bruises // heathers

fourteen // broken glass

Veronica and Jason stayed there for a long while, holding one another and crying together. The fight tore their hearts open, stripped away all their strength and left them without a single good emotion.

Giselle came out of her room after she heard how quiet it was, tiptoeing over to see her parents holding onto one another for dear life. She was terrified of this scene. After all that had happened, how could her mother just fall back into his arms and act as if it never did? Giselle promised herself that she'd never go back to a man that hit her. She knew that her mother said the wrong thing but her father took it too far the second his hand collided with her round cheek.

"She went back to him because she's weak, Giselle. Don't ever be weak like your mother." Heather said, leaning up against the doorway of Giselle's room and eyeing Veronica and Jason curled together on the ground.

"Yes Heather," Elle whispered in response as Heather began to cough. Heather hacked so incessantly because the liquid drain cleaner she drank was still stuck in her throat. Besides killing her, that drain cleaner had stained her lips blue and coated her throat.

"Never ever end up with anyone like Jesse James." Heather told Elle. "It'll only end badly."

"Never." Elle said, promising her strength.

"You don't need to watch this. Let's go in your room." Heather said after Veronica let loose one very unnerving sob. Giselle listened to Heather, walking back across the wooden floor that creaked with her descent back into her room. Veronica seemed to lift her head slightly and see her daughter walking away but she didn't stop her. Veronica felt ashamed, and all she wanted to do was cry in the arms of the man who had marked her with shame with his outstretched palm.

Giselle sat down on her bed as Heather sat beside her. "This is gonna sound silly but sometimes I like to pretend you're my older sister." Giselle confessed.

"Don't be such a pillowcase." Heather replied, acting as if Giselle's words did not touch her deeply when they in fact did. Giselle frowned, realizing she wasn't supposed to share her raw emotions with Heather.

"I wasn't trying to be." Giselle tensed up.

"How about you try to go back to sleep?" Heather offered, but it was clear it wasn't a suggestion. Giselle nodded before Heather stood up allowing Giselle to curl up under her comforter. Heather watched Giselle drift off to sleep before going outside Elle's bedroom and back into the living room. Veronica noticed Heather's presence immediately. "Get the hell up." Heather hissed.

"No." Veronica replied.

"Who are you talking to?" JD asked, pulling away from Veronica a little bit. He looked around and saw that no one was there.

"I don't want to tell you, you'll think I'm crazy." Veronica tensed up in his arms.

"I'd never think that." JD assured her.

"Heather." Veronica whispered. "I used to see her and talk to her when we were teenagers but now she only shows up every once in a blue moon." She explained.

"Oh, I'll start showing up more once Jesse James starts to break down your sanity again." Heather smirked, her blue lips curling up in satisfaction. She thought Veronica got exactly what she had coming.

"I don't think that's crazy at all." JD told Veronica. "Listen, I really have to get to work today. Come walk me outside." They stood up and Veronica followed him outside, letting him get in the car before leaning into the car through the rolled down window and kissing him softly.

"I love you," She said to him.

"I love you too, darling. I'll be home around six, I'll see you then." JD pulled out of the parking space and out of the lot and began to drive away. Veronica retreated inside.

"Hello slut." Heather greeted Veronica.

"Leave me alone please." Veronica whispered, trying to go into hers and JD's room to sleep but Heather stood in her way.

"No way. No way in hell." Heather laughed. "You know you're pathetic, right?"

"Shut up Heather." Veronica grit her teeth.

"Even Giselle can see how weak you are. To just fall back into the arms of a killer." Heather rolled her eyes. "I thought you were smarter than that."

"Go away okay? I already hate myself for it so just leave me the hell alone!" Veronica shouted at the teenage ghost. Heather just shook her head in disappointment and faded away. Veronica sunk to the ground and began to truly sob. Her weeping woke up Giselle, who came out of her room to see what was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Giselle asked her mother, who shook her head in response. "I don't like that dad hit you." Elle proclaimed.

"I know, Ellie." Veronica mumbled.

"I'm going to talk to him about it. He won't ever do it again, mama." Giselle promised her mother. Veronica felt such guilt in that moment. For the first time in her life, she couldn't protect Giselle. Giselle had to protect her.