Beautifully Broken

13

"I'm tired." I whisper, my voice breaking. "I can't do this anymore. It's too much."

He pulls me closer and holds me as he always does. "You're a strong girl. People look up to you, Mina. You'll get through this, okay? You're not alone. You're a beautiful girl and you have us."

I shake my head. "If ever I am, I'm just another pretty girl that's broken inside."

He holds me tighter and I feel his chin resting on my head as I break down in his arms. "Well, I guess you're beautifully broken then."

I sob, my body heaving at the pain, wondering how he always sees beauty in an ugly broken girl.

A strong light envelopes me and I look up, wiping my tears, to see a figure in what looks like clouds.

"Mina."

I wonder who this voice belongs to but I feel peace and joy as He nears.

"Leave everything in My hands and the broken will be made beautiful. Things may take a while but you'll see how amazing you are and the plans I have for you. You are loved. Trust me."

He starts fading and I find myself reaching for Him.

My vision turns black again and I'm once again lost.

Cole

She's moving a bit, her hand twitching, her head moving from side to side.

"Do you think she's waking up?" I ask Carson, who just came in with a tray of food.

We've been taking turns, watching the two women. Mom and dad, Carson, Charity and I, Annika and her parents, and so on.

It's been three days.

"Maybe. I hope so." He says, looking at our childhood friend.

Thankfully, Jennifer stayed quiet after sending that photo. It ruined Mina's reputation but it also made me people doubt whether all this was really true.

I doze off and find myself waking up to nurses rushing in.

"W-what's happening?" I ask, looking around as Carson wakes up too. He slowly wipes off the sleepiness and we share a look.

Charity's talking to the nurses, nodding her head and moving her hands a lot.

We watch as they change equipment and address the beeping on Mina's monitor.

In a few minutes, the nurses leave, satisfied, and I find myself staring at the girl I realize I wouldn't ever want to live without.

"You scared me, hon." I say, my voice quiet and my face serious.

She nods, not even trying to put on a smile. "I know."

"Why did you just leave? I really wanted to punch her but it's wrong. I wanted to stand up for you but I know you wanted to stand up for yourself too. You're not a damsel in distress. Just a tired girl who needs to be loved. What happened, Mina?" I ask, pleading with her to share. She's been getting better at it. But she still has her limits.

She reaches out for me and I position myself beside her. She leans into me and I put an arm around her.

"I don't want to see your face when I tell you this." She croaks. Her voice is scratchy, like she's had a bad cold.

She looks at Charity and Carson who wait patiently, watching us.

"When Jennifer talked about my mom, I realized she wasn't talkingg about anything of the past. Mom only found out about Ron recently. She's never been abused like I have. So this must've been something recent. I ran home to find one of his friends-"