The Beast Within

Nineteen

Broken...

T.W.: Domestic violence

Tears fell out of Roni's eyes as Ralph threw a kick to her torso once more. Ever since they had gotten home, it's been nothing but absolute disaster. She could've guessed that that was going to happen. It happens every time these dinners happen.

"Ralph, stop!" She screamed.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He shouted at her. He bent down, breathing heavily. He grabbed her by her hair and brought her up to him. "You will never see or talk to Khiri again, do you understand?" He growled under Roni's whimpers.

Roni cried. "Sh-She's my friend, Ralph. M-My only friend..."

She cried out as Ralph backhanded her across the face. "What have I told you about talking back to me?" He shouted. "You will do as I say. Do you understand?"

Roni just sat there and cried, not wanting to give in. Khiri was the only friend she had, the only friend she could truly be herself around. Her not answering only made Ralph more angrier. He twisted her hair in his hold, causing a shooting pain to run through Roni's head.

"Aaaahhh... Ralph, baby, please. Please, stop this," Roni cried as Ralph continued to twist.

"Do...you...understand?"

And with one answer, Roni submitted to him. "Y-Yes."

Ralph pushed her to the floor harshly and stood up, fixing the suit he had on. Droplets of her blood were stained onto his white shirt. He caught a peek and grabbed his handkerchief, throwing it at her.

"Clean yourself up." And with that, he walked out of their room and downstairs, leaving her in her own blood and tears.

Roni sobbed as she struggled to stand herself up. She knew tonight she was going to get punished. She hates how ignorant Ralph's family can be and she couldn't just sit back and not defend her best friend after some fool attacked her for her skin color. But her speaking up resulted in her getting beaten.

She walked herself to their bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her right eye looked almost swollen and was forming a bruise around it. There was a cut on her now busted lip with blood still oozing out and her nose was also bleeding. Tears streamed down her face as she took a damp washcloth and cleaned the blood from her face.

She wasn't surprised—or shocked, even. She knew that eventually Ralph would have gone back to his old ways. Ralph has a lot of demons—he's been through a lot. And even though Roni doesn't know about his past, she knows that he had went through a lot. The only person who truly knows the gory details is Riley, but he would never share the secrets of Ralph's dark past.

She looked down at the floor where her broken phone lie. Her tears wasn't only because of the brutal beating she had endured, but also out of pity for her friend. Khiri, to her, was the ball of sunshine that lit up her day. Every phone call they had, Roni found herself being authentically her again and not this person that Ralph has molded her to be.

Now, that person is gone. Her sunshine is gone. Khiri is like a long lost sister who was placed into her life for a reason—and now she's gone.

Veronica hoped that this would all blow over. That Ralph could've just been talking out of anger and that in a week, he would go back to his nice ways again. But deep down, she knew. He never had no intent to change. You can't change when you're already broken. And Ralph is broken.

And when you're broken, you try your best to break those around you—especially the ones you love, or "love".

Veronica looked at herself in the mirror. Bloody and bruised. There was never a time where she looked at herself and felt genuinely beautiful, even with all of the makeup she plasters on to cover her marks. Maybe this is what her life is now. Maybe her life was to always be this way.