the bad couple

chapter 12

"what are you doing here!?" I demand when I close the door leaving Janet alone on the room.
"i already told you, you were involved in a suspected child abuse case"
"it wasn't child abuse, listen, i know what happened and callum told me it wasn't child abuse and it's never happened before"
"what exactly happened?"
"me, mark and callum went out for lunch to talk about everything and callum arrived early, we brushed it off but after he told me it was because he found out his dad was still doing drugs"
"did you get hurt?"
"no, but anyway, when it was done me and mark dropped callum off at his dad's apartment, it was really shitty, anyway, he left his wallet in the car so we went back to give it to him and when we got in his dad was sitting on him hitting him, mark grabbed him off of him and the owner came in and helped mark hold him, I helped mark get cleaned up and made him come here because it looked like he broke his ribs"
"are you sure nothing like this has happened before"
"I'm sure, he... He knows about me, everything"
"you told him?"
"yes"
"I thought you hated him?"
"I did, but I want to be his friend, his mum wants me gone Though"
"why?"
"she doesn't like me, at all"
"okay, well, you know I'm not the best at making people like me so let's just get to the point of why I'm here"
"which is?"
"because you were involved you need to go make a statement now and then come with me to talk over things and how your feeling about it"
"I'm not leaving until I know he's gonna be ok"
"leia-"
"I'll do all that shit after I see him"
"fine"
"I'll be back later, when callum gets back, you can make your statement then, ok?"
"ok" with that she walks away and I go back into Janet.

"listen Janet, i really don't know why you don't like me, me and callum never got along but now we're trying and i do care about him, why can't you just let us be friends?"
"I already told you"
"the only real thing I cant justify is my parents aren't around, but trust me there's a reason"
"which is?"
"I'm not talking about it with you, it's private and if you actually cared maybe I would tell you but I've only told people I care about"
"like mark?"
"yes, like mark"
"and callum?"
"yes, but don't even ask him, he wouldn't tell you"
"I'm his mother"
"I know exactly who you are"
"callum has enough going on without you coming along and adding to his list"
"I helped him, I know about his dad and he knows he can talk about him with me"
"and why would he talk to someone like you about it, no one really cares about you leia, so just leave him alone"
"I have no idea how he turned out to be such a good person with parents like you and his dad, but I'm not judging him by you or his dad, so why are you judging me by mine?"
"because your own parents don't care so how am I expected to"
"you have no idea about my parents"
"so tell me"
"no, if you don't like me that's ok, but I'm not leaving so you can either get used to me or keep being a bitch to me, but I really don't care because I don't care about you"
"we need callum here to have this conversation so I'm going to get tea, I'll be back for callum"
"fine" with that she walks out and i let out a frustrated groan, why the hell is she judging me because my parents aren't here? I am not telling her about them, and neither would callum, would he? does he care about me? or does he just not want to go to discipline school? should I have told him? what if he doesn't want me around now because he knows? what if hes only keeping me around out of pity? my thoughts are interrupted by the door opening and callums bed being wheeled in by the bitchy nurse, hes half awake and when his bed is put in place and the nurse leaves i go and sit on the edge, holding his hand reassuringly.
"leia?" he asks sleepily.
"yeah callum, I'm here, your mum's just getting tea, she'll be back soon, are you still in pain?"
"not as much, they gave me painkillers"
"how long will it be until you find out about the Concussion?"
"I don't know, they said they'd come in and tell me, did my mum say anything?"
"yeah, she said she wants to talk when your here too, and that she wants me gone" his grip on my hand tightens when I tell him.
"you won't leave though, right?"
"unless you want me too"
"I don't, why doesn't she like you?"
"she said because of everything I've done to you and i have no manners or anything and it's obvious no one cares about me, because my parents are never around either"
"do you want to tell her?"
"no, if she starts fighting with you, i will but I don't want to tell her so she'll like me or anything like that"
"I'll talk to her"
"thanks, you do know that I told you because I care about you, don't you?"
"I had an idea you did, i care about you too and I won't let you leave because of her"
"thank you" we smile at eachother and i get abit lost in his eyes, slowly as if I'm being pulled down, i lean down to his face, but the door opens and I'm snapped back into reality, we both look away awkwardly and up to Janet who just burst through the door.
"callum, sweetheart, are you ok?" she asks coming to hug him, I jump Down and let go if his hand, taking a seat.
"yeah, I'm good, I'll find out later if i have a concussion"
"my poor baby" she says kissing his forehead.
"mum, I'm fine now"
"are you sure?"
"yes, but we all need to talk"
"I know callum" she sighs and sits on the other chair at his feet.
"i honestly don't think leia is good for you, she is not a good person"
"how am I not a good person?" I ask offended.
"you are rude, have no respect, fir anyone including yourself, are very short tempered-"
"mum, stop, none of that is true" callum cuts in.
"it is callum, and I don't know why you are defending her, she's brought nothing but trouble to you"
"mum, she helped me with dad"
"oh, she did one good thing, it must have been a struggle for her, everything else she's done, the car, house, snakes, hair dye-"
"and mum everything I've done to her, I'm not about to let our mistakes stop us moving on, we can't fight forever and we're both getting really sick of always fighting"
"how do you know she even wants to be your friend? she could just not want to go to discipline school"
"and how do I know callum isn't doing that? it's hard for us to trust eachother, this could all be apart of some messed up revenge scheme he's planning but I have to trust him, the same way he has to trust me"
"leia, i don't understand you, your obviously a troubled girl, fighting, smoking, drinking, partying, vandalising-"
"I know I've made mistakes, but what I don't understand is why you won't let me move on from them and become a better person"
"you don't deserve to, callum has been through alot, you just don't see your parents alot, he had to find his dad passed out in the bathtub from nearly overdosing on drugs and then watch as his parents did nothing but argue about it, his dad is still causing him grief and all you care about is this stupid discipline school, he has been through more than you will ever know and I am not about to let you hurt him" callum gives me a look, knowing if i tell her shell shut up but I cant.
"i know he's been through alot, but I know I won't hurt him, just give me a chance"
"I won't forgive you or give you a chance ever, I'd like you to leave now"
"I'm only leaving if callum wants me to"
"mum, she's not leaving, I've done just as much shit to her as she has to me and I've forgiven her for it, you can either forgive her too or ignore her but you are not making her leave"
"callum, she's turned you against your own mother"
"no, mum, you've done that"
"she is a nuisance, she isn't welcomed in our house or anywhere else, callum, no one cares about this girl, why do you?"
"her boyfriend of two years cafes about her, so do her friends and i do too, i don't care if you don't get it, but don't try to change my mind"
"her own parents aren't there for her"
"stop fucking using her parents against her"
"there never around, they come up with all these excuses to not attend parent meetings or even the dinner i prepared, if this is going to work i need to see them"
"you can't"
"why not? business meeting? family get together? work out of the country?"
"there not allowed in this state"
"and why's that? why aren't they allowed in the same state as their daughter?"
"because they..." I trail off not able to finish the sentence, i feel tears running down my cheeks but I wipe the away not wanting Janet to see me hurting.
"they what? you have never excuse, just accept it, they hate you!" Janet shouts at me.
"mum, leave now" callum demands.
"I'm notkeaving until I hear this" she hisses at him, he looks at me with sympathy, and I nod telling him to just tell her.
"they abused her mum" he sighs, not meeting my eye.
"they abused you?" she asks, with disbelief.
"yes" I choke through tears.
"when you were little?"
"until I was thirteen"
"you know leia, this doesn't help your case right now, this just proves they don't care" she says angrily at me.
"mum get the fuck out, leave us alone right now!"
"I'm not leav-"
"now mum" he demands and she glares at me before meaning. slamming the door.
"come here leia" he says gently holding his arms out.
"I'm sorry callum, i don't want you and your mum to fight because of me" I say into his chest.
"it's ok, if that how she feels, i need to be away from her for now"
"I still feel bad"
"don't, me and her will talk later, but for now I just can't stand to be in the same room as her never mind talk to her"
"okay"
"leia, tell me to shut up if you want, but can I ask you some things about your parents?" I swallow and look up to his eyes, there's something in his eyes that makes me feel like I could tell him anything.
"okay"
"does it still bother you, i know you get nightmares but do you find it hard to be in the same room as certain people or anything like that?"
"well, my first counsellor was a guy and it was just me and him, and the door was locked, so I freaked out and punched his nose then broke the lock and ran out"
"how old were you?"
"fifteen"
"woah"
"I still find it hard to be in the same room alone with some people, but I'm okay with some other people"
"how come your okay with me?"
"I dunno, I guess even though I didn't trust you i knee you wouldn't do anything like that, i know you well enough to know that"
"didn't your mum care when your dad..."
"oh,erm, well, she was mad at him, but he told her that I seduced him, she got really mad at me and strapped me to the wall, she whipped me, burnt me and then just kicked and punched me, she tightened the straps around my wrists so they bled and left me like that for a few days, without food or water" I say quietly, i look back to him and see sympathy.
"how long did they get for it?"
"they got life"
"why did you keep moving then?"
"because I never felt safe back there, i moved foster homes alot but when I turned sixteen i was given the choice to live alone or in a foster home, so I moved here, i had to keep moving though because of schools and then our school has kept me despite everything I've done so I just moved apartments until I found a good, secure one"
"why didn't you move in with mark?"
"I wanted to be independent"
"have you ever you know slept with anyone, since?"
"at a party a guy tried to, but I refused then he got two friends to try to get me into a bedroom, so he could... then mark heard me shouting for help, he saved me and that's how we met, I've only been with him"
"do you love him?"
"yeah, I do" I think I add subconsciously.
"and he knows it all?"
"erm, well"
"he doesn't?" he asks with shock.
"I haven't told anyone about my dad and what his friend did" I say quietly.
"no one?"
"when they questioned me, i didn't need to tell them because they already had enough to put them away for life, including attempted murder, so I haven't told anyone, ever"
"so why did you tell me?"
"I dunno, I feel like I can trust you"
"you can"
"I know"