Ronny

Chapter 15

Adelina Celine Torres

When I wake up, I feel like everything from last night could've been a bad dream.

I slightly lift the baggy t-shirt to look at my waist, where the dark bruises remind me it's not a dream.

"Adelina" Aaron talks, I turn, not realizing he was awake. "I'm calling in a woman doctor to look at you" he tells me.

"I'm fine" I say to him, "Nothing even happened" I say, hiding my face in the covers.

It's true, no matter how awful I may have felt, it's not like Mr. Edwards did anything besides kiss me and make me sit on his lap. Aaron probably assumes something bad happened.

I don't want to tell Aaron what actually happened, because I'm scared he will think I overreacted.

"You don't have to tell me what happened" Aaron says, I poke my face out from under the cover, "Just let my doctor make sure you're healthy"

I look to Aaron, who looks genuinely concerned. He doesn't know nothing actually happened and I'm just being dramatic.

"Ronny?"

He looks to me, "M-my professor" I start to say, Aaron's expression hardens at my words.

"He didn't do anything" I say, unable to look at Aaron anymore, "He just kissed me forced me on his lap" I say, tears pricking my eyes.

Now he knows I'm a baby and cry over nothing.

"Adelina" he says, I bring myself to look at him. "You're strong"

"You don't hate me?" I ask, slightly confused. Aaron looks confused too, "No"

"So we are still besties?" I ask. Aaron hesitates for a second, "Yeah"

Aaron gets out of bed, his t-shirt still on from last night. Cutie.

"Breakfast?" Aaron asks. I nod, rolling out of bed.  When I get on my feet, I feel how sore my stomach is.

Aaron gives me a concerned look, and I just smile, "All good Ronny"  I say, giving him a thumbs up.

"After breakfast my doctor will look at you" Aaron says, leaving his room. "Hey what!" I say, "But I told you nothing—

"That isn't fucking nothing, Adelina" he turns and says. I flinch back slightly at his tone, not out of fear just surprised. "She will just look at you, that's all" he tells me, his voice calmer. I nod, figuring it can't hurt.

When we walk into the kitchen, Owen is cooking breakfast again. This time it looks like pancakes.

"Good morning" Owen smiles to me, "Do you want chocolate chips in your pancakes?" he asks.

"Yes please" I say, sitting down at the stool. After we eat, I frown when Aaron makes me see his doctor, but luckily the woman seems nice.

"Alright Adelina—

"Lina" Aaron cuts the woman off. I look to him, confused why he is mad she used my name. Aaron leaves me with her, "Lina, can you tell me what happened?"

I tell her, feeling extremely awkward and stupid, but I tell her. "May I?" She says, I nod. She pulls up my t-shirt to reveal the bruises on me.

After she asks me a few questions and looks at me more in depth, she writes a few things on a clipboard. What is that for?

"Can I ask about the scars on your wrists?" She says. I look to the floor, "They're old" I say, making her nod. She doesn't question anything further, she just says her goodbyes and leaves.

The scars on my wrist are old, from high school. When I was in the midst of applying for colleges, the torment by my parents and sister was at its worst, and I couldn't handle it.

I'm better now.

My phone starts to ring, making me jump. It's Mama.

"Hi Mama" I say, confused, since she never calls me. "Where are you?!" She says, sounding extremely angry.

"I um slept over at a friends" I say.

"We have a business brunch at eleven, get your ass home now" Mama demands, hanging up on me. While I was on the phone I hadn't noticed Aaron coming into the room. "Hi" I say.

"My mom is making me go to some brunch thing at eleven, so I have to go home" I explain to him. He nods, "I will drive you"

———

Returning home after being with Aaron is always awful. I go from being able to be myself to having to be quiet around my family and spend all of my time in my room.

Today I decided to be more positive, though, so I will be starting a list. A list of everything I love, and each day I will add to it.

Todays love is chocolate chip pancakes.

I pat my belly in the mirror, I may love chocolate chip pancakes, but they do not love me back

Realizing it's already 10:30, I quickly change into a sweater and blue jeans, then douse my neck in concealer to try and hide the marks all over.

I brush my hair and tie it back into a low bun, then practice my fake smile in the mirror.

I also have a list of hates, todays being fake smiling. Actually scratch that, the whole point of my list is to be positive, so making a list of hates destroys its whole purpose.

But if I did have a list of hates, fake smiling would be on it.

So would Mr Edwards.

Good thing I don't have a list of hates.

I slip into shoes then make my way downstairs to where Avery and Nick are in the foyer waiting for Mama and Papa. Avery wears a stunning sun dress, and I instantly feel myself get insecure just being next to her.

"You look pretty, Lina" Nick smiles to me, I'm about to say thank you when Avery scoffs. "Don't lie to her, Nick"

"Are you wearing a sweater to hide the weight you've put on? If so it's no use, we can tell from your legs." She giggles.

"Avery shut the fuck up" Nick snaps at her, "Let's go Lina" he walks with me past Avery, who just rolls her eyes. "But—

"We will meet them at the brunch" Nick says.

Brunch is the worst thing known to man.

It consists of sitting at some big table being bored out of my mind while Papa does business. It's even worse than the business dinners, because brunch is time I could be sleeping in the morning.

I sit quietly the entire time, listening to Papa make deals and be rude to the other people at the table. This is how his business usually goes, not like with Aaron when Papa was the one begging for a deal.

When brunch is finally over, I go home and take the fattest nap imaginable, desperately trying to forget about what happened yesterday.

1119 words

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