Daddy's Little Ragdoll

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

    “No!”

    “Stephen listen to-”

    “You told me last night that you wouldn’t call the cops. Now you want to go back on your promise?”

    “Stephen he left a hand print on your arm.” I’m not sure how we got on this topic so early in the morning. I wish we hadn’t because now it is turning into a full blown fight.

    She shoots her arm out. Pulling up her sleeve she shows me her arm. There is a small and faint bruise along her arm. The handprint however is gone.

    “Gone, see that Alec? You were wrong for once. We are not calling the cops, end of it!” Stephen storms out of my room.

    I sit down on my bed and stare at the closed door. Stephen and I haven’t fought this bad since we started dating. Our first big fight, great. My thoughts are racing and I know I was wrong a bit. Not completely , but somewhat wrong.

    What if he does it again? Maybe he’ll hit her next time, she’ll probably defend him again. Somewhere in her heart she has to know that he is hurting her and that it’s wrong. After what Stephen went through in June, and with her mother her whole life, and the time her father stabbed her siblings, I would think she’d understand. She should understand why I want to call the cops , but she doesn’t.

    There’s a knock a my door and Ma walks in. She sits down on my beanbag chair that I’ve had for way too long. Looking at me she sighs.

    “So their Dad’s back?” Ma talks like it is the most normal conversation even though it is just another unwanted talk.

    “Yeah, guess you heard us yelling?” She nods. “Well what do you think Ma?”

    “I think that you’re lucky the girls were outside. And also, that you have to give her time.”

    “Time to what? Do I have to wait until she ends up in the hospital again, before I can call the cops?”

    Ma sighs. “I know it’s hard , but you have to give her time to digest what’s happening. He is her dad and she loves him.”

    “He hurts her!” My voice raises a bit and I’m worried Stephen heard me.

    “Alec, she knows that. She’ll come to reason with time.” Ma rocks herself out of the beanbag chair. Walking to the door she says one last thing. “Next time don’t yell. It doesn’t help things at all.” She opens the door and walks out, shutting it harder than needed.

    The air is too quiet, sitting here unsettles me. I try to lay down on my bed , but the smell of Stephen lingers on my pillow and my thoughts are overtaking me. I try looking out my window , but it only brings back thoughts of watching Stephen run early in the morning. Finally I give up.

    Opening my door I jump a bit. Stephen is standing on the other side of the door. Before I opened the door she had been contemplating whether or not to come inside.

    “Oh, hi.” Stephen doesn’t move.

    “Hi.”

    “So I need to get a few things from my house.” She bites her bottom lip. She is nervous.

    “Okay.” I’m not sure what to say. There is obvious awkwardness and I’m not sure what she’s going to say next. Or ask.

    “Will you come with me?” She still hasn’t moved from the spot outside my door.