Broken

Chapter 10

"Hey, are you going to school tomorrow?" Dad asked opening my door. I looked at him confused, turning around from getting ready.

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked walking past him towards the door. He looked at me confused and shook his head.

"Never mind I guess, be safe." He said and closed the door behind me, not before waving at Anri. Anri smiled at me and led the way to the bus stop.

"You don't have to keep walking me." I said looking over at him as we finished talking about the plans this weekend. They're having a movie night sleepover at Ryder's and Khalils.

"I like the company, neighbor." I smiled and shook my head. The day was fine. It was the night that was weird. Dad wasn't back yet and all I can hear is yelling coming from outside.

I put down the phone from texting the groupchat with all of them. Stepping outside, I sat on the porch and leaned against the pillars, reading my book. But the screaming got louder and louder.

Weird.

"Get off of me!" I heard a familiar voice yell. Looking up from the book, it was Anri and a man.

"Don't disrespect your father, please Anri." A woman said coming to the man's side. But the man pushed the woman away and shoved Anri down to the floor.

"He's a fucking freak!" The man yelled and turned back towards the woman. "All because of you!"

The beer in his hand shattered to the floor when he punched Anri. Images of mom popped in my head back when she used to fight me. Or more like hit me.

"Babe! Please stop!" The woman screamed. I put my book down and found myself running towards Anri.

Thoughts of mom screaming at me and calling me a disappointment for doing nothing but lay in bed all day came to mind.

"Get out of bed you freak! You dirtied the house!" She yelled opening the blinds. I was an empty shell of a human after he died.

And she didn't make it any better.

She would grab my hair and drag me into the living room, forcing me to the ground. "Lick it or clean it."

So I cleaned it.

The cries from Anri can be heard as his father yelled at him to shift. "Turn! Turn into the freak you are! I dare you! Go! Fucking turn!"

Anri laid on the ground and let himself be beaten down by his father, taking in the punches as they came. He cried and tried to curl into a ball.

But everyone knows it's hard to fight them off. Someone you're supposed to love and who's supposed to love you unconditionally.

"Stop hurting him!" I screamed tackling the man to the floor, rolling on top of him. "Stop hurting him! Stop it!" The man tried to fight me off but I kept punching him. The woman screamed at the top of her lungs for me to get off. "He doesn't deserve it! He doesn't deserve this!"

Anri came from behind me and pulled me away from his father. He cried. "Run!"

I turned around and ran into the house, locking the door behind me after Anri ran inside. We both ran across the house, locking all the doors and closing all the windows.

Anri laid down on the couch covered in his own blood. Sitting down next to him, I held onto his hand, not knowing what else to do.

"You shouldn't have intervened." Anri mumbled leaning his head against my shoulder. "But thank you."

I played with his hair and turned on the TV to silence out the sound of police sirens that were coming to check the noise complaint that was bound to be filed.