Corruption

Chapter 4

Will in the media!

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I wake with a start, my heart beating out of my chest and blood rushing in my ears. I hold the sides of my head; the sudden shift in an upright position caused me a bit of whiplash. When I check my phone I note that it's well passed noon. I fall back against my bed, my head hitting my pillows, bouncing a little. Saturday had come sooner than I expected.

I try to remember what I was dreaming about and why I woke up so suddenly, so startled, but I can't seem to get past a sort of fuzz in my mind, like a blurry block that I can't really explain.

When I trudge out of bed, and reach Mom in the kitchen playing with Ian, she looks up, a smile on her face. Her hair is in a messy bun, free from its usual pin tight ponytail. She's wearing sweats and a large t-shirt and I grin, rarely ever seeing her not in her work clothes. "Sleeping beauty," she greets me. She turns to Ian and in a cooing voice as she tickles him in his high-seat, "Your big sister is Sleeping Beauty isn't she Ian? Should have named her Aurora, right?"

"It's Saturday," I mumble begrudgingly, slipping past her and to the fridge. I glance around until I settle for some left over lasagna from last night, slicing a piece and placing it in the microwave.

"You'll watch Ian for me tonight?" Mom asks in confirmation.

"Fi, Fi, Fi!" Ian squeals happily.

I bite my lips, not sure why I put off asking my mom about the party. Perhaps it was that I didn't feel much like going anymore, with Lip being weird and Ronnie being grounded, then the fear of bumping into William again. It was silly of me, so I sigh, "Actually, Do you think Diana can watch him tonight, I was invited to a party..."

"Oh?" Mom asks, looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a small smile playing on her lips. "Whose party?"

"Melody and Jeremy Gallegan."

"The twins?" She asks.

I laugh a bit, "They're not twins, Jeremy is ten months younger."

She nods, "I see. How are you getting there?"

"Lip is picking me up, I think," I tell her.

"Oh, I haven't seen Lip in ages!" She gushes. "Wait, what do you mean you think?"

I shrug, "He said he would but he might be a bit busy with his cousin in town."

"William?" Mom asks and I look at her startled when the microwave beeps, indicating my lasagna is ready.

"You know him?"

Mom nods her head grabbing Ian from his chair, "Of course, don't you remember, Fi? He use to play with you when you were younger." She chuckles at a memory, "He used to tug your braids loose and steal your ice cream."

My eyes widen at this revelation, and the lasagna being hotter than I expected. I remember William, he was one of the older kids, but what my mom thought was harmless kiddie teasing was far worse. He'd tug my braids until strands would rip out of my scalp and steal my ice cream to hand it to another girl in the playground. He'd also burn roly-polies with a magnifying glass and force me to eat them, grasping my jaw until they were unhinged and I had no control.

Lip had been there too, sometimes he'd yell and tell William to back off, but other times, he'd stand on the sidelines, looking elsewhere as if he couldn't hear my cries.

I can't believe I couldn't remember it was William - that William. It had been so long ago; my brain must have blocked the horrid memory as defense mechanism or something. He had left a few short years later and clearly I hadn't remembered him. Back then, I had no idea he was anyway related to Lip.