Turn Your Face

(05)

I sat down on my bed which was now in Griffin's room and leaned back down on it. Will he tell me who Eliz was? 

I felt someone take a seat next to me and lean back with me. 

"Elizabeth was my sister. My blood sister, she was only 15 when she ran into the street with her boyfriend and she was hit by a car." I could hear his voice crack, knowing that he was hurt. 

I leaned up and said, "You don't have to tell me, if it makes you uncomfortable." 

"She was 15 and she told me everything. Her room was yours. She was always just so, nice and innocent. She was on the A honor roll all through freshman to sophomore year, but when she died everything changed. Her boyfriend was the most hurt one of us. He threatened to kill himself to be with her but no one would leave him by himself. I felt so, useless and I don't like talking about it. That's why I don't want you to call yourself my sister. It's just weird to think that we're replacing her with you." 

"I won't consider myself that then. Elizabeth was special to you and I'll never be that special to anyone and that's really bad. I shouldn't have asked about her, I'm sorry." I whispered, touching his knuckles with my fingertips. 

"Here," He whispered, before moving a poster from off the wall and I noticed a god sized hole in the wall. He stuck his hand inside the hole and grabbed out a pink book with "Lizzie" engraved in the side. 

He handed it to me while putting the poster back on the wall. 

"It's her diary, I've read it about 30 times and since you know about her, you should read it, but mom and dad don't know that I have it so, don't get caught reading it." He said, sternly. I smiled at him and laid the book on my legs. 

Once the poster was back on the wall, he took a seat next to me and said, "Well, since I've told you about Liz, tell me how you got into foster care." He chuckled. 

I didn't like talking about my actual father, whenever I would tell his story, I would get so angry with him and myself. 

"When I was 6 my mother died of a brain tumor, made her brain dead so, I was left with my actual father. Who hadn't been there for the first 5 years. So, I wasn't excited about it. He hurt me," I said, holding up the pants leg of my yoga pants, showing him the cigarette burns on my legs.  

I saw anger and fear light up his face like a Christmas tree. 

"When I was 11, he started to come home around 4 am, would wake me up, and touch me. Anywhere he could get his hands. I was disgusted and that's when I ran away. I found the foster home and even though my father was drunk, they let me stay in." 

By now, tears were floating down my cheeks and into my mouth. I tasted the saline and saltiness. 

He took his thumb and wiped them away, "Well, at least we've both had a rough family. And now, we have another one coming, I don't want to think what it's going to have to go through." He laughed, touching my hip. 

His fingers touching the warm skin sent chills down my spine and back up about 3 times. 

"Guys, it's late. You should get to bed." I heard Allen say from the doorway. I stood up and got into my bed. I kept the lamp on and pulled out the diary while Griffin got comfortable in his bed. 

11:23 pm. 9-07-2007. 

Dear Diary, 

Well, today was hard for me. They made fun of me at school again. I wish that I could tell them to leave me alone but when I try, I just get hurt again. It's the most horrible thing because I can't do anything about it but I can't just let him hurt me. Mom and dad were talking about me at dinner tonight, about college. I don't want to go, but I guess I don't have a choice. They're already trying to get some money for it. Griffin and Riley just ate in silence. I hate Riley. She's a horrible girlfriend for him but if he's happy that's all that matters. 

School was good, Joe talked to me and called me beautiful. We aren't together but I would do anything to be with him. ANYTHING. Well, it's late, I should probably go to bed. Goodnight World. 

-Eliabeth Lee Grey.