Here's My Number

62

Jimin

"This is the story of why he is in prison."

Jimin blinks. He'd wondered a couple of times what had happened for Y/n's father to end up in prison, but he'd never felt the need to ask. Y/n always seemed fine without him, so Jimin didn't care to bring it up.

But now he is intrigued.

"Did Gavin do something that reminds you of your father?" Jimin asks. Y/n nods. "We'll get to that. But we gotta start at the beginning. Before I even lived here."

Jimin nods for her to go on. She busies herself with the first aid kit and whatever she's putting on his cuts so she doesn't have to look him in the eye.

"When we lived with my dad, life was great. For a while. I loved him a lot, mom loved him a lot, and Lily... seemed to dislike him a little bit. I was little and our family was always like that, so I chalked it up to just attitude or something. It was normal in my eyes.

"Anyway, as the years went on, I noticed how dad treated Lily. Like an object. A trophy. He would show her off, but not me. He would do things... get touchy with her... and I figured he was being affectionate. I got a little jealous, even, because I thought he loved me less."

That's cute. Jimin thinks.

"As time grew on, Lily hated dad more and more and I was still naive and unsuspecting. But then..." Y/n pauses. Her fingers are shaky. She takes a deep breath.

"It happened shortly after I turned thirteen. When I started... um, you know... growing. I noticed dad would treat me similar to the way he treated Lily. But it was so sudden and I noticed it, so it made me uncomfortable. He'd find any excuse to touch me.

"I told Lily about it and she confessed. She sat me down for a talk, and she told me that dad had been... molesting her... raping her... for years. And she made sure I knew to lock my doors at bedtime and scream if dad ever came to me during the night."

Jimin's expression changes. He can't believe it. His mouth hangs open. Her father did what!?

Y/n avoids Jimin's eyes. She starts taping a wad of gauze onto his ear and gives him a cotton ball for his lip.

"Dad didn't do anything bad to me until one night," she says. "When he came home from work after a long day and I just happened to be the first person he saw."

Y/n finishes with Jimin's face and begins to clear away the first aid kit. Her lower lib wobbles. Jimin takes her hands and laces their fingers together. It's okay. I'm right here.

Y/n looks at their conjoined hands and takes another deep breath. Her head is bowed and doesn't raise up when she continues.

"The moment dad got a hold of me, he was rough. He picked me up and tried to take me upstairs. So I screamed. Lily heard me and came rushing in, and begged dad to let me go and just take her instead. Lily was so hellbent on keeping me pure that she willingly threw herself at him.

"It didn't work. Dad smacked her and I remember the sound it made. Lily fell. Dad dragged me upstairs into my room. He locked the door and closed the curtains. And then he shoved me into a wall."

Y/n closes her eyes for a moment. Jimin lets go of her hands and cups her face, lifting her chin up so he can see her. She opens her eyes again but focuses on his neck. She grasps onto his shirt. Jimin swallows. What happened next?

"I don't know what happened after that. I woke up in the hospital. Lily told me that when dad left, she ran to get mom. Momma was mad at first and didn't believe her, but apparently I was screaming loud enough for her to be a little worried.