Prompt: What about Ray when he was younger and dealing with his dad's abuse?
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"Ray!"
Ray pretended not to notice his little sister shaking his shoulder. He flipped the page of his comic book, hiding a smile.
"Ray," Eliza said, trying again by grabbing his arm and tugging on it. "Raymund, come on! Come on, I have to show you something!"
"Nah. I'm reading," Ray said.
Eliza huffed and snatched the comic away from him. "You gotta see it!"
"Can I have my comic back after?" Ray said. "Whatever you want to show me, I bet it's boring."
He already knew what she wanted to show him. He'd helped his mom pick the gift out for her.
Eliza held the comic behind her back, as if she could actually stop her brother from taking it back if he really wanted to. Ray let out a dramatic sigh and stood up.
"Fine, show me this surprise," he said.
She brightened and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his bedroom and into her own. She smiled widely, barely able to contain her joy.
"Look," she said, holding up a pretty doll. "Mom got it for me to celebrate my award at school."
Ray eyed it as if he hadn't actually seen it before. "Oh, wow, that is pretty cool, Liz. Did you do her hair?"
Eliza's smile grew. "I did, Ray! Mom taught me how to do braids so I practiced on my doll." She stroked the doll's hair. "I named her Selena. I thought it was pretty."
Ray put an arm around her shoulders. "Uh-huh, it is pretty."
His friends always made fun of him for playing dolls with his sister, but he didn't mind. It made Eliza happy, and few things ever managed to do that. He liked to see her smile and have fun.
But then he heard the front door slam downstairs, and Eliza's smile dropped off her face as she winced and pressed herself against Ray's side. Ray put his other arm around her, hugging her to himself and offering her a smile.
He went over and shut her bedroom door gently, careful not to make noise. He went back over to her, keeping the smile on his face despite his own fear.
"Let's play," he offered. It would keep her mind off of the banging and thumping coming from downstairs. Maybe their father wouldn't come upstairs. Maybe he'd pour himself a drink and go watch TV. Maybe.
Eliza sat down in front of her dollhouse, clutching Selena to her chest. She kept looking over at her bedroom door, but Ray caught her attention.
"Hey, teach me how to braid," he said, picking up one of her other dolls. "Then I can braid your hair."
"You'd braid my hair?" Eliza asked, looking hopeful. Sometimes their dad pulled her hair so hard it ruined her braids. She liked her braids, but she didn't know how to fix them herself. Her mom always did it.
"Sure," Ray said, giving a teasing tug on her hair. "Only if you give me back my comic, though."
Eliza eagerly handed it back and shifted closer to Ray. "Here, this is how you do it."
