Trapped

24

August

Eriks POV
I wake up to my mom touching the side of my face. I slowly turn my head, waking up.

"I am back!" I hear Lyle's voice shout.

I rushed out of bed in excitement. I look down from the second-level stairs, and I see him at the door. I rush down.

"Hey!" I say, patting him on the back.

"Ah. You look different... Who is she!" Lyle teases.

I haven't seen him since June, which wasn't long ago, but I am going to enjoy every bit of my brother's attention.

I laugh. "Shut up."

"Oh what, are you playing the field? Huh?"

"Stop!" I reply, laughing.

"So I'm only back a week before school starts. But that gives me enough time for me to kick your ass at tennis."

"Oh yeah, right!"

Later that day, my parents follow up on the match that I failed.

"I can still make the team," I say, striving to change my dad's mind.

"If you are not going to be the best at something, then don't bother doing it at all."

"Come on... It was one tournament." Lyle gets involved.

"Stay out of it, Lyle." He turns his attention back to me. "Face it, Erik, you are not good enough. Now your mom and I have already discussed it. Since you're not gonna be trying out for the tennis team, I think you should major in business at UCLA."

"Business?"

"Yeah. You are smart. You have a good head on your shoulders. And you have me. I can teach you everything. There's no reason why you can't succeed in business." He starts to sit down on the couch. "And you don't have to live in those stupid dorms."

It goes to silence, and I look over to my mom.

"Mom, say something."

"Sweetie, you be closer to me this way. Lyle already left us for Princeton. If you leave, who will I have left?"

"You see? It's settled." Dad leans back on the couch, resting his arm up on top of the couch. "You stay here, and everybody's happy."

I look over to Lyle for some help, but he just gives me a silent look.

It is now dark out, and Lyle and I are playing video games on my bed. He lays on his stomach while I sit next to him with my legs crossed.

"You haven't told me anything about your summer. What's going on? You got a girlfriend or what?"

I'll look over him but don't say anything.

"Hmm?"

I looked down at my controller.

"No?" He chuckles. "Okay."

"It's still happening."

"What is?"

"Dad..."

"For how long?"

"It never stopped."

He slams the controller on the ground and sits up. "Why didn't you say anything."

"I don't know... Dad said that he would kill me if I told anyone."

"I'm not- I'm not anyone, Erik. I mean, did you- did you tell him to stop? Did you threaten to tell people? Did you-"

"Lyle! Lyle!"

"What!"

"I can't... It's dad." I look down at my arm, advising eye contact.

"Hey. Look at me."

I rest my hand on my forehead.

"Erik. Come on, it's me. Just look at me."

I get myself to look at him.

"HE will never touch you again. I promise."

All the moments of his touching me saturate my mind. Every single memory.

•••
Most of this writing was out of the movie. 'Menenedez: Blood Brotheres.' So credit goes out to them.