We were in the car approaching the park. Car rides were always damn boring in our family. You hear stories of families having loud fun rides right? Or family arguments in cars with bratty kids?
Not in our family. No one says a word the entire ride. Ever. I guess it's just our way to prevent distraction.
You think that having five kids from four-seventeen that'd it be different but no.
"Alright, we're here." Mom chimed unbuckling gets seatbelt.
My siblings race out of the vehicle to the playground but I'm too old for that so I just sit on a swing watching the other kids.
Mom walked onto the playground and rounded up all of us and huddles us together , "We have errands to run so we can only be here for a maximum hour and a half. Got it, kids?"
"Got it." , we all say at once.
"Okay, you can all go have fun now."
"Yay!" My younger brothers shout as my siblings run off to play while I get back on the swing.
Fifteen minutes afterward, someone flips me off the swing.
"Hey! That was rude!" I snapped.
"You weren't even using it." The little girl that pushed me said.
"Yes I was, kid. I was clearly sitting on it. Plus you could've asked me to move."
"Sienna, is this girl bothering you?" I hear Vrai's voice.
"Vrai? Holy hell you're everywhere."
"Avia! Watch your language around my little sister!", Vrai exclaims covering Sienna's ears.
I crossed my arms and gave Vrai a cold look, "Your sister pushed me off the swing!" I state as I pull mulch out of my hair.
"That's true. I did push her. Don't tell Mommy." Sienna confessed with slight worry in her voice.
"I won't now go play somewhere else, I got something to do."
"Okay." Sienna says running off to the slides.
"Come on, Avia." , she grabs my arm and pulls me into the trees far away from any people.
"I told you we had unfinished business."
"Okay. What?"
Instead of responding Vrai pushes me hard to the ground and stomps on my stomach repeatedly.
"Girls, come out, I got her."
Right then Romi and Khailea come out from behind the bushes.
"I'll hold her down and you get her." Vrai commanded.
"On it." Romi replies.
Vrai holds my arms down , "Romi, we need more help. Go get Amani."
"On it." Romi bolts off into the distance and I try to wiggle free from Vrai's grasp.
"Damn , kid, you've got a strong grasp." I say between breathes.
"She's here." Romi reappears with a tall dark skinned girl that had long wavy hair in braids and she was wearing a green army jacket and leather gloves.
"Wear is the girl?" Amani asks.
"Right there." Romi points to me.
"Alright. So you're Avia?"
"I nod."
"This'll hurt. Try not to scream."
"Wait, Khailea hold her legs. I want to help Amani finish Avia."
Romi holds down my arms and Khailea takes Vrai's place in holding down my legs.
"Now." Vrai says as the two girls start to repeatedly punch me in the face and kick me all over.
"Let go of her." Vrai demands.
The girls let go of me and Vrai throws me against a tree as hard as she could. I hit the ground and don't have the strength to get back up. I groan in pain.
Vrai chuckles. "Look at her. She's helpless."
Amani flips me over and stands me up , just to kick me in the stomach again. I throw up in on the ground.
The girls laugh.
"Time to end this bitch." Amani says. She and Vrai pull knives on me and move toward my neck.
That's it. I pull a pocket knife out from my pockets and pointed it toward the girls. "Stop. Back the fuck up. I'll give you ten seconds to run."
"Look girls, she thinks we're scared. She's going to have to try harder." Vrai smirked.
"Okay, then." I lung toward the girls and I push three of the girls into a bush.
Only one still standing is Vrai. I grab her neck and throw her to the ground.
I put my foot on top of her and point my knife to her heart and whisper to her, looking right in her eyes, "Don't ever come near me again, kid."
I flip the blade back into my pocket knife and walk away thinking of an explanation for the bruises on my face and stomach.
I approach the playground again and saw Mom running toward me with a relieved look before she hugged me.
She broke the hug then asked, "Avia! You scared me! Where were you! We looked everywhere! We almost called the police!
"I was exploring the wonderful forest in the distance." I lied.
"Don't ever run off that far again!"
"I won't , Mom."
"And what are all these bruises on your face."
"I fell . Multiple times."
"Sweetie—are you okay? Do you need to go home?"
"Don't worry , Mom, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay then. I need to gather up your father and your brothers and sister."
"Okay , you go do that."
That was close.
—
Now we were in the grocery store and Danny and Blake ran straight for the waffles."
"Mom. Can we get these?" Blake pleads walking up to mom holding a bunch of boxes of waffles.
Mom takes one from Blake's waffle pile and tells him to put the rest back as Danny and Blake go to put all the waffles back in the freezer.
I could feel a bunch of eyes on me. People were staring at my bruises. I should've gone home when Mom asked.
I look towards the soda and beer aisle and see some old homeless looking guy look around weirdly. Next , he grabbed two cases of beer and bolted. He had to be stealing. I ran after him , he saw me and ran faster. I eventually caught up to him and grabbed one of the beers from the cases he was holding and rolled it toward him. He tripped and fell as I took the almost-stolen beer and took it back to it's shelf.
Authorities were called and he was taken away. Everyone clapped.
"What's all this?" I ask in shock.
I see my dad standing next to me as he pats my shoulder. "I'm proud of you, sweetie."
"Dad? How'd you find me so fast?"
"Your mother sent me to find you and as soon as I left the aisle we were in, there you were in the soda aisle , the one right next to us."
"Let's just finish shopping and go. I'm ready to go home now."
—
I plop on the couch and my mom brings an ice pack for my face.
"It's okay , Mom, I'm good."
"Do your bruises hurt at all."
"Well, kinda."
"Here. Just take it and your face will feel better soon"
"Dang , Avia you got jacked up . Are you sure you're okay?" Grant asks in concern.
"Yes , I'm sure."
"If you say so , then I'm glad you're okay."
Em' crawls on the couch and puts a blanket on me before laying her head on my shoulder.
"Is it okay if I lay here? Or does you arm hurt too?"
"My arm is fine."
"Oh. Just making sure."
She hugs my arm as we both drift off to sleep.
