Reach For The Stars

chpt 28

"R-Richie c-can y-you c-come over?" Kelsey's voice quivered, as she spoke through the phone.

For the second time this summer her father had gone crazy again. Leaving her to clean herself alone, scared, and trembling. Her father had blamed her for Stanley's rebellious manner earlier that week. After one small slip forgetting to clean the last bit of dishes, her father threw everything he was holding back.

Trembling as the girl tried to wrap her midsection. A large bruise covered her ribs, having been thrown into a very sharp edge. Some small cuts being flooded around the bruise.

Richie had just made it to the girl's house, worried and pissed. At just only the sound and hurt in her voice. Without knocking he immediately opens the door, using the sparkey Kelsey had gave to him earlier. He looks around the house quietly trying to find the girl.

He makes it to the bathroom, hearing soft whimpers from the other side. Slowly his hands grasp the knob, gently pushing it open. His eyes fall on a thin girl, standing in only a sports bra, and sweat pants barely sitting on her hips.

"Baby," his quiet voice, sounded to be in pain, at just the sight of her. Slowly walking behind her, looking in to the mirror, along with the broken girl. A large hand sized bruise lays wrapped around her forearm. Without thinking his hand goes to the bruise on her arm, Kelsey flinching and whimpering from the contact.

"Sorry!" He speaks haistly, quickly retreating his hand. The girl looks back to him, from the mirror. Moving her hair away, from where it once layed on her face. Tear staining her pale face, her eyes bloodshot from the events of that night.

He feels his heart breaks, as he sees the girl he had grown so fond of, in such a state. Gently his hand wraps around the wrap, she was using to wrap her bruise. He takes it in to his hand, slowly finishing wrapping her small frame.

Finishing he gets a hair tie, slowly putting her hair in a very loose ponytail. Revealing deep cuts on her left shoulder and collar bone. As the girl stands there, looking to the ground, the boy continues to take care of her. Eventually he takes her back to her room.  The girl naturally heading to the corner, in the farthest end of her bedroom.

The black haired boy sits opposite of her, holding her hands gently within his own. "Why do you let him do this? You're thr strongest person I know, why let that asshole do this to your beautiful face," his voice soft as he gently caresses her face with his thumb.

"I-I-I can't stand up to him, h-he's my dad," tears began to fall from her brown eyes, as she gazed down at her lap.

"A dad doesn't do this shit Kelsey!" Richie's voice raised, holding the girl's hands tighter.

With a strained chuckle she shakes her head. "You don't understand Richie.." her voice trails off.

"Then make me understand!" He demands, gripping her hands tighter as he throws their hands down to her lap. "Tell me why you let that no good son of a bitch, do this fucking shit!" He screams in pitty, his eyes on the brink of tears from pleading with the girl.

"At least I have one, some people don't I shouldn't take it for granted!" Tears streaming down her face, the look of fear, hatred, and what the boy thought was a twisted love. The girl stood up, throwing her hands out of Richie's grasp. Moving her hands to pulls at her hair, as she gets up pacing around her room.

The pink haired girl hiccupped as she tried to collect her voice before looking back to bug eyed boy. "There are people who've never seen their dad, doesn't even know he exists," a forced smile forms on her face, as she points to her chest.

"B-but I do, I know my father, I get to be there when he comes home," The tears continued to fall as she looked at the boy. A broken girl who refuses to face reality, and a broken smile, she's peiced back peice by piece only being held on with glue and tape.

"I know him..-" she whispered as the girl backed in to her beige wall behind her sinking to her knees.

Slowly Richie stands from his spot on the bed. Sitting next to the girl, wrapping his small arms around her, feeling every bone that made her skeleton.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry he's your father," He whispered as he held her tight, as the girl continued to cry.

She shakes her head in his chest, "N-nothing about me is what it seems, everything is fake," she whimpers.

"Baby, none of that is true," he speaks softly, petting up and down her back.

"N-no, h-have you ever thought, that i-if something happens, many times over," she unloaded into his neck, taking a pause thinking of her next words. "Maybe it's all ment to happen, l-like I-I deserve e-everything," she looked up to her boyfriend, his eyes already on her, disbeliefe in his eyes.

"Th-think a-about it l-logically," she gets up for a second, trailing to her bed. "My dad, V-Victor.." Her voice trails off, as she gently sits on her twin sized bed. Richie following her suit sitting beside her.

"Victor, what about that dipshit?" He asks in a disgusted tone.

"H-he, he did s-something, s-something I don't even wish on anyone," her voice soft pulling at her fingers. Gently the boy reaches out, and holds her hands making the girl look to him.

"H-Henry got in to his head, s-said th-that if he didn't take me, th-then h-he's not a r-real man, or some bullshit like th-that," her voice soft as she went on.

"Take you, what the hell-" he cuts himself off looking to the girl, balling her eyes out. Immediately he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible.

"What they have done to you, is not you're fault. They are sickfucks who deserve to die in a ditch smelling like ass and shit!" His voice was clear, and determined as he held her close. Slowly he pulled her by the chin upto him. Placing a gentle kiss on her swollen lips.