EGO & VENGEANCE

Chapter 12

Kelani

After the confrontation with Elias, I walk away and Cherrie walks along side me.

"He beat you?" She says laying a hand in my shoulder.

"Well he tried- but he couldn't do much" I chuckle.

"How- how are you so cool about this. A man just put his hands on you like that and you're just laughing it off" she scoffs, confused.

"Let's just say it's not the first time a 'man' has put their hands on me" i say with air quotations and keep my eyes ahead.

"Damn- I'm sorry... abusive home?"

I pause for a second and think of all the abuse I've suffered in and out of home

I nod "a fraction"

We sit down on the grass. She sits beside me and lays her hand on my knee.

"I'm sorry for everything you've gone through"

"It's fine" I smile softly.

"Well- if it matters, I know a about abusive homes" she says, picking grass off the ground.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Abusive dad and step brothers"

"Well fuck- I had an abusive dad but didn't have to put up with step brothers"

"Dads are great aren't they" she laughs.

"Fucken amazing" I say sarcastically.

We look up at the others ahead. Samantha and Haley stand beside Elias, while Ace and Mateo are getting in his face.

"Has he always been a jackass" I ask, looking toward Elias.

"Elias? Basically- yes. Since highschool. But we never thought he'd actually put hands on other girls. We thought they were just empty threats and he was being an idiot. You know tryna act tough"

Empty threats? About what? This is my chance to know a little bit more about one of my attackers. I would ask Mateo but I don't want him to question anything.

"Threats? As in he's said something about beating girls?" I ask, picking grass with Cherrie.

"Yeah- whenever a girl would embarrass him in front of others, or end up making him looking like a moron; he'd lose his shit" she laughed.

Well that explains it.

"He's such a bitch. I never really liked him. A lot of the shit he'd say was always triggering or generally disgusting" she continues.

"Like what?" I ask lifting my head

"He'd say shit like 'there's something about a girl whimpering when she's in pain' or 'Nah she wouldn't say no to me- she can't' or 'she might not want it at first but when I'm inside, she'll beg for more I swear to god'. Like stuff like that.

He's one of those 'masculine or nothing'  men you know?"

I dig my fingers deeper into the dirt, as I recall that night again.

"Don't run bitch. You'll enjoy it at some point- you'll beg for more" he laughs.

It was Elias who said that gut wrenching line as he forced my legs open- his voice replays in my head.

"Yeah- I know. They're disgusting."

"Yeah... and whenever I'd comment on it one of the guys would say 'my god relax- it's just boys being boys' and they'd all laugh"

I scan my eyes ahead to find Elias walking away from Ace and Mateo, everyone else follows Elias.

"That's fucked" I scoff.