For Us

Chapter XI

⚠️Domestic violence is mentioned⚠️

Daily

Struggle is futile.

~~~

She ignored the noises coming from downstairs. She knew it won't make a difference if she stepped in to stop the argument.

Living in the small apartment with the attic didn't help her situation much. She could hear everything clearly.

Her mom kept on crying and cursing while her dad kept yelling, right at the start of day.

So early in the morning...

She knew that if she went to put an halt to their nuisance, she'll become the topic. The cause of their problems, the root from where everything started to go wrong.

It's not like she never tried but when she had made the effort, there was collateral damage. A dislocated jaw and bleeding arm were enough to make her stop trying.

They kept arguing. She kept ignoring.

She can hear her sister begging them to stop and the noise of her brother's favorite cartoon theme song playing over the voices.

It felt exhausting thinking that even the little guy learned how to ignore the negativity and it took her so long to do the same.

She should just forget about scoring good on the exams later in the morning because she'd been staring at the same page for quite awhile.

Deciding to ditch the book, she opened her laptop and played a random video she had downloaded.

Seeing her idols goofing around helped her forget everything while the video lasted.

She barely got through the video when she heard a dangerously familiar noise.

Oh gosh... She hoped that this time her mother doesn't have to get an x-ray.

Stumbling down the crooked ladder, she saw her mother clutching her cheek and her father towering over her while her sister tried to put some distance between their parents.

Why does she take the hit?! Can't she file a divorce? Her mind was burning with fury. She can remember her mother sobbing and saying that they needed a man in the house.

She didn't want to make matters worse by opening her mouth, so she softly grabs her mother and comforts her before sending her off to work. Her sister begging their father to go and get their brother ready for school.