome guy?" Lyla smirked at Franks profile selfie.

"Well this phone doesn't take good pictures of printed photos so I couldn't upload ones we've already taken." He blushed, scratching the back of his head.

"It's ok. I like this picture." She responded running a hand across his face.

"Do we need to leave?" Mikey asked lowly growing uncomfortable to their sweet talk.

"No we're alright." Frank answered back kissing Lyla's forehead.

"I almost want all of you to leave." Gerard whispered clutching his laptop and looking up at us through his messy hair.

"You look like an evil scientist." Lyla laughed along with everyone else.

"We can't myspace together if you're all still here." He responded even more creepier.

"He looks possessed." Mikey whispered nudging Lyla.

"I've seen this same look when he first got Grand Theft Auto." Frank added.

"Your crazy ass wants us to bundle up and go back home just so you can talk to us on the computer?" Lyla asked.

"Yes."

"Oh lord. come on Lyla my mom's not home you can come to my house.

Frank and Lyla were leaving as Mikey and Gerard began a battle over who was getting on the laptop. Frank picked Lyla up and swung her around. They reached the end of the driveway and slipped on ice and both crashed to the ground.

"Goodness." Lyla busted out laughing. They laughed so hard that neither one of them could get up right away.

"Not so tough without your boyfriend are you!?" Tony's voice echoed as he threw an icy snowball at Franks head. Tony, Brad, and another guys Thomas ran over to where they were.

"Knock it off!" Lyla shouted helping Frank up.

"Shut up Bitch you're coming with me." Tony ordered snatching her over by her arm.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Brad challenged, watching Frank's failed attempts to get up off the ground.

"Let me go!" Lyla screamed pulling herself out of her jacket and rushing back to Frank. Tony ran back and grabbed a handful of Lyla's hair and yanked her back. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and ran towards his truck. Not before hearing the sound of Gerard and Mikey's father Donald's shot gun erupting into the sky.

"Alright you fucking punks! Let's have target practice!" Donald threatened jumping off of his steps and down the driveway pointing his shot gun at Tony.

"Chill out old man you know you're not going to shoot a couple of kids." Tony laughed calling his bluff.

"Try me." He grinned, speaking in a more mature and manlier tone cocking his gun and aiming it right in his face.

"Come on dude, another day. this ma's crazy." Brad spoke grabbing his friends shoulder.

"This isn't over." Tony spoke lowly for Lyla to hear. He smacked her on her ass before putting her down. He spun her around to roughly kiss her lips before letting her go.

"This is getting out of hand." Frank stated embracing a hysterical Lyla.

"Come on. I'm driving you kids down to the sheriffs station." Donald announced walking towards his truck.

After 2 pointless hours at the police station they left out of there empty handed. With he said, she said stories and no physical damage to Lyla their hands were tied. There's nothing that could be done.

"This whole Goddamned town is only looking out for their own! What a crock of bull shit. Listen you two, with yourselves. If you were my kids I'd of already bought you a gun!" Donald ranted. "Can't do nothing unless they physically assault you that shows visible proof or if they kill you! I never heard the like of shit! In my day you had a problem with a bully you beat the shit out of them until they got the message not to fuck with you!"

Lyla just sat there looking out the window listening to Donald's outbursts. This was insane. She never so much as batted a questionable eye Tony's way. She never gave him any kind of sign that she wanted him so she was just at a total loss for an explanation about this whole situation.

"Hey." Frank whispered squeezing her hand.

"I'm fine." She half smiled.

"It's gonna be alright. I won't let him hurt you."

"I know Frances." She knew if she called him by his nickname he would believe she was alright.

Donald pulled into his driveway without another word and went on inside. Frank and Lyla went on to Frank's house like they had planned earlier.

"So myspace?" Frank read aloud a text from Gerard.

"That is your friend." Lyla laughed.

The remainder of the Christmas break they didn't have anymore run ins with Tony or the rest of his friends. They didn't even go out much either. Mikey was so engrossed with this whole myspace thing he didn't want to miss anything. Gerard was succumb to it as well but he was focusing on making the basement his private hang out spot. He enthused every day via text messaging on how he had 2 rooms. HE felt that hist was going to be how he would get girls but no one else had faith in him. Lyla's father was in a deep about Tony. He had been harassing the police department and the school to get something done to this boy but no-one was budging on the matter.

As it turns out Tony is the sheriffs nephew. His father and the sheriff are brothers. So right there told them that nothing would ever be done. But what they didn't know was that James, Lyla's father had been in contact with the state police and filed a formal complaint. All they needed was for another orange and they would intervene. That was a little more comforting but it was aggravating that they wouldn't come for the complaints they already had in against them.

James had bought Lyla a pocket knife and a small travel sized bottle of mace. It took everything in him to not go find where Tony lived and beat the shit out of him and his father. It made him sick thinking about that punk vandalizing his daughter's innocence. Although he was unaware of her sexual activity with Frank he was more pressed over the fact that Tony was a predator that was let to roam free.