My Bestfriend's Brother

Chapter 13

There's no way. This cant be true...

I look at the man sitting in the steel chair in the dark small room. When I see his face, I almost cry. It's my father. My father, my damn father is the man who abused Liz. Out of everyone it could possibly be, it had to be my father. He kidnapped my best friend and hit her and left big bruises on her legs and arms.

"What the fuck? Dad?" I say as anger starts building up inside of my tense body. Why would he ever do that to her? Poor Liz. Does my mom know about this? Is that the secret reason for their divorce?

"Emma? What are you doing here?" He says looking up at me, his eyes almost tearing up.

"No, dad. The real question is what the hell are you doing here. You should be at home with mom watching TV or something, not at the police station getting arrested for abusing my best friend. What the fuck is wrong with you, are you out of your mind?" I say screaming at him. I can't believe he'd do this. He knows how important Liz is to me. Her family looks at my dad and his parents start to cry. 

I get it. If I were them I'd cry too. They've been friends with my family for years and now my father betrays them in the worst way possible. I can't believe he would ever do this.

"These past few days all you've done is ruin my life. First the divorce, and now this, what else are going to do!?" I ask and I yell at him.

"I want nothing to do with you," I tell him and leave the room. As I'm about to leave the station I feel someone pull my arm and I see Josh's face when I turn around.

"We'll leave right now, just wait for Liz and my parents, please?" He asks and I nod. I wouldn't know how to get back home if I left alone anyways. We sit on the bench at the entrance as we wait. I see Liz's hurt body walking towards us and I open the door for everyone to get out and follow them from behind. I can see holes in Liz's black t-shirt and big red marks on the back of her shins. Poor her...

We get into the car and the whole drive back to their house is spent in silence. She asks me to stay with her this week because she really needs someone. I agree, obviously, and sit down on her bed with her after she showers.

"Why don't you call your boyfriend, does he know about this?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"We broke up 2 days ago. We had a huge argument because he decided to move to New York and was trying to make me go with him. He said he'd break up with me if I didn't go with him, and that's exactly what happened," She says and sobs into my lap, "He had never mentioned it to me before. He knew I had plans to go to UCLA and he knew I got in. He was trying to manipulate me into doing what he wanted, he didn't even think about me and what I wanted. I know what's good for me and I already had my plan for college so I don't even know why he would try and make me go with him. If he truly cared about me and loved me, he would offer to do long distance, but he can't even do that. I'm so done with that asshole," She says and I nod my head and we talk about all the bad things about him until we fall asleep.

I wake up with Liz's voice, "Emma, wake up. Emmaaaaaa. Emma please wake upppppp," She tickles me and I laugh as I wake up. 

"What's wrong?" I say and I rub my eyes.

"I need help to get out of bed. My body is sore and I'm really hungry," She says and I help her get out. 

She limps when she walks but I know I can't carry her or I'll make her bruises even worse. She sits down in front of the kitchen table and I bring out two bowls, two spoons, milk, and a bok of Frosted Flakes cereal. We eat our sweet breakfast together and then her mother brings her into the bathroom to put bandages on her cuts and cream on her deep purple colored bruises. 

"Hey, I just wanted to say I don't have anything to do with what my father did. I truthfully had no idea and if I did I would've done anything to stop him, I promise. I would never let anyone hurt you and you know if I had known I would've told you," I tell her, almost tearing up.

"I know Emma. I've known you long enough to know you wouldn't do anything of the sort," She tells me and I'm instantly relieved.

The next 2 weeks are the same. Wake up, eat, clean her bruises and cuts, watch tv, eat, sleep, repeat. When she's healed, we talk about our plans for this summer. I hadn't even thought of that yet. Maybe I can spend more time with Josh.