Silence

Chapter 4

The rest of the week flies by, each day making me more and more anxious. My friends are all used to the gradual change in my mood as the weekend gets closer, but Owen isn't. He's constantly asking me if I'm okay and what's wrong. I just tell him that I'm fine, knowing that eventually he'll stop asking. My friends did.

I'm also on edge because I can't seem to get much sleep anymore. I'm up all night with strange aches and pains. The bruises from my father just makes it worse. I looked it up and all I can find is stuff about growing pains. I'm 17 and thought I was done growing but maybe not.

"Earth to Alex," Owen waves his hand in front of my face. "Where'd you go?" I shake my head and smile at him. I'm more comfortable talking to him now, but I still don't do it very often.

"She's day dreaming about her love for you," Caiden cries, making his face look all dreamy. Dixie snorts and shoves him.

"You're just jealous because you can't get a girl." We all laugh, mine a little strained. Just a few more hours until the day is over and I have to go home to a nightmare. I hate how I feel like this. I can't just relax and be happy that is school is out. Instead, I'm worrying about how Friday's are always the worst because Roger has free rein to beat me as he likes.

"How do you know I don't have a girl?" Caiden defends. We all know he doesn't but I can't help noticing how he glances at Abigail with a look of longing. Huh? I had no idea he liked her.

"Please. You'd be flaunting them around like you're trying to impress somebody. News alert, it doesn't work." Jackson teases. Caiden grins at him a little too sweetly before shoving him off the bench.

"Usually," Caiden starts, looking perplexed. "I'd be the one on the floor." Jackson grunts, ignoring our laughter as Dixie helps him back up.

"Look at you guys, making a scene and embarrassing yourselves," Mackenzie taunts, coming up behind me. "How do you live with the humiliation?" She sets her hands on my shoulders, nails digging into my skin, promising marks later. It wouldn't be the first time I had indentations from her nails.

"Can we help you?" Dixie asks in a flat voice, hating Mackenzie almost as much as I do. The one time Dixie came over to my house, she witnessed Mackenzie trying-and succeeding- to get me into trouble. Since then, she's hated her with a passion.

"I just need to borrow my sis for a second." She says the word, sis, with so much distaste, you'd think someone had just put a lemon in her mouth.

"No-" Dixie starts, but I put my hand up. I avoid Owen's gaze as he watches me walk away with Mackenzie. I'd rather be alone with her where she could hurt me than where Owen could see how much she hates me. We go around to the side of the school where only the stoners go.

"Daddy's not very happy with you," Mackenzie spins around with such force, I take a startled step backward. "He learned that you're hanging out with Owen."

"S-so?" I ask, but instantly regret it when she pops me on the mouth with her palm. My already cracked lips, split open causing blood to trail down my chin.

"Don't you speak to me. It's disgusting hearing you try to talk. Just face the fact that you're a moron and will never be able to talk normally. So do us all a favor and keep your mouth shut, okay?" She speaks the last sentence with joy and at that moment, I realize how much I'm repulsed by her. "Now, back to the matter at hand. I like Owen and Daddy knows it. I'm just trying to be nice and warn you that when you get home, Daddy's going to have a little chat with you about it. I would think real hard about how this can go. You can either drop Owen now and than Daddy might give you a little mercy or you can continue to hang out with him and suffer the consequences." With that, Mackenzie prances away, attempting to leave with this huge decision, one where there's only one answer. There is but just not the one she thinks.

I swipe off the blood and head back to the table. There's no way I'm going to squander a friendship just because Daddy says so. It doesn't make me any less nervous about what's waiting for me at home though.

"Oh my god," Dixie yells when I sit back down. "That bitch hit you." I flinch a little and point my gaze at the ground, feeling everybody's eyes on me. Fingers grab my chin gently and lift, bringing me to meet Owen's eyes. He stares at my bottom lip, where blood is still pouring out. His eyes harden for a second causing his already dark eyes go darker. It scares me a little before it quickly goes back to it's normal soft and light manner that makes me feel safe and cared for.

"What happened?" Owen whispers, gently rubbing the blood off with his sleeve. I just shrug and jump a little when Abigail suddenly yells.

"Bullshit! We know you can talk now so fucking talk, okay!" I stare at her, my eyes wide as is everybody else's. It's not everyday you hear Abigail cuss and definitely not that word. She only cusses with she feels very strongly about something. Tears threaten to spill at how much my friends care about me, but I push them back.

"It's nothing. She's just b-being her normal s-self." Hatred fills me to the core not because of Mackenzie but because my stutter gives me away.

"Mackenzie is anything but normal," Jackson states, trying to lighten the mood. "Just tell us what happened. Maybe we can help."

"You can't help so just drop it," I snap, feeling happy at not stuttering for a second before the guilt at snapping at them takes over. They all go silent and Owen withdraws his hands from my face, sitting forward.

"I'm sorry," my voice is thick with tears and it's obvious I'm on the verge of crying. "You really can't help. It's just some sister shit." A laugh cuts through the tense silence, causing me to jerk my head up and my eyes to meet Dixies. Her gaze is cold but it's not directed at me.

"Mackenzie may live with you, but she's definitely not your sister." And don't I know it.