Sing for Me

Chapter 7

Harper's POV
——Gonna be honest though, the end of this chapter gets a little dark, so be prepared (TW: abuse)——

I walked home with a grin on my face, thinking about Zach the whole way. My mind wasn't even on my shitty home life, all I could think about was the new kid that was showing me attention like no one had in years.

My soaring spirit soon crashed as I walked up to the front door of the house where Julia was standing with a stern look on her face.

"Well you just took your sweet little time didn't you," She screeched.

I lowered my head in fear.

"And what were you so happy about, huh?" She continued, "you have no right smiling when you are doing so bad at your duties here! Now get your ass inside and start cleaning the house!"

I gave her a swift nod and ran around her to get inside. Before I could enter, her arm flung out to the side and blocked my path.

"And if you ever take that long coming home and I see you with a fucking smile on your face again I'll make your life so miserable you'll forget what smiling feels like," She snarled at me, removing her arm so I could go inside.

I was shocked, but knew that she wasn't kidding. This was my final warning.

"Worthless bitch," she mumbled under her breath as I went to get the broom.

Her comment stung me, but I was used to it. She's right though. I am a worthless bitch. What do I have to smile about?

I let out an inaudible sigh as I began sweeping the floor. I finished cleaning the house and cooking for the family in about four hours. I only got about a quarter of what they ate for dinner. Before I went upstairs I looked at the clock. It's only 8 o'clock. I have some free time before I have to go to bed. I ran upstairs and grabbed a hoody, throwing it on over my t-shirt. I quickly ran downstairs and out the door so as not to get caught.

I put my hood up over my head and threw my hands in my pocket as I walked through the crisp night breeze. As soon as I got out of range of the house I slowed my pace and took a deep breath of the fresh air surrounding my temporary freedom that would likely come with great consequences. After a few minutes of walking in the peaceful quiet I arrived at my location. I continued walking to a familiar stone, the engraved words forever imprinted into my mind: Here lies Maria and Jack Walsh, beloved mother and father.

I sat down on the damp grass in front of the headstone.

"Julia would kill me if she knew I was here," I said softly, letting out a sharp laugh, "but it's been so long since I've seen you guys."

What people at school didn't know about me was that I did talk, just not to them or around them. At my parents' grave I felt safe and loved as if they were there with me, but at school I feel judged and outcasted. I have no desire or reason to talk to anyone outside of my parents when I visit the cemetery. I was already judged enough behind my back and too my face, I've learned to just silently take the torment. It's easier to play the freak that lost her parents and now doesn't speak than to tear down the emotional walls I had put up after I lost them.

"I miss you guys," I said tearing up, "life is so hard without you..."

I stopped to let out a quiet sob.

"But I'm getting by," I continued with a small, sad smile, "because I know that's what you would want me to do."

What felt like hours of talking passed as I mentioned everything that had happens since my last visit.

"And there's this new boy at school," I began, smiling at the thought of him, "his name is Zach. I'm gonna show him around town on Saturday, I mean if I can avoid Julia's wrath that is. But I think he's pretty cute, and he's given me more attention in the past few days than anybody has since you guys left."

I sighed and moved to lay down in front of their grave. My gaze drifted up to the glowing moon above me and the stars dotting the night sky. I began to lightly sing You Are My Sunshine, my voice floating softly into the wind.

"So please don't take my sunshine away," I finished as a single tear slipped down my cheek.

"I should get going before Julia really kills me," I said, letting out a small chuckle, "I love you guys and I'll try to come back soon."

I kissed the palm of my hand and placed it to the gravestone as I whispered a soft goodbye. The cold night air wrapped around me, causing me to pull my sweater tighter against my body as I left the cemetery. I shot one last look back to my parents grave before I walked out the gate, not even knowing how late it was.

I walked slowly, watching every step I took as if the ground were the most interesting thing I had ever seen. As I neared the house I noticed the living room light was still on. I took a deep breath and froze in my tracks. Oh shit, I'm dead.

I kept walking after a few seconds, realizing that I couldn't delay the inevitable. As I made it to the door, I reached for the door handle, only to be stopped when it was suddenly flung open. The woman that appeared on the other side was beyond pissed, hell, she had murder in her eyes.

Julia harshly grabbed my wrist and I winced at the aggressive contact. She dragged me upstairs to my room in the attic and shut the door. She let go of my wrist, which was already bruising from her tight grip.

"You stupid bitch!" She screamed at me as her hand came crashing onto my face, a ring that was on one of her fingers digging hard enough to make a scratch.

I was surprised at the hit but kept quiet.

"Why do you have to create so much trouble for this family?!" She screamed again as she landed another blow, this time on my other cheek.

"We've been nothing but good to you, and this is how you treat us?!" Another hit.

My silence only seemed to fuel her as she continued to slap my face with all the strength she could muster. I flinched as her hand came down again, expecting another blow only to feel nothing. After a second I opened my eyes to seen her hand mid-air. I looked to Julia and saw her with a devilish grin on her face.

"No, I have a better idea," she said with a terrifyingly calm voice.

She grabbed my other wrist and dragged me back downstairs just as harshly as she had upstairs, her nails piercing my skin. When we made it downstairs she forced me to the front door.

"If you're gonna sneak out of my house in the middle of the night you can just keep your ass out," Julia snarled at me as she threw me to the porch outside.

I landed on the wood painfully hard as she slammed the front door shut behind me. I dragged myself up against the house, my whole boy aching from the hard landing. My head was throbbing as I had hit it hard against the porch on impact. My life is hell. The first few tears crept down my face, each stinging the deep scratch marks that Julia's rings had left on my cheeks.

I got no sleep that night, instead crying to myself silently, realizing that there was no escaping this hellish life.