This Is Me Trying

Chapter Nine

Betty

"Get off! Get off of me!" I was fighting my step Dad.
"Shut up you little bitch." He slapped me across the face, knocking me down to the floor.
"You're gonna learn to not lie to us." He grabbed my ankle and drug me to my bedroom.
"Roberta! Look who I found."
I looked up and saw my Mom turn and grin at me.
"Did you really think you could hide from us? Stupid little bitch."
"You should see the dykes she was staying with." David sneered.
"Shut up! Don't talk about them like that!" I shouted.
I felt the wind get knocked out of me, and I doubled over in pain.
"Shut up!" My mom screamed.
"You wanna see your little friends again?" David walked to the door and opened it.
Danielle and Stefania laid on the hallway floor, covered in bruises and blood. Neither one of them were moving.

"Danielle! Stefania!" I screamed as I tried to crawl over to them.
"You see what you did? If you would've just left them alone, this wouldn't have happened. This is all your fault." My mom laughed out.
"Dani! Stef!" I bawled out as I reached their bodies.

"Betty! Betty sweetie wake up!" I heard Danielle shouting.
I sat up in my bed covered in sweat. I backed up from her, retreating to the other side of the bed.
"Betty, it's me. It's Dani." She said softly.
I closed my eyes, still breathing hard.
"Betty? Did you have a nightmare?"
I nodded my head quickly.

"Do you want to come sleep with me and Stef?"
"I don't want to bother you." I muttered.
"Come on." She held out her hand to me and I took it.

She led me into her room, and laid back down in her bed.
"Bambina? Cosa sta succedendo?" Stefania asked half asleep.
"She asked what's going on." I whispered as I still stood next to Danielle and Carina's bed.
"Betty is gonna sleep with us tonight. Go back to bed babe." Danielle scooted closer to Stefania and patted the bed.

I got under the covers, and pulled them up to my face. I immediately felt safe.
"You good sweet girl?" Danielle asked as she pulled me into her arms.
I nodded and closed my eyes, sleep winning me over quickly.

I woke up the next morning to Danielle's arms still wrapped around me. I felt safe here. Safer than I've felt in years. I slowly got myself out of her arms so that I didn't wake her, and walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen.

"Ah good morning bella."
"Buon giorno Stef." I said as I poured myself a cup of coffee.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Better after I came in there with you two. I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to interrupt your all's sleep." I sat across from her at the table.

"Bambina, we don't mind. We want to help you. You can crawl in there with us any time. And if you need me, you can always come get me too." Stefania smiled at me.
"Check your phones." Danielle said, obviously panicking, as she quickly walked into the living room.

"Bambina? What's wrong?" Stefania asked.

Danielle turned on the news and we walked into the living room where she was sitting.

"Breaking news from the CDC. A new virus called Coronavirus disease has broke out in the nation. Global air travel is now restricted, and the governor is issuing a mask mandate. We ask that you stay six feet apart from anyone who is not apart of your household." The news lady said.

"Oh my God." I whispered as I stared at the TV.

All of our phones went off at once, and we looked down at them.
"They're cancelling everything at the studio. We can't go into work." Danielle said.
"So we don't have jobs?" Stefania asked.
"We still have jobs. We just can't do them."

"Oh my God." I repeated.
"It'll be okay. We're safe. We'll just all stay here." Danielle said.
"Dani I can't stay here. I'm supposed to go home tomorrow. I-I have to go home. Oh my God I don't have a job anymore, they're going to kill me." I started pacing back and forth.
"Bambina. Bambina! Calm down. It'll be okay." Stefania grabbed me and pulled me close, wrapping her arms around me.