Unusual Beings

Two • The Window

! Trigger Warning !
s*xual abuse. please  skip this entire chapter if it may trigger you

"Rocco, Meet Linda and Harold. These are your new foster parents."

-

Linda wasn't home, she had left for a flight to visit her mom in the hospital.

Harold was home and I was outside playing with their biological son Jakob.

We were playing soccer, I can remember us trying to take the ball from one another and it was only the two of us playing.

I was 13, Jakob was 14.. pretty tall for his age. In the blink of an eye, he attempted to kick the ball in the net but it collided with a window, instantly shattering it.

Harold stormed out of the door and into the backyard where the two of us stared in shock.

"What have you done!?" Harold shouted, observing the damage.

"Rocco kicked the soccer ball into the window!" Jakob quickly lied, as his father turned to me.

"I-I didn't! Jakob did, b-but it was an accident!" I nervously defended myself.

"Do you know how much it's going to cost to fix this?" He walked closer to us.

I gulped staring back at the angry man, shaking my head 'no' in response.

"Jakob, go wash up and prepare the dinner table." Harold instructed as Jakob instantly went to do as told.

"Money doesn't grow on trees Rocco. It's earned by hard work.. and now lots of money is going to be wasted replacing the window you broke." He stepped closer to me.

I felt upset that I was taking the blame for something I didn't even do, but also afraid that I was going to be kicked out of my foster home.

Tears unwillingly began to fall from my eyes as Harold crouched down to my level. "I'm sorry." I sniffled.

"No, Rocco, sweetheart don't cry. You're not in trouble. I'm not mad at you." He assured as he used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"You're not? You aren't going to send me back to the orphanage?" I questioned.

"Don't be silly, of course not!" He smiled as I did the same, a sense of relief washing over me.

"I-I can do extra chores, help out way more, anything!" I offered, wanting the window situation to be forgotten.

"That sounds like a spectacular idea. Tell you what, I'll figure out a job for you, but right now it's time for dinner." He planted a kiss on my forehead before standing up and escorting me back into the house.

I remember being asleep in bed that night when the mattress sunk in beside me. I opened my eyes to Harold looking over me.

"I've figured out a job for you." He smiled at me as I sat up.

"What time is it?" I rubbed my eyes, then looked around at my darkened room.