Bank Robber's Bitch

F I V E

Oh God. Oh God. God, please no.

I'm screaming in my head all the while trying to fight Rouge off still. I just need to get a kick, a hit or even a scratch in. To say that I didn't go down without a fight. This is my life, my dignity that he's trying to steal from me and I can't let him have it this easy. My hands finally break loose and before he can catch it, I've scratched his face and managed to push him off. His weight lifts easily off me with one hand and I'm pretty amazed at myself for a moment. This is until I see Toni wrestling Rouge on the floor. They wrestle until eventually Toni has him in a deadlock. I look away from Rouge and his pulled down pants and as if it were a magnet, crawl back into a corner.

"Calm down!" He shouts shaking him in his deadlock.

Rouge groans and huffs angrily until eventually he's calmed down.

Ryan barges through the door with his phone and earphones in hand. Hope! There's hope for me to get out of here! Everybody in this house is crazy.

Toni releases Rouge and stands up to his full height. Rouge is still mumbling profanities under his breath when Toni offers him a hand.

Why, of course. They are the same.

"Get your hand out my face boy." Rouge grits out from between his teeth. He tries to stand up but slips and falls back down. When it gets too embarrassing, Toni pulls him up.

"Get out of my room Rouge." He says when he's on his feet.

Rouge looks my direction and sends straight shivers throughout my body. I feel the bile rise and look away from him using my curls to cover my hair. Moments later I hear the door close and silence.

Did Toni go with them? Do I want him to be? Do I want him to stay?

I look up from behind my hair and he's standing a few feet from the bed, his hands on his hips and his tongue swiping across his lips.

Silence. None of us say anything. I'm still shaking and it doesn't help that I am feeling sick.

"Do you want to... talk about it?" He breaks the silence.

"No." Is all I manage to say before I am running for the bathroom and throwing up into the toilet bowl.

***

There has not been much conversation between me and Toni in the last 2 days except for talking to me when he's giving me food or giving me his clothes. I didn't mind it at all. It gave me time to devise my escape and revenge plan in silence.

He also got me underwear which was weird and made me cry because it reminded me I was staying right here. He bought underwear he wanted to see... not exactly comfort underwear. Unless chilling in a thong is comfortable. At home, I didn't bother much with underwear. My mom hated wearing any so I know I get it from her.

Entertainment here is very limited so when Toni got a small radio, I was completely overjoyed. At this exact moment, listening to old love songs, my legs perched up on the wall and my eyes closed I almost feel home, I can almost remember what Sunday morning smelt like.

Sundays are sacred; the only day both my parents are off work and incidentally, the only day for a proper Sunday English breakfast.

This is soul music and not singing along would just be disrespect, right?

But my singing is interrupted by heavy footsteps coming down the stairs and I go silent, an anxious feeling sinking in my belly. I wait anxiously already sitting up and getting in defence mode. Any feeling of home I had has disappeared without a trace.