Skin Deep

(27) The Truth Comes Out

I changed my name when I was thirteen and Royal was about to be born. I changed my last name so it wouldn't be tainted by the memories of the people I lived with and how they tried to imprint upon me their shitty values, Until I was pregnant with Royalty and they realized I was more fucked up than they could help.

So, they just abandoned me and Royal, forcing me to my own devices. I had to grow up at the ripe age of thirteen when I realized the guy who impregnated me was a douche bag and he only saw me as a pawn in his game. A notch on his belt. He didn't think I would get pregnant with his child.

He didn't think black people could get white chicks pregnant is what he said. He said he didn't want anything to do with me and Royal, but that changed when I was left on my own and I came to his parents, taking the choice out of his hands.

And now my siblings and mom are back and it is like they never left in the first place. I am fucking miserable, but at least this means Royal can be safe from Tyrus and Teagan can have his own place for cheap. It works out perfectly. If only I could stand my mother because if living with her for a week has drove me up the fucking wall, I wonder what a year is gonna be like. Hell, even a month more.

Halloween was good at least. Dani came and we were able to get Tyrus out of the picture. For one thing he doesn't know where I live now and he hates my family. Thinks they are stuck up, prissy shits which he isn't wrong, but still, it's not like Tyrus will be missed.

We still do weekends with Royal's grandparents, but this time I come along to supervise to make sure nothing bad is gonna happen to my little girl. I am not trusting that asshole with Royal. No fucking way.

As for Noah, I don't exactly know. I haven't heard from him since my family came back which I guess is for the best. After all, he was just drama anyway.

I can't help but to remember though when he saw my sister and me walking in the halls.

Noah froze. He straight up froze like he was in shock. My sister, Kayla snickered to herself.

"Do you know Noah?" I ask, nodding to Noah as he stares at Kayla like she's a figure of his imagination. Like she's his nightmare come to life.

She stares at him head on, smirking to herself and then she looks at me and shrugs. "Never seen him in my life." And the bell rings and we both rush to class and that was it. I couldn't question Kayla further, even though I was sure she was lying.

She must have known Noah before that day. He looked scared out of his mind. I still can't get the look he had on his face off my mind. It was one of pure horror.

I'd never seen Noah look like that before and to my surprise, I felt oddly protective, like I didn't want him to be that terrified of anything or anyone unless it was me.

I find myself doing something I thought I would never do. I leave Royal with Julia (my mom) and my sisters so that I can go to Noah's safe haven. I figure he's there more often than he is at his parents house. I have a feeling he doesn't like them very much.

Noah

The knife is shiny, glistening with my blood that leaks from my wrist, but it isn't good enough. I want to finish the job this time.

Kayla is here. Kayla is Kai's sister. The girl, Amanda, who raped me is Kai's sister. That's why they looked so alike. They were fucking sisters. That's why I have such bad luck.

I have to end my life right fucking now before I explode. There is only so much a person can take and I have reached my limit.

Girls are all the same. They are evil and I can't take it anymore, but before I can take another swipe at my wrist, someone pulls the knife from my hand.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Kai. Kai is standing in front of me, but before I can say anything, like get the fuck out of my safe haven, she goes to my mini fridge and pulls out some ice.

"Put this on." And when I just stare at her like she has two heads, she shouts, "Now." And I do. Never thought I'd be bossed around by a ginger haired girl, but here we are.

She gets out a water bottle from my fridge and before I can say anything, she takes the ice away from my wrist and dumps the water on my wrist. "Holy fucking hell!" I curse as the water touches my sores and keeps on touching them because Kai doesn't let up until half the bottle is empty and then she takes off her shirt, revealing a green lacy bra that matches her eyes and rubs it gently on my sore, trying to absorb the water that mostly fell in a puddle around my sore and also gets some of my blood, showing that the cut on my wrist is pretty deep but doesn't need medical attention.

One more stroke and it would have, but Kai interrupted me at the perfect time and here we are.

"I was wrong." I say to Kai. She looks up at me with mild curiosity. "There's no way your boobs are a C cup. I'm thinking at least a D." I hope to get to her to take the pressure off of me and a secret about me that just got revealed.

"I actually have double D's, but good guess." She says smoothly, not even snapping at me. If this was even one day ago and I said that to her, she would've flipped her lid. What changed? Besides her seeing me cutting myself? Or is that what it was?

Before I can delve too much into that train of thought, Kai is sitting down on the rug with me wrapping the ice around her top and pressing it gently on my sore. I let out a little hissing sound from the slight pressure of the ice even through the top. "Sorry." She says.

I don't want Kai to be sorry. I don't want her pity. I want her hate because hate I can handle, but pity makes me feel weak. I know I'm weak. Why else would I try to kill myself? But I don't need the reminder.

"You can go now." I tell her, not bothering to look at her.

"How do you know Kayla?" She asks me instead, ignoring my statement.

"I don't know who you're talking about." I say, which obviously isn't true but I wish it was. I wish I didn't know who Kayla was so much, but I do and I can't change that no matter how many times I may try to.

"Bullshit!" She yells. "How do you know my sister?" She gets right into my face, staring me deep in the eyes. "What did she do to you?" She asks.

"She didn't do anything." I emphasize the she because she only told me to kill myself. Amanda, her older sister on the other hand, she fucked me up real good in more ways than one.

"She didn't do anything to you." Kai says. "Then who did?" She asks me.

"Anytime you want to leave, you can." I told her. "I have nothing more to say to you." I push back from her. It's funny how I was willing to spill my guts about a week ago to her, but that was before I realized she shared the enemy's blood. Now, they can all fucking have a great life without me. Probably make fun of me with mouthfuls of ice cream, giggling about how they each got to me in different ways and how I was always weak enough to let them do it.

"I don't want to leave." She says, not wanting to take my hint. "Not until I get all the answers I came here for."

"Don't you already know?" I ask, tired of all her lies. How could she not know? Wasn't she just stringing me along letting me think I tortured her all this time when it was really her getting to me?

"Know?" She asks in bewilderment. "Know what?" She asks, like she really doesn't know and that's when I think maybe she didn't know. Maybe it really was just her sisters. Maybe it wasn't her.

Fine. I'm tired of all these games, so instead of drawing it even further I decide to just blurt it out like ripping off a bandaid. Quick and painless. "Amanda raped me when I was ten years old and a year later, Kayla told me to kill myself." I say, as I watch Kai get the air knocked out of her. She's frozen and that's when I know. She had no idea what they did to me. Know part of it whatsoever.

"That's how I know them." I told her.

And the only response I get is stunned silence.