Charlie's Angel

21

"You love me, babe?" I met his eyes and blushed. I knew I sounded crazy for asking. We'd been dating for a year and we'd already expressed our love for each other. It was our eighth grade year of middle school, and we were happy together. My parents liked him, his grandmother liked me, and everything was great. I guess I just wanted to hear him say it again. The words rolled effortlessly off his tongue, turning my insides to putty.

"Of course I do," he chuckled, his chocolate eyes twinkling. We were in the comfort of his grandmother's house, on her couch while she made us lunch. It was a saturday and I was sitting comfortably in his arms while we watched a movie. I think it was Back to the Future. "You and me will be together forever."

My heart fluttered; stupid little school-girl crush. I wouldn't call it 'head over heels in love', simply because we were only in middle school. Our minds couldn't comprehend real love. The love that we had—the love I thought we had—was so much different from my parents' love. My parents' love? That's what I wanted—what I needed. They really did set an example for what I wanted and what I could give to my boyfriend. They feelings they had toward each other made me so happy and so content because I knew not a damn thing in the world would separate them. They were just meant to be together. Forever.

"Does that mean you wanna marry me when we're older?"

He laughed again, squeezed his arms around me. "When we get good and ready," he said into my hair. I giggled like a little child. "And I won't hurt you. Ever. We can be just likes your parents."

Funny how words don't mean anything anymore.

I slowly turned back to face Aaron, who was clearly surprised at his own words. And after a split second, his lips turned into a smile. A sick, twisted smile that reminded me of a snake. I half expected him to have a fork tongue. His eyes danced over my frame, making me shrivel into myself, and he licked his lips. Stuck his hands into his pockets. "You thought I would make this easy for you?"

"Aaron, don't do this," I whispered. "Don't take my daughter from me."

"You and I both know I'd be able to support her better," he explained with a demented laugh. "I make more money than you, and I don't bring random men around her. You make, what, nine dollars an hour? I make a lot more than that, Charlie. I'd be the better parent."

"You put her in the hospital," I choked.

"Charlie, we should go. Come on." Sam's hands met my arms to try to pull me away. She tried cooing at me to move me along, stroking the goosebumps on my skin, but I held my ground.

"Sam, can you give us a minute?" I choked, looking into her green eyes. She wouldn't budge, but I touched her cheek to tell her that I'd be okay. "I'll be fine."

When Sam was outside, I turned back to Aaron. I could just slit his throat.

"Alright, Aaron. My friend is gone, you don't have to act all big and bad. Now why are you really doing this?"

"I ain't actin' all big and bad, Charlie," he muttered. "You're not divorcing me. I'll get custody if you even think about it. I can afford a better lawyer than you, and I have the means to take better care of her."

Oddly enough, my mouth did something weird. Saliva upon saliva coated every inch of my mouth, yet it felt so dry. Like they took a vaccuum and sucked the moistness out of me. My eyes blackened for all of ten seconds before I stepped closer to him. "You wouldn't."

"I would and I will," he replied in finality. "Now go get your things from wherever you stayed and come home."

I shook my head. "This isn't home, Aaron. Not with you here."