Sugar Baby

twenty-one

꧁*｡ Angela *｡ﾟ꧂

"Rettá, I'm back! I got us some donuts from the bakery near Kat's and I think you may like them. They're really good!"

I place the box of donuts and my purse down on the counter but I hear no one reply. The car was parked in the driveway so she must was still asleep.

I take my suitcase up to my room to unpack but glance over into the guest room to see Omeretta's suitcase sitting on the bed.

That's peculiar that her things were in here but she wasn't.

Walking back downstairs, I call out, "Honey, are you here?" The other guest room door was slightly open but I knock before going in.

She was under the covers and I jokingly say, "Oh nooo, we can't get this break started with you being in bed all day!"

I try to move back the covers from over her face but she was resisting and says softly, "Please go away..."

"Rettá bear, you know I don't care about what you look like in the morning. Let's talk, I want to hear about your final exams. I know you did well w-"

She moves the covers away from her face and sits up shouting at me, "I said go away!!!"

My smile drops quickly after seeing the large and darkened bruises on her wrist as if someone grabbed her. Above her cheek was another medium size bruise with her face and eyes puffed up. The pain she was in seemed to burst out through her skin.

"W-who did this to you?"

"No one."

I try to take a hold of her face softly but she turns away from me; with her eyes beginning to water, letting me know she wasn't telling me exactly what happened.

"Amaria..."

"It's nothing, just please leave me alone," she mumbles shakily.

Wiping Omeretta's tears, I express to her softly, "If it was nothing you wouldn't be crying baby...now please tell me who hurt you."

She looks at me reluctantly and whispers, "Please don't judge me."

Readjusting on the bed to move closer, I hold her hand and shake my head. "I would never."

Taking a deep breath, she finally opens up to me. "Last night...after I dropped my things off over here, I went to the party I told you about. Everything was going ok until I was about to leave. This guy from my class followed me to my car and kept harassing me...I tried to fight him away but he pushed me in a ditch and..."

Her voice starts to crack as she utters, "He r-raped me..."

My eyes widen and my heart shatter with her last words. I couldn't believe it...She had to drive back here and go through the night alone after what happened to her...God, I should've been here for her yesterday...

I tried to remain calm for her until Omerettá starts to break down in tears and hyperventilating. "It keeps replaying in my head! It's....it's always my f-fault! I should have never w-"

Shaking my head, I pull her into a close embrace with tears flowing down my cheeks and firmly state, "No, don't you ever say what those vile people did to you was your fault! You didn't do anything and I mean ANYTHING wrong. Do you hear me?"

She nods gently but was still sobbing. Lying down with her in my arms, I continue to comfort and soothe her, reminding her to breathe. Omeretta's sobbing turned from quick whimpers, to slow whimpers, and then into silence. Before I knew it, we both were asleep.