Memory

3 - Words Hurt

After her punishment was over, Memory was allowed back her controllers to her Xbox and play games on her phone and her computer. She just worked through it as best as she could for the week that she was grounded. That's what she always did, anyway, whenever she got grounded. Just wait it out.

Memory was in her room playing a game on her Xbox when her friend Derrick called. It was strange because Memory was not as close to Derrick as she was to Devin and Zac. Still, they were good friends, with a history.

"Hey, Derrick," Memory said as she answered the phone.

"Hi," Derrick replied in a somber tone. He sounded down and depressed, which made Memory concerned.

"Is everything okay?" She asked slowly, lowing her voice.

Derrick stayed quiet for a minute before bursting into tears. Memory stayed silent as she waited for him to stop. She even paused her game so she could focus on what he was going to say. After a few minutes, he calmed down and was able to speak again.

"I'm sorry, Memory, I didn't mean to cry. It's just... A lot has happened lately and I do not know how to deal with it all. My parents have been fighting constantly and I am stuck in the middle."

"What's wrong? Talk to me, I'm here for you," Memory responded in the sweetest tone she could muster. Helping other people always helps Memory feel better.

"So, ever since quarantine started, my parents have been on the rocks. Fighting and arguing all the time. Some of the things I hear them say don't sound good. It scared me. I learned that if I put in my headphones and turn them up loud enough, I cannot hear them. It helps me a lot actually because I don't get scared anymore when I hear them arguing."

"But, didn't you used to say that they argued a lot? What is different between then and now?"

Derrick sighed. "Yeah, but it is worse this time around. Dad lost his job and wants Mom to get another to help pay for the bills. But she's having a really hard time because no one is hiring, so my parents end up fighting a lot. Do you know of the song "Little Toy Guns" by that one country singer?"

Memory did not respond to him. Unlike most of the people in her town, she did not listen to country music. She never found the obsession with it as everyone else did. Instead, Memory liked to listen to music from artists like Radio Company and Lincoln Park.

"Anyway," Derrick continued since Memory did not respond. "I feel like that song describes what it's like in this house. Parents constantly fighting with me in the middle. I'm getting hurt but not physically, emotionally. Words hurt."

Memory thought about that statement. A simple sentence that felt like a needle to the heart. A statement she was far too familiar with. She recalled a time in her 4th-grade year when she was getting bullied by some 5th-grade boys. They were picking on her for her name. Memory did not remember the event because she pushed it out of her brain; she did not want to remember it. But the bits and pieces she did remember were painful. The words they said hurt more than anything else they could have done to her. They said things like, "Your name is perfect for an idiot, Mory," and "You should be with the retarded kids." Memory's name was so unique and different. Hearing what those boys said made her angry. She wanted to stand up to them, but she never found the courage. After the end of the school year, she never saw them again.

Memory shook the thought out of her mind. Helping Derrick should be the priority, not reliving what had happened to her. On top of that, her feelings towards Derrick should not get in the way of being there for him. Things were complicated enough.

"I understand, Derrick. I know all too well how words can hurt. I'm so sorry that I can't be there for you right now, but I promise that I'm just a phone call away. I'm pretty much always available now so if you ever need me, just-"

On the other end of the phone, the sound of glass breaking cut off Memory's sentence. There was a long moment of silence with no sound coming from either of them. Faintly, in the background, Memory could hear arguing coming from Derrick's parents.

Keeping his voice at a whisper level, Derrick said, "Please don't leave me, Memory."

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise."