Secrets

Prologue

"No more! Please, no more! I'm sorry!"

SLAP

"I said shut up bitch!"

Mommy and Rick are fighting again. Rick is my step-daddy. This happens all the time ever since they got married. I'm laying in my bed. My pillow soaked with my tears. There isn't a day were I don't cry myself to sleep. Or try to sleep. I try to smile, but it's hard. Only one person can make me happy. My best friend. Alex. He's always there for me. It's just me and him in our little world. Together. He doesn't know that my parents fight or I cry myself to sleep. I'm always happy around him. He makes me feel better. He always has and always will.

My older sister, Maria, tried and tried to stop them from fighting, but she always got hurt. One day she left. She never came back. The tears flow harder. That's it! I can't take it anymore!

I jump out of bed and run down the stairs. I run into the kitchen and jump in front of Rick before he hits mommy again. "NO! STEVIE!" My mom yelled behind me.

SLAP

I fell to the ground. My cheek is burning and probably red. My stomach starts to hurt as Rick begins to kick me. He picks me up and throws me on the floor away from mommy.

"STEVIE! NO!"

SLAP

I try to get up, but it hurts. I hear mommy yell and cry. I see Rick hold a knife and pointing it at mommy. My hearts beating fast. I crawl over to Rick and bite his leg. He screams and falls next to me. I grab the knife that fell from his hand and hold it above his chest. Mommy tries to stop me, but its too late. I stab him. Over and over again. Mommy takes the knife from me and throws it away. Mommy comes over and holds me.

I look down at my bloody hands. Yet, no tears come out. Instead, I;m happy. I'm free! We're free! Mommy gets up and runs upstairs. She comes back down with suitcases. She picks me up and washes me off with a cloth. "We have to leave Stevie. We can't stay here anymore." She looks into my eyes. "No one can know about this. About everything. The beating, the drinking, you killing. No one can know." With that she picks me up and we head out the door. It's 2 in the morning and no ones out. She puts me and our things in car. I watch our house get farther and farther away. I can't help, but think about Alex and what I did. I killed someone. I'm hurting someone.

And I'm only 7 years old.