I took a deep breath as I stood outside her door. I could hear the soft sniffling that was somehow breaking his heart.
"Ginger?" I asked as I slowly opened the door to her room.
"What are you doing? Get out" She said, her voice turning into a soft whine.
"I heard you crying, are you okay?" I look up to see a bottle of pills in her hand.
"Ginger… what is that in your hands?"
"Nothing bus waxer. Just leave me alone. Please. Just leave me .Alone." I clenched my teeth at the welling anger in my chest and closed her door behind me. She hid the pills behind her back.
"Luther, get out of here, you're not supposed to be in my room. I'll tell Zeke" Her voice sounded desperate.
"I don't care Ginger. Give me the pills." I whispered and she shook her head.
"Please Ginger. "
She shook her head again and I dove for the pills, snatching them out of her hands.
"Luther, give those back. Now… please. I can't… I can't." She broke down midsentence and I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.
"Get off of me! I hate you! I hate you! Just let me die" she screamed, punching my chest as I rocked her, soon her efforts were squelched into spastic sobs and futile grabs at my sweater.
"It's okay ginger, it's okay, you're going to be fine." I whispered to her and she shook her head against my chest. I pulled her back into my chest as I slid onto the floor. I leaned my head back onto her bed as I felt tears begin to prick my eyes. I knew there was a chance that it wouldn't be okay. I didn't know why she was going to kill herself, and maybe whatever happened would never be okay. Something's weren't okay. Something's festered under your skin and burned until you were never right again. Something's changed you so much; you had no idea how to be okay. But that didn't mean that suicide was the answer.
"Why?" I asked her quietly, and she shrugged into me, her sobs picking up just as quick as they had subsided. She was panicking now, I knew the feeling, of hurting and not being able to adequately explain just what was wrong.
"it's everything… There are these rumors spreading… everyone's calling me a slut. Everyone hates me." She whispered, pulling her laptop into our laps and logging into her Facebook.
"Just look." She whimpered, and I watched as she scrolled through several pages of hate.
Ginger Falcone is a slut
Gingers a WHORE
Five for a ride falcone
Ginger's so thirsty she'll pay you money to fuck her
WHAT A STUPID BITCH #Sorrynotsorry
Ginger Falcunty sucks dick
Kill YO Self
No one wants you alive you stupid bitch
DIE SLUT DIE
Kill yourself and save us the trouble
I wish your mom would have gotten a abortion
Ginger's handjobs are second rate
Gingers fucked the gym teacher, half of ramps, and the better part of Santa Clara county
#GODIE
Give her a drink and she'll go down harder than the titanic on a Saturday night
Ginger's got the clap
Dirty Bitch gave my boyfriend herpes
WHAT A SKANK
She broke out in tears and I slammed her laptop closed. I hugged her closer to my chest and rocked her gently.
"How long has this been going on?" I asked and she shrugged.
"Two months." She whispered.
"Wow, kids are vicious. Nothing ever lasted that long my freshman year. What started this?"
"Some stupid joke with my boyfriend –ex he's my ex—and someone telling the whole school I fucked the swim team." Her voice broke on fuck. That had been the first time I'd ever heard her curse.
"You didn't-"
"I'm a virgin. I've never done anything. And last night… God, I just want it to stop." She whimpered and I stroked her hair.
"What happened last night?" I asked and she shook her head.
"Ginger, please, what happened?"
She moved her hair to the side to reveal a nasty bruise across her neck. I followed the bruise down her shoulder and she pulled her shirt off and lifted her camisole. Several bruises littered her abdomen.
"Who did it?" I whispered, ghosting my fingers over the splotchy skin.
"Some kids in my class. Garrett…Poochie, Devon."
"Some boys hit you?" I asked and she took a deep breath.
"Garrett cornered me last night. Asked why I'd been holding back all these years. He… he tried to hurt me. Poochie locked us in the room together. He didn't hurt me… at least not like that. I put up a fight. When I got out Poochie made a snarky comment and I lost it. I hit her and we fought, Devon, pulled me off of her and then… Everything was happening too fast. First Devon hit me, then people joined in. " she cried some more and I swore.
"I'm going to kill them. Every single one of them" I promised.
"I'm not… good. I'm not worth their taunts, or their kicks, I'm definitely not worth your sympathy." She cried and I hugged her tighter.
"That's not true; you're worth so much more. I swear all those kids are garbage." I spoke.
"Why do you even care?" She asked and I took a deep breath. Two years keeping everything concealed for this moment. The moment of truth when I finally confess loving my bro's little sister.
"Because, you are so much better than those kids. You're beautiful and smart and I need you around. We all do." I breathed out and she snuggled into me.
"I love you. I've loved you for so long. I can't live with the thought of some insignificant runts who have always been jealous of you ruining you."
"I love you too Luther. Thank you." She whispered and she stayed in my arms like that for a long time. Long enough that I knew she was never going to leave me. Long enough for me to kiss the scars that had been burned into her arm and long enough to know that I would never let her go again.