STUTTER

Chapter 13

Scott didn't want to go to school, so I stayed home with him. So since Sara was at her kindergarten glass and my sister was at work, we were alone.

He was still asleep when I heard a knock on the door and went to go answer it. When I opened the door, a man with dark hair and brown eyes stood there with a frown. "Is your name Keiji?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I'm Scott's father. I'm taking him home."

"I think you should leave before I call the police." I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"You're housing a runaway. If anything, I should call the police on you."

"Who would the court rule in favor of? The person who abused their child or the person protecting him?"

He held my gaze, his hand matching the bruises on Scott's wrists. "You brat." He gave me a breathless chuckle and shook his head. "Give me my son."

"No."

"You can't just tell me no."

"I can. Considering the problem at hand, I don't want to see you or talk to you right now and this is private property so you're trespassing. Now leave."

"I'm not going anywhere without my son."

"Shall I call you a police escort home?"

"Give me my fucking kid!"

"Get out of my face. If I see you come near Scott again, I'm calling the police and child protective services."

I slammed the door in his face and locked it, watching out the window as he left.

Scott rubbed his eyes and stepped into the hall. "Who was that?"

"Nobody important. Trying to sell some shit to me." I lied for his sake. If he knew that this was causing me trouble, he'd probably go back home. "How's your neck?"

"Still hurts to swallow."

"I can make you some tea."

"Thanks but...I just want to sleep."

"Scott you've been sleeping all day." I placed a hand on top of his head and sighed. "You should try to eat something."

"I'll just throw it up."

"Is your body sick or do you just feel sick when you think about what happened?"

"I throw up every time I think about it." He smiled, devoid of any good emotion. "I just-....I don't understand why he hates me so much." He wiped his tears before they could fall. "Her death wasn't my fault so why is he doing this to me?"

Just because you talk about something doesn't make it go away. Just because you sweep the floor doesn't mean it's clean. Damage can't be undone and I'd learned that because of Scott.

No matter what he talked about, no matter how many times he talked about it, he couldn't drown it out with his voice because it wasn't loud enough.

"Scott, have you asked him why he's hurting you?"

"No."

"You have to confront him or it won't go away. You can't spent your life being afraid of him and letting him belittle you like this."

"Afraid of him?" He tightened his fists. "I-I hate him. It's like everything I do is just some desperate attempt to make him like me. To not hate me. He makes me feel pathetic!"

"You're not pathetic. You need to stand up for yourself for him to see that."

"How can I believe that when it's all I've heard for the past year?! Everyone treats me like I'm pathetic! I'm so sick of feeling like I'm a kid all the time!"

"Scott-"

"All I want is for someone to love me." He locked eyes with me. "Parents are supposed to love you for who you are and very few people can possibly understand what it's like for your family to hate you."

"More people than you think can understand that."

"I lost my mom to cancer, I nearly get beat to death every time I step foot in my own home, and I have to work double shifts and pickpocket strangers just to buy groceries every week because I'm so goddamn broke that I have to help my dad pay rent! Oh Hah....and what thanks do I get for it? I get this." He gestured to his neck and let tears fall from his eyes. "So tell me, Kei, where are those people? Where are the people who understand THAT experience? Where are the people who understand selling your dead mothers things just to be able to eat?"

I gently wrapped my arms around him, holding his head to my chest. He clutched tightly to my shirtfront. "I know you're tired, Scott."

"I just want it to be over." He closed his eyes. "I'm so sick of being scared and in pain all the time."

"It'll be over soon, I promise."

He glows when he's happy. It's a glow that can make everyone else glow too. But when he's as miserable as now....I nearly wanted to cry for him.

"I-I can't even visit her grave- I can't-.... I want my mom!" He dropped to his knees and grabbed ahold of my feet, leaning his head against the floor as words failed him.

"What're you doing?"

I wasn't sure how to react, hearing him hiccup between sobs before a painful scream burst from his throat.

"Scott!" I flinched, bending down to try and help him but he just tightened his hands around my ankles, digging his nails into my skin. His scream cut off by his own gasping for air.

I pulled him to his feet and hugged him tightly. "I hate him!"

"I know..."