Keeping Real - Ashton Irwin

Chapter 5

I was sick. Not just sick and tired of that boy I had once called a friend, but sick with a racking cough and sore throat. Besides my badly bruised and beaten body, I had been fine on Monday. Neither Luke nor my mom had come home so I hadn't had to face them, but on Tuesday morning sickness and harsh reality sucker punched me in the face.

I had snuck downstairs to eat my breakfast before Luke or my mom did, and I was fiddling with the coffee pot when my mom bustled into the kitchen. "Hey honey," she whispered, not wanting to wake my still-sleeping brother. My back was to her and I mumbled a good morning and tried to side step my out of the kitchen but my mom grabbed my hand and turned me to face her.

"I haven't seen you in a while let's ta..." her sentence was cut short when her eyes reached my black and blue face and scabbed lip. Tears began to fill her eyes as she looked upon the face that once belonged to her-when my father was still around. She marched me into the living room and sat me down on our sofa. "Talk." She ordered.

I sighed. My mom had the piercing blue eyes that Luke and I shared with her. Her hair, once blonde, was streaked with grey. She looked tired, even though she was dressed fashionably and professionally. I didn't want to add to her stress, but her tired eyes begged me to tell her.

"You know who it was, Mom. It was Connor. I fought him yesterday after he tried to touch me. I was uncomfortable, and he was high." My voice rose a decibel higher as my mom's sadness slowly turned to fury. "No. No. I refuse to let my daughter be submitted to the same treatment as I was. You are breaking up with him. You are filing a restraining order on him. We are going to sue him for assault and battery," my mom stated, pacing our living room.

She took one look at the tears falling down my face and sat down next to me. She pulled me into a hug and stroked my back, comforting me. "I'll make some calls at work today. See what I can do, okay honey?" I continued to sob, but nodded my head. I felt so helpless, when normally I felt in control.

I pulled out of the hug, a cough shaking my body. "Honey, you need to stay home and recover today. No swim. I have to go to work," my mom said. She wiped a tear from my face and smiled a small smile. "We'll talk about this more when I get home. If Connor comes near to this house, you can call the cops." She grabbed her jacket from the bannister and slipped on her tall black work pumps. "I love you," she called out, and left.

I crumbled inside. I had hoped that she would have stayed the day and helped me get through this. But no, work was always more important to her. I was relieved with having told her. I hadn't even mentioned anything to Calum or Leilani, though my phone had blown up with texts and calls from the two of them after I disappeared. I hadn't responded.

Just then Luke decided to venture down the steps. I hadn't prepared to talk to him and I hadn't even attempted to hide my face. He turned to issue a sarcastic morning salute and his face went slack when he laid eyes on me. He ran across the space that remained between us and stared furiously at me.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded, his face twisting into fury. I looked at him, gauging his reaction. "Connor," I told him. "Connor did this to me." He sat down next to me on the couch, shaking his head, disgusted. "Why? How in the world did he hurt you? You've fought on your own before. You beat up that girl Carol in the fifth grade. And she was a foot taller than you. You're stronger than I am!" His sadness and pain bled through the words into my heart.

"We were in the parking lot. He was...messing around," I skirted the words I knew would make him angrier, "I wasn't having it. I punched him in the face, I might've broken his nose. And then he started hitting me. " I glanced down at my bruised knuckles and smiled a sad smile.

"He's going to get beat up today. I have to get at least one punch up his snotty little nose. I couldn't do anything when father beat up Mom, but Connor should watch his ass because I'm coming for him. I can't believe I wasn't there..." He trailed on, muttering obscenities and threatening the world.