Charity Case (Scarlett Johansson)

13

📍Trigger Warning: Physical Abuse📍

McKenna's POV

I'm not sure how long it took me to calm down but mom and auntie Lizzie's arms stayed around me and never once did they make me feel bad for breaking down in their arms. I've moved from my sobbing wreck to my silent tears, I think that's pretty good progress if you ask me. 

We moved from the floor to the couch when I was finally calm enough to get up. No one has said anything and I'm thankful for that, more than they'll ever know. I needed time to wrap my head around what had just played out. This isn't the way I wanted mom to find out about Colin and I almost feel embarrassed about it. Why do I feel this way when it was him who hurt me? I guess the thought of appearing to be weak doesn't sit right with me and I'm very well aware that my logic makes no freaking sense at all. But nothing in my mind makes sense half of the time. 

I jump at the sound of the front door opening and all three of us turn to figure out who could be at the door, "we're -" I watch uncle Evans' and uncle Robert's faces turn from shocked to confused to horrified at the sight they found themselves to be in front of. 

"What the hell happened here?" I flinch at uncle Robert's voice and turn to snuggle into my mom's embrace hiding my face in the crook of her neck. "Robert," I hear auntie Lizzie's warning tone and I can imagine her gesturing at the men to not mention or talk any further. 

"Bubs, we need to start cleaning your wounds okay? We wouldn't want them to get infected. I also have to check how bad they are in case they need professional attention," mom tells me as she runs her fingers through my hair. 

"I just want to sleep," I mumble into her neck keeping my eyes closed. "I know bubba. Why don't we get you cleaned up and you can take a nap afterward," she compromises and I nod in return. "I'll go get the first aid kit," auntie Lizzie volunteers and she untangles herself carefully from me. 

I hear some rustling and after a few minutes, auntie Lizzie comes back with the first aid kit. They both help me sit up and I notice uncle Chris sweeping the broken glasses while uncle Robert starts discarding the bigger broken pieces of what's left of the coffee table. 

Mom inspects my face and I can see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "I'm sorry," I whisper looking down. Mom lifts my chin guiding me to look up at her, "what are you sorry for angel?" 

"All this trouble, all this mess," my voice cracks and I gesture at the mess in front of us to support my point and my admission freezes everyone's actions. Mom guides my face back to look at her, "none of this is your fault." 

"But the thing is it is. I'm the reason why Colin was outraged, wasn't I? I'm the reason why you and Colin got into a fight. I'm the common denominator in all of it, which makes me the problem," I say in frustration. I'm not entirely sure where my frustration is coming from but I'm just so tired. I'm exhausted, I'm beat, in all aspects of my life and I don't know how much longer I can hold on. 

"McKenna, Colin is the reason for it all. Colin is the common denominator of it all, which makes him the problem not you baby," I appreciate my mom's efforts at trying to make me believe that this isn't my fault but it's just not that simple. She doesn't understand. 

"You don't get it," I tell her shaking my head and blinking my eyes rapidly trying to get rid of the new wave of tears. "No one wants me. Why do you think I've been passed around from house to house? Why do you think you still found me to be in the same place you left me at, un-adopted?" 

She shakes her head and looks determined to tell me otherwise but I don't let her, "I've been told the same thing from every house I've been to. And that is that I'm worthless and that I'm a waste of space that no one wants me. How do you expect me to believe you telling me the opposite of what I've always been told all my life?" 

I harshly wipe the tears on my cheeks which was no use as more tears kept coming, "what Colin has been telling me isn't new. What Colin did to me isn't new. Do you think this is the first time someone has laid their hands on me? That this is the most painful physical abuse I've ever felt in my life?" I pause looking into my moms' eyes, "think again." 

Everyone in the room doesn't dare to move but from the sounds of it, there were no dried eyes. After a few minutes of silence, I realized how harsh I was and my mom didn't deserve that.

 "Mama, I'm sorry," I whisper looking down in my lap, "I'm just... I'm just really exhausted from it all... And I just... It hurts so much," I sob out and mom wraps her arms protectively around me. 

She pulls back and cups my face, "McKenna, you have nothing to apologize for. I have all the apologizing to do for the rest of our lives. You don't deserve any of the shit you've been through and all those things those people told you are all a lie. You are not worthless, far from it. You are wanted, do you hear me?" mom chokes out. 

"You are not worthless and you are not disposable, Kenz. They said what they said because they're angry with themselves, with their lives, that they want to project those shitty feelings unto someone else." I search mom's eyes for any hint of a lie but all I found was the truth, determination, sorrow, and love. So much sorrow. So much love.

"I only regret one thing in my life... and that's giving you up. Giving you up then doesn't mean I gave up on you. There's not been a day where I didn't think about you, angel. And I will do everything in my power to make this right, to make you believe that you are anything but those things you were brought up to believe. You are my angel, my baby girl, my daughter, my McKenna. You are an incredible girl and anyone who says otherwise must be blind. I love you, your aunt Lizzie loves you, your uncle Evans loves you, your uncle Robert loves you, your little sister Rose loves you, so many people love you, McKenna, so many." 

I throw my arms around my mom's neck and she tightly wraps her arms around me. I feel another body press against my back and by the set of arms that wrapped around me, I knew it was aunt Lizzie. 

I bury my face in the crook of my mom's neck, I love them and they love me back. My family loves me back. This is a new different feeling that I'm not accustomed to and it'll take some time to get used to, but I'm not complaining about it. Not one bit.