Leah's Secret...(Don't tell or else...)

Leah's Secret Ch. 8

(A/N) This when things r starting to explain themselves. comment? vote? become a fan? thanks:)

Chapter Eight

{FLASHBACK}

Life had always been hard for Leah. No one understood how Leah felt- besides Leah herself. Her father beat her, and sometimes her Mother. Leah's Mother didn't care what happened in her house, she just hid down the basement, and pretended her life was all just a nightmare.

That's why Leah went over to the Collins' house periodically. It felt nice to go and interact with a real family. The way Ms. Collins would always listen to their pointless yet important to them, problems. The way Lewis would wait around for his younger siblings, when anyone else would groan that their younger siblings are trailing along. The way Alex and Tricia looked up to Lewis. The way Lewis loved them. The way they welcomed Leah into their home and Leah knew that she would always be welcome.

Leah liked the Collins house. No matter how many times she was there, everything changed; the wallpaper, the furniture, and sometimes the rugs and the carpets. She loved that. Ms. Collins always loved a change of scenery. She would wake up early in the morning, in a cold sweat, and change her house around to take her mind off things. One time Lewis told Leah that he woke up one morning and was freaked out that he was in the wrong house. Of course Ms. Collins just ran out of things to change, so she went and changed up Lewis' room.

At the moment, Leah was coloring at the new wooden kitchen table with Tricia. Tricia liked to color in the lines, and every time she got the slightest bit out of the lines, she would crumble it up, and get a new drawing. "Can I borrow purple?" She asked in her baby voice.

"Of course," Leah said, handing Tricia the purple. "I like your picture so far!"

"Thanks," Tricia said, "Yours is pretty too!"

Leah smiled at Tricia and Tricia smiled back. Tricia had her light strawberry blonde hair pulled into two lopsided ponytails. Her dark green eyes were filled with joy as she continued to color in a picture from one of her many coloring books. She smiled as she colored, with her head down- focusing on what she colored. "Can you come over again tomorrow?" Tricia asked, "And we can color again!"

"Maybe," Leah said, but she knew she couldn't because her Father didn't like her being over there- so her Father would get suspicious.

"Leah look!" Lewis said, coming into the kitchen.

Leah turned around, and looked at what Lewis was holding in his hand. It was a small green frog. Leah screamed, because frogs freaked her out, and she backed away from it. "I found it, I found it!" Alex cheered, jumping up and down. "It was me, I found it!"

"No you didn't," Lewis started, but the way Lewis looked at his brother, told Leah that Lewis didn't care if Alex took credit for his discovery.

"Get that out of the house, boys!" Leah shrieked, and the boys just laughed, before taking the frog out of the house. Leah sat back down next to Tricia.

"Boys are gross," Tricia sighed, shaking her head. Leah looked over at Tricia and smiled brightly.

"You know what Tricia? We need nicknames," Leah told her, "How about..."

"You're Le," Tricia laughed.

"Alright, and you'll be...Tricy," Leah said. Tricia looked up at Leah, with her eyes lit up with joy. She threw her little arms around Leah's neck, taking in Leah's warm pineapple smell.

"You're my best friend, Leah," Tricia told her, "Don't ever leave me!"

Leah put her face close to Tricia's- their foreheads touching- and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."

Ms. Collins walked by them muttering to herself. She was redecorating again. "Leah," She said suddenly, "What do you think, a couch on the opposite of the window, or near it? And if its near it, where should the TV go?"

She looked panicked. How could Leah tell? She was chewing on her nails like they were a snack, and she was pacing. Leah new Ms. Collins long enough to know what she looked like when she was nervous.

"Opposite of the window," Leah told her, "And I would leave the TV where it is."

Ms. Collins thought about this, and then nodded. "You're right, you're always right!"

Leah smiled at her, and Ms. Collins laughed.

Ms. Collins had been a wreck ever since her husband got up one morning, and decided he wanted to go to Vegas. Ms. Collins let him go, but when he didn't come home, she got worried. She tried to contact everyone in Vegas, but they never heard of him, and swore that he had never been there. Ms. Collins took that as a divorce, and changed her name back to her maiden name.

Leah always felt bad for Ms. Collins. She thought that was the reason she woke up in the mornings, sweating, and panicking. Of course she never found out though, because that wasn't something Ms. Collins talked about often.

"LEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHH," Alex yelled, "YOU'RE DAD'S HERREEEEE!"

Everyone got quiet, and Leah's heart stopped. She quickly signed her paper Love Leah, and handed it too Tricia. Leah got up, got her coat, and was ready to go out the door, before Ms. Collins said, "I don't believe I have ever met you're Father."

She was right. Ms. Collins has met Leah's Mother, but never her Father, and there was a reason for that. Leah's Dad was a tall strong man with a dark brown beard and dark hair on his hair everywhere but in the middle of his head. Greg Coburn also had dark harsh brown eyes. His hands were always covered in oil or dirt.

See, Mr. Coburn was a car mechanic. He worked on the messed up cars in their garage. When he had free time, he would also build motorcycles and cars from scratch.

"Mr. Coburn," Ms. Collins said, "I believe we have never met. I'm Marie Collins."

"Greg Coburn," Leah's Father said in a stiff voice. They shook hands, and Ms. Collins welcomed him in. "Oh no thanks," He said, "I just came here to pick Leah up."

Leah put her jacket on, and tried to pull her Dad away from the door, but Ms. Collins continued to talk. "We just love love LOVE Leah over her," Ms. Collins cheered as she clapped her hands together.

"Well I'm sure she won't be coming back for awhile," Leah's father said, "She was supposed to be grounded. I hope you have a nice....life."

Greg Coburn grabbed Leah Coburn by the wrist, and dragged her away from the Collins door. Leah looked back and saw the shocked expression of every Collins' face. Leah wasn't grounded though. Her Father just hated when Leah came over here and not spend time with him.

"I hate you," Leah spat, but her Father ignored her, and continued to drag her home. When they walked inside, Mr. Coburn threw her against a wall. Leah's head hit the wall and she fell to the ground.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that again," Greg Coburn growled. Leah felt the top of her hair, and felt the blood in her hair. She whimpered at the sight of it, and coward away from her Father.

Greg kicked Leah hard in the side, and walked away. Leah could feel a bruise forming on her side. Once again she would have to lie to her Mother about where she got it.

When Leah made sure her Father was gone, she held her sides and cried. She was embarrassed and hurt, and they were both created by the man she called Father. The look on Ms. Collins' face made Leah want to cry. Now Ms. Collins would think that she snuck out of the house when she was grounded, even though she wasn't!

Her Father made a fool of her in front of people she loved. She loved the Collins' like her own family. Leah's safe place was the Collins house, where she could laugh and play and really have fun. There wasn't a time where she could really enjoy her life in the house that she was supposed to call home.

"What's wrong, pumpkin?" Leah's Mother asked, as she walked up to Leah. Leah tried to stand up, but when she did she felt dizzy, and had to catch herself on the wall.

Tina Coburn saw the blood on the wall, and gasped. "Baby," She cooed, and then looked at Leah's head. Leah pulled away from her though, and stormed up the steps. She walked into her room, and slammed the door. Leah sat in her room for hours, and planned her escape.

{END OF FLASHBACK}