City Fool [Mike Hanlon]

𝖿 𝗂 𝗏 𝖾

CHAPTER FIVE: I'M SORRY DAD

     "How do you know basically everyone?" Richie asked his sister as they rode their bikes down the street.

"Well I go out and talk to people, unlike you. Oh also not all my jokes are dirty, unlike yours," Ginny gave Richie a deadpanned look.

"Why would you do that?" Richie jokingly asked as the two passed a few people.

"Because I like having friends," Ginny rolled her eyes.

The pair took a right and they were on their street. They dropped their bikes on the ground, Ginny heading to unlock the door. The two walked through the front door before locking it and heading up to their rooms. Ginny quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants before heading to the bathroom to wash her hands and face.

Looking at the clock on her bedside table, the girl noticed the time and sat on her bed. She grabbed her phone from next to her clock and dialed Mike's number. After a few moments someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello?" An older, female voice answered.

"Hello. Is Mike there by any chance?" Ginny asked as she gently chewed on the inside of her lip. She hated talking to adults she didn't know.

"Who's asking? Is it another one of those bullies calling to taunt him? If it is, please just save yourself the time and hang up," the voice, Mike's grandmother, accused as Ginny panicked.

"No of course not. It's his friend Ginny. Earlier he asked me to call him but if he can't talk now it's fine," Ginny rambled as she curled the cord around her finger.

"I'm so sorry sweetie. Yes he's here just give me a moment. Mike hun! Your friend's on the phone!" Mike's grandmother called out for the boy.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mikey," Ginny smiled as soon as she heard his voice.

"Hey Gin. What are you doing right now?" Mike smiled as he sat at the counter where his family's phone was.

"Talking to you. Also tomorrow the Losers and I are going to the quarry if you would like to join us," Ginny held the phone between her face and shoulder as she began snapping her hair band around her wrist.

"I'm not doing much right now. I'll be in town but I won't be able to go to the quarry. I have to make a few deliveries and then get back home as soon as I can," Mike sighed. He hated having to turn down time to hang out with the girl.

"Okay. I'll help you with the deliveries until I have to go to meet up with the boys," the front door of Ginny's house shut causing the girl to tense up.

"I uh, I have to go. Call me in the morning. Bye Mike," the girl hung up the phone before Mike could say anything.

Ginny looked over at her clock to see it showing that it was now eight pm. She took a deep breath before walking down the stairs and spotted her parents on the couch. Neither seemed to notice the girl as she walked behind them to the kitchen where she looked around. Nothing was there for dinner so she would have to do something for both her and Richie. She didn't trust him after the Christmas of 1997. Walking back to the bottom of the stairs, Ginny called out for Richie.

"Richie what do you want for dinner?"

The brunette girl heard her brother yell spaghetti before she began to walk back to the kitchen.

"Stop yelling in my house," Ginny's father scolded as he looked over at her.

"I'm sorry Dad. I'll stop yelling," Ginny spoke softly as she looked down at her feet.

"Good. Tell Richard to also stop yelling too please. It's starting to get annoying," the man said as put his feet up on the coffee table.

"Can you please grab me a spoon, Ginz," the girl's mother asked as she herself stood up and walked over to the television.

Ginny sighed deeply and quickly walked into the kitchen where the silverware drawer was. She heard her father scoff and felt his eyes on her. She tensed up as she gently opened the drawer to grab a spoon. She walked back into the living room as calmly as she could, giving her mother a smile when she handed her the spoon she had asked for.

"Did you just give your mother an attitude when she asked you to do something?" The man asked his daughter.

"No Dad. I was just breathing. I swear I wouldn't mean to be rude on purpose. I s-swear," the girl said, stumbling over her own words towards the end.

The girl was terrified of her father. Point blank. Her mother didn't scare her except for when she explodes. But her father was scary no matter what he did.

"You did too give her attitude, Ginnifer. Get over here right now," her father's voice was low and showed that he was serious.

"Wentworth, leave it. It's okay. Let Ginz be," her mother tried to push the topic to the side but the man was not about to let it slide.

"It's okay Mommy. I deserve it. I was rude to you," Ginny muttered as she went to stand in front of her father.

She stood there waiting whatever he would decide to do to her. If he decided to hit her it wouldn't be the first time that he had but it wouldn't change the fact that it would hurt. It would however be the first time he had hit her in front of someone else.

When the man stood from the couch, he took a hold of Ginny's arm and began yanking her up the staircase. Her eyes allowed a few tears to slip as his grip began to tighten around her small bicep. The girl's mother stood letting out protests as the man continued to drag his daughter to her bedroom.

"Dad please stop. It hurts! Dad please!" Ginny cried, her father ignoring her pain.

"I told you to stop yelling. Be quiet you brat."

"I-I-I'm s-sorry. P-please don't h-hurt me m-more," the girl hiccuped as she attempted to keep herself from hyperventilating.

The sound of Richie's door creaking open could be heard by the girl as their father shoved her into her own room. He slammed the door behind him and stood in front of her.

"What have I told you about giving someone an attitude? It's rude and the next time you did it, I'd smack you. You know I keep my word. Now I have to smack you," the man's voice was low and even.

The brunette girl stood there with tears running down her face, waiting for the impact from her father's hand. After a few seconds, the force of his palm hit her cheek and her head jerked to the right. She let out a squeak as she felt their skin collide. The father wiped his hand on his shirt before walking out the door. Ginny's knees gave way as she dropped to the ground, sobbing.

The feeling of a hand on her shoulder caused her to flinch. She scooted away from the person and looked back to see Richie looking at her. She gently wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Shhh. It's going to be okay Ginz. I'm right here and I'm not leaving you. I got you. Shhh," Richie whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair.

The two siblings heard the sound of the car down slam and moments the car started. The girl began to cry harder as she heard the car drive away. Their mother walked into the room, sitting with her kids and pulling them both into her lap. Richie had let a few tears slip as he hugged his sister and mother as they cried. That night the three of them laid in Ginny's bed together as they cried.