Her Secrets

7. Spill

Mia woke up the next morning inside Chris's bed, her head pounding and her eyes burning.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he looked down at her when she lifted her head off the pillow.

"I'm fine." She whispered.

"I know you aren't and that's okay." He assured her. "I'm gonna make breakfast for you guys because we all know I'm the only good cook in this house." He added when she didn't reply.

When she got up from the bed, too, she noticed Chris eyeing her cautiously. "I'm going to take a shower." She said.

"Okay, take your time." He said.

Mia went straight to her bedroom to grab a change of clothes - sweats and a hoodie. She wasn't planning on leaving the house any time soon. She really didn't care how she'd looked.

As she turned out of her room, she ran straight into Benjamin.

"Are you doing okay?" He asked, the concern evident in his tone.

"Hmm." She nodded as she got out of his gentle grasp and headed to the bathroom.

Locking the door behind her, she stared at herself in the mirror. On the outside, she looked fine. No evidence was left on her body that she escaped a man with horrible intentions. As if she couldn't feel anymore dramatic, she did. She had made a scene out of practically nothing and because there was no evidence, nothing would be done.

How many more people could he have hurt? How many more people would he hurt after her because she couldn't tell the law? The law sided with rich white men. Every. Single. Time.

Deciding she'd rather forget about the lack of consequences he'd receive in his life, she turned the shower on and got inside.

She let the water run through her hair before she scrubbed the hell out of her skin. She wanted every trace of his touch gone.

As she scrubbed her skin raw, she couldn't help but think about how he'd never do the same. His victims, the survivors, they would but he'd never sit in the shower thinking about why horrible and disgusting people get to walk the streets. Why they get to hurt people and have nothing happen to them. None of it made sense. She wasn't hurt in that way but other women and girls were. There was no chance that she was his first. It just wasn't likely.

Not wanting to think of him any further she shut off the water, ignored her normal everyday appearance in the mirror, and got dressed.

She didn't bother to brush her dark brown hair as she pulled it into a bun on the top of her head and left the bathroom.

She slowly made her way to the kitchen where she sat down at the table looking down at her feet. She felt her three brothers eyes on her but she didn't dare look up. If they wanted her to pay attention to them, they would say something.

The silence was deafening. It was tense and awkward. She wanted to leave to her room but at the same time she just wanted her brothers to comfort her. To make her feel safe again. To let her know it wasn't her fault even if she was stupid and went out.

And just as she almost decided to leave, Benjamin spoke up. "I'm moving back home." He announced and she finally looked up. "I decided it'd probably be best for everyone here. I can help around the house."

Mia blinked not saying a word. Her eyes were glassy and Benjamin noticed that she didn't look her usual somewhat cheerful self. Of course she wasn't always cheerful but this was different. The light had left her after last night.

"I wanted to kill that mother fucker last night, Mia." He blurted out as his three siblings stared at him. "I'm sorry but it's true."

"H- he didn't do anything. I'm fine." She said. Wishing death or harm on anyone wasn't right. Not in her book.