VALERIE

Fifty

"Valerie, nothing happened." Nick said slowly as he rose up quickly from ontop of Emily.

Emily soon followed and in a frenzy looked at her daughter in shock, she buried her face into her palms and began to sob, "He came onto me sweetheart, I tried to have him stop."

Valerie stayed quiet, her gaze fixated on Nick who was slowly approaching her, he extended his hands out to hold her arms, she pushed herself away from him, almost falling back in the process.

"Leave." She stated calmly and almost indifferently,

He shook his head, "We need to talk about this."

"I don't want to see you." Her voice began to crack but she still stood defiantly trying to look tough in front of Nick.

"Valerie she was coming onto me I would neve-"

"Shut up!" She shouted loud enough for the workers down stairs to hear, she paced back and forth in the hall outside of the lounge room where her mother was still crying.

"Listen to me." He begged,

"No."

"Valerie listen."

"No."

"Valerie."

"Leave."

"Listen!" He punched the wall behind her in frustration with his fist, the drywall crumbled into pieces and his scratched almost bloody knuckles pulsated with anticipation.

Valerie stayed silent, she was looking at the ground now, holding back tears.

"Just let me talk." He said rather softly,

"I don't want to hear it!" She screamed as she faced him, "I'm so confused I don't know what to feel okay? I just know I don't want to even look at you right now."

"You're gonna believe your mother over me?" He scoffed, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest repeatedly ready to burst out of his rib cage.

Valerie cracked a small smile filled with hurt, "Just go."

Nick shook his head, he lunged forward to grab her arm but she turned quickly around and ran out of the room.

Nick followed behind her, Valerie made her way upstairs and then down the hall into her bedroom where she hid under the bed to avoid him.

Momentarily she heard him calling her name desperately as he walked into her room, she watched as his boots passed back and forth repeatedly through the entire room.

Nick checked the closet, and her bathroom thoroughly but nothing.

Standing in the center of the room he ran a hand through his hair, "Valerie, I saw you run in here."

Valerie stayed silent, she placed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from making pathetic noises.

"Please," He begged, "We need to talk."

Silence.

"Valerie." His voice shook with uncertainty.

Scouring the hushed room with his gaze his eyes landed on her bed.

He knew she wasn't coming out.

"Okay, we'll do this. If you love me you'll come out and listen to what I have to say."

Valerie tightened her lips to prevent herself from wailing out loud, the tears in her eyes blurred her vision as she began to scale out from under the bed but stopped before anything.