I wear BROKEN like a crown

9- where have you been?

When we reach my house, all the lights are off as usual. It's extremely late, if not late enough to be early morning.

Angeline squeezed my hand. "I got ya, Thee."

I don't respond. She was the one scared.

We approached the house, quietly as possible, opening and closing the door without so much a squeak. I almost screamed when I saw two figures on the couch.

"Late." My brother frowned. "Who's pants are those?"

I looked down. I forgot I changed pants. Angeline stood in front of me, addressing her own brother. "Where the hell have ya been?"

Adam lifted up the controller in his hands. "Uh- gaming?" he rolled his eyes.

Angeline bristled, but I held her back. He couldn't have known. 

"Ya ditched Thea to play games at the one party she told ya to look out for her in." Angeline's voice cut through the sounds of shooting on the TV. 

Hunter stood up. "Thea, did something happen?"

I looked up at the ceiling for two seconds. If I tell Hunter...

"Nothing." I swallowed thickly, forcing the words out my throat. "Happened."

Angeline let out a frustrated sound, hands forming claws in the air like she wanted to strangle her brother. "Adam, I hope ya enjoy your game." She spat, before grabbing my arm and pulling my up the stairs.

By the time she slammed the door behind us, I could tell she was fuming. "I wish you'd tell them, Thea." She finally huffed. "This isn't something to hide, to be ashamed of. The only one that should be ashamed is the brute who hurt ya- and even if he hides, I will find him."

Her hands formed tight fists, and I believed her.

"Hunter would kill every boy he deems suspicious. My dad already said he wouldn't pay bail again. Though he'd be locked up in there with them if he finds out. And Adam loves me but he'll never see me the same way." My voice is raspy and breaks on each sentence. Yet Angeline holds onto my hands and onto my words. "He'll see me as damaged. But I'm not. I'm okay."

She rested her head on mine. "What a cruel, cruel world we live in, for your concern to be your best friend not seeing ya the same way."

I shrug. She pulls back to look me in my face. "I would expect ya to be livid."

I close my eyes and the man's face flashes beneath my eyelids. I open them. "I need to remember to be angry." I tell her quietly. "And I don't want to remember at all."

She didn't reply, gently wiping the tears that I didn't realize fell down my cheeks. "Ya don't have to go to sleep, dear. I'll lay here with ya."

So we snuggled together on my bed, her eyes closed though she was awake, and my eyes wide open- fear seeming to be permanently etched onto the glassy surface.

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Tere! Thank you for reading! Those who have read up to here, good on you.

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