A.U.: These are Missy-centric fics.
I know a lot of you heavily dislike Missy, even hate her, and seem to enjoy treating her like shit, but you see, I'm not one of you. So I honestly don't care if you don't like her. I'm writing this anyway.
Warning: This fic contains mentions of abuse, any and all kinds, crime, ie. theft, cussing, and rape.
Warning 2: This fic is Missy positive.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Girl Meets World. It belongs to Disney, and Michael Jacobs. Nor do I own the Notebook.
Fic Summary: A month and a half after being raped, Riley finds an unexpected ally, in the last person she expected, who then reveals a shocking secret...
Hollow...
She sat alone on the bench in the girl's locker room, sobs wracking her thinning frame, as large crocodile tears fell from her big brown eyes, and down her soft, dimpled cheeks.
It had been a month and a half now. A month and a half since she'd been cornered outside Topanga's as she was closing up.
Thankfully the memory was no longer as fresh as it was. His face, his smell, his voice, and his touch had all blurred together.
But that didn't stop the nightmares.
The scars remained, and they had just about fucked up fucked up her life.
Almost every relationship in her life had changed.
Some for good, while others, not so much.
Her parents, for starters, had been there from the moment she woke up, and for a while they had tried their best to support her. To stand by her. But that night had taken its toll on them too. She guessed they just weren't prepared for their little ball of sunshine to become a hollowed ghost drifting through their home.
They'd both began to throw themselves into their work in order to stay sane. Though they were still there for her, it was much less than before.
And really, she couldn't blame them.
Most of her friends weren't much different either.
Farkle seemed to be angry with her. From the moment they'd come to visit her in the hospital, she could sense he'd changed.
He had been silent the whole visit. Glaring at her when she had caught his gaze. It was almost as if he blamed her.
Lucas had taken a turn for the worst. He'd been getting into fights on an almost hourly basis, and every time she tried to calm him down, he would just jerk away from her touch, as though she'd burned him.
That action alone had brought a large crack down the middle of her heart. They were supposed to be in love, and yet ever since that night, he could barely touch her, let alone let her touch him.
Maya had tried her best to keep things the same, but Riley knew it had taken its toll on her too. Like her parents, she had been there for Riley as best as she could, but things had changed there too.
She had always been Maya's shining light, her hope, and after that night it was too easy to tell her light had dulled, if not snuffed out entirely. She knew it had affected Maya worse than it had Farkle and Lucas, so when she started to pull away, Riley had let her. No matter how much it may have hurt.
Then there was her classmates.
As odd as it was Billy Ross had offered his condolences, and said if she needed to talk, his mother, who was a highly educated therapist, would be there for her.
Even Yogi had sent her a basket of muffins, blueberry, chocolate chip, and many others, as a get well gift when she was in the hospital.
But then there was Sarah, Darby, and Yindra.
So far they were the ones who used that night to make her life a living hell. They would shout insults at her in the hallway, Yindra would throw food at her in lunch, and they'd whisper and giggle at her behind her back, just like they had an hour ago in gym.
'Whore', 'slut', and 'begging for it' had been a few words she'd managed to catch.
Oddly though, just last week, a day after an incident at lunch, photos and videos of the three had been posted on the schools website. None of it had been edited, and showcased the three at multiple high school parties in very inappropriate positions, doing very inappropriate things, with little to no clothes, and many different boys.
For a few days it had kept the girls at bay, but they just started up again.
Though for a select few, the night had brought them closer to Riley.
Her Grandparents, for instance. The moment they arrived after she left the hospital, Grandma and Grandpa Matthews pulled her into their warm embrace, and for the first time since that night, she felt safe. They called her every day since they left to go home, and had even informed her that if ever she needed him, Mr. Feeny would be there in a moment's notice.
Josh and Eric had been a magnificent support system. What with attempting to use her greatest weakness, chocolate, as a their main weapon of distraction. And honestly, it worked somewhat.
Auggie had been another source of comfort. Every night she awoke screaming from nightmares, Auggie would be through her door, and beneath her sheets, with his arms around her shrinking middle in seconds.
Oddly enough, she and Smackle had grown closer.
The tiny genius had been researching many different psych articles so as to help her once bubbly friend through her situation. It had mostly worked. Riley had asked her why she was doing this. Her response was a strange one.
"So as to thank you."
Even Brandon, the mysterious rebel, had become a source of comfort. When she'd gotten back, he had placed a warm hand upon her shoulder, and gave a soft, reassuring squeeze. In and between classes, she'd catch his eye, and he'd give her a soft smile, with a short nod of the head.
And finally, there was Zay.
Zay.
He was her rock. The only thing that kept her sane throughout this whole mess.
When he arrived at the hospital with the rest of her friends, he had sighed, 'Oh, Sugar,' and went on to lean down, and pull her into the warmest hug she had ever experienced.
He never brought up that night. Instead, he regaled her with tales of his Grandma, his dreams, Vanessa, and much of the idiotic shit that had been going on around the school.
Any classes they shared together at school, he'd sit right beside her, he'd leave little comfort notes in her schoolbooks, or slip them into her locker, and anytime outside of class, whether it was Topanga's, the hallways, the city, the Bay window, or even the lunchroom, he'd be there. Right by her side.
And when he wasn't there in between classes, Brandon was there, by her side, guarding and guiding her between her classes.
Some nights when alone, they'd watch The Notebook, again, and again, because as Zay said with a smile and a shake of his head, 'Love never dies man.'
And what's more, was that he was just so protective. Like how he'd berate Lucas, Maya, and Farkle for the way they'd been treating Riley.
Farkle had said they had every right for what they were doing. That had ended with a fuming Zay standing over Farkle as he lay on the floor with a broken nose, blood spurting from his nostrils.
And that incident at lunch? Yindra had thrown an apple at the back of Riley's head. Zay had then walked over, smiled, and offered Yindra his cake. She sneered at Riley, and accepted, only for Zay to smash his cake into Yindra's face.
Yes.
Zay was her rock.
The strangest reaction though hadn't been any of Riley's friends, but one other classmate entirely.
Missy Bradford.
She and Riley had never been on good terms.
After that incident with Lucas in Middle school, they had kept their distance from each other, and in that time, though a lot of good things had happened to Riley, it hadn't been the same for Missy.
About three months before their Middle school graduation, there'd been a car pileup in lower Manhattan. A lot of people had gotten out alive, but Missy's parents, they weren't one of them.
Apparently Missy was then put under the care of her surprisingly kind Aunt.
Her parents death didn't really seem to affect Missy. Matter of fact, she seemed almost relieved when Riley had spied her at their Graduation.
When Riley returned to school, she had expected Missy to assault her with sneering inquiries, and insulting jabs at her misfortune.
But she didn't.
In fact, when she first returned to school, the first time she had seen Missy was before her first lunch break when she checked her locker.
Missy was standing down and across the hallway, leaning back against her own locker, her hands behind her back, a strange look in her eyes as she gazed back at the slightly shorter brunette.
She expected the pink clad brunette to sneer and sashay across, spewing insult after insult, but she didn't.
She just stood there, leaning back against her locker, with that same, peculiar look in her eyes that, as strange as it was, made her feel safe. Like she knew exactly how Riley had felt. As if she'd experienced the exact same thing, only on a larger scale.
For the next month and a half, she catch that same look in Missy's eyes every time they'd lock gazes, and every time her gaze would warm ever so slightly, in a way that, to Riley, would translate to, 'It's okay. It'll get better'.
After a particularly bad incident with Yindra, Sarah and Darby, she had caught Missy glaring darkly at the three girls, her eyes aflame, and jaw tense. The next day, though she had popped it up to mere coincidence, the photos and videos of the three girls met the school website. Her gut told her it was Missy, but still the idea of Missy being protective of her after all the shit that had gone down between them both in the past just made it seem preposterous.
Reaching down into her backpack, she shuffled the books about, praying to come across more tissues to wipe away the tears. Her hopes were dashed as she came up empty handed.
She sighed sadly, and pressed the palms of her hands against the varnished bench set between the coloured lockers of her the girls changing room, and prepared to push herself up so as to head to the toilets for some toilet paper, only to pause at the sight of the white silk garment hanging before her eyes. A pink capital B stitched into the lower corner in elegant cursive.
Looking up, she followed the well manicured, shining pink fingernails, to the soft, elegant, tanned fingers, and then the pink clad arm, up to the familiar, yet surprisingly warm smile of one brown eyed Missy Bradford.
"You can use this."
Reaching out, gingerly, she took the white silken garment from Missy, their gaze never wavering, and wiped away the tears. The cool feel of the silk against her damp cheeks had a surprisingly soothing affect.
Breaking her gaze, Riley gave Missy a once over.
Her brown hair, usually meeting her mid back, and held back by plats, had been cut to end just below her shoulder blades, and flowed around her beautiful face perfectly.
She wore soft pink lip gloss, a pink, V-neck t-shirt, a dark red skirt that ended just above her knees, and pink pumps.
Beyond that, she wore no jewellery, aside from a single golden ring on the middle finger of her right hand, with a pink gem encrusted upon the head.
Gazing back at Missy, who still held the same small, warm smile, she could only smile back, and held out the silken garment.
"Thank you Missy," Riley smiled, sniffling softly.
Missy smiled, and moved away to sit on the bench opposite Riley, shaking her head all the while.
"It's okay. You keep it," she gestured to the handkerchief. "I've got plenty more where those came from."
They sat in comfortable silence for a minute or so, just soaking in each other's presence, and Riley couldn't help but feel relaxed and safe in a way she only ever felt when around Zay.
Looking up, Riley threw her a curious gaze.
"What?" Missy asked, cocking her head to the right.
Riley threw caution to the wind.
"Did you post those pictures and videos of Yindra, Darby, and Sarah on the school website the other week?"
"Yes."
Her response was blunt, and the smile never left her face.
Riley's eyes blew wide open in surprise, and she frowned at Missy. Confusion riddling her features.
"Why would you do that?"
Missy frowned, but the smile remained.
"Why, whatever do you mean?"
Riley laughed despite herself.
"I mean, why did you do that to them? Why would you humiliate them like that?"
The soft, warm smile disappeared leaving nothing but a frown upon Missy's face.
She began to glare, and the air turned tense, leaving Riley to shrink down into the bench, as Missy stood up to her full height.
"Are you seriously defending them?" she whispered menacingly, as she glared down at the tiny brunette who shrank deeper into the bench. "After what they did to you, have been doing to you since you got back, and after what was done to you, and how they used that to hurt you, you are seriously defending them?"
Slowly, the fear melted away as it all clicked together in the back of her mind, and she looked back at Missy, her lips hanging in slight awe.
"You did it for me."
Missy eased back slightly, her face softening once again, and she nodded in affirmation.
Riley let her jaw hang loose, as she stared at the young woman before her.
"But, why?"
Missy simply shook her head lightly for a single moment.
"Because after what happened to you, they had no right to make fun of you."
She paused for a moment, letting her words hang in the air.
"Especially after what those sluts have been up to for the past two years, as you saw in those videos."
Riley's jaw remained slack as she continued to stare.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"But, after all that's happened between us, that still doesn't explain why you did that for me."
Missy sighed sadly, and closed her eyes, letting her head fall forward, and then looked back up at Riley. A small sad smile upon her lips.
"Because I know what it's like to get raped."
Riley gasped.
"How?"
Missy inhaled deeply, knowing she was about to reveal her deepest, darkest, and most painful secret.
A secret she had only ever revealed to her Aunt Genevieve.
"What do you know about my parents?"
Riley frowned, wondering what this could have possibly had to do with Missy's declaration.
"Not very much," Riley paused, wracking her brain for anything she knew about the deceased Mr and Mrs Bradford. "I know your father owned a string of hotels... Three of them here in New York, and a few others in Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles. But the only thing I know about your mom, is that she was some sort of socialite."
Missy gave a snort of derision.
"More like drunken abusive whore."
Her words weren't harsh, but more of a smooth, almost seductive purr, with her knowing her mother would never find out, and could do nothing in retaliation.
They still brought a gasp from Riley's lips. She had never heard anyone speak of their mother in such a way before.
"What do you mean?" Riley inquired further.
Missy smiled sardonically.
"To a lot of people, my parents were Gods. They were witty, talented, smart and beautiful. Unstoppable to most. But those people didn't really know my parents. Mostly because they didn't have to live with them."
She paused, letting the words set in, and watched as Riley gestured for her to continue on.
"Let's start with my mother. To most she was this upstanding, beautiful, sexy woman, with powerful morals and standards, and a generous heart. She wasn't. Sure she was beautiful physically, she'd spent years as a model, but she was a hell of an alcoholic, and had little to no morals or standards. When I was ten, there was this guy staying at our house. He was about sixteen, and had become famous for the fact that he'd mastered about a hundred and twelve different fighting styles. You know Jujitsu, Ninjitsu, Kung Fu, Karate, Boxing, Kickboxing, all that shit, so he was pretty well built, and was about six feet tall.
Anyway, one night, I got up and was about to head downstairs to get a glass of water, and I heard noises coming from the guest bedroom where he was sleeping. I opened the door, and found him and my mother naked in bed together."
Riley gasped.
"But that's statutory rape!"
Missy sneered at the memory.
"Like I said, no morals, or standards. Anyway, the day he left, my mother grabbed me, dragged me up to my room, and beat me to a pulp."
She paused for a moment as Riley gasped.
"Thankfully, the Summer holidays had just started up, so by the time school came back around, the wounds she gave me had healed up. But it wasn't really that new to me."
Riley shivered as it all sank in.
"It wasn't?"
Missy's sardonic smile remained intact as she shook her head.
"No. Growing up my parents had set in a whole set of rules that had pretty much moulded, and fucked up my childhood. If I didn't sit straight enough, say the right words, speak clear enough, do well enough in school, breathe too loud, or stepped even a toe out of line, I'd be black and blue by the night's end. That's why I told you all to grow up that day in detention, because it just didn't seem fair that I had to go through all that shit while you all got to go on living these happy lives."
She gave Riley a look filled with pain, and Riley only barely realized how much had been taken from Missy since she was just a small little girl.
But she had no idea, and she was only about to get a small glimpse.
Missy breathed in deep, and carried on.
"And then there's my father. Daddy dearest."
She spoke in the same smooth purr she had just minutes ago, but there was something more to this. Something hollow.
Missy carried on.
"Father's are supposed to love their daughters, protects their daughters. Keep them from getting hurt. My father never did that for me. Matter of fact, he was the one to destroy almost all semblance of love in my life, and was also the one to cause me the most harm."
'Wait,' Riley thought. 'She said she'd experienced rape on a much larger scale than me. Could that mean...'
Her thoughts came to a sudden realization, and her eyes widened in terror.
'No!'
"It started back when I was about six. My mother was away in France, fucking some other poor bastard, and my father had just come home from a party. He was drunk. I remember waking up to my door slamming open, and seeing that look on his face. That feral grin. I remember feeling fear when he locked the door, terror when he took off his clothes, dread when he ripped away mine, and pain when he, when he..."
She trailed off, and Riley watched painfully as Missy's eyes fell away into a distant memory, a hollow, empty look upon her face, only to shake her head softly about ten minutes later.
"The next morning when I told my mother, she just laughed and backhanded me across the face saying I deserved it. Then that night turned into another, and another, and another, and another, sometimes four to five times a week, sometimes once a week, he had even sound proofed my room, and took away my key so only he could lock and unlock my door."
Her gaze had become more distant, Riley noticed.
"When I was nine, he added something new to the list. Every Wednesday and Friday after school, I had to go straight to his office in his main hotel, and lock the door. He'd just smile and sit in his chair. He'd wave me forward with a wave of his hand, or a curl of his finger. I'd walk over slowly, and get on my knees. I'd pull down his fly, and he'd grip my hair in a fist, and then he'd..."
Tears fell down Riley's cheeks as Missy drifted away, that same hollow, distant look on her beautiful face. Even Maya had never experienced something as horrifying as Missy.
Missy shook her head again, and Riley could see a small spark of life return to Missy's eyes as she brought her gaze back to Riley.
"As you know, they died in a car crash about three months before our Middle school graduation."
She paused, and Riley nodded.
"Well I don't honestly care if you hate me for saying this, but that was the happiest day of my life. It felt like all this pressure had finally disappeared, like I'd finally stepped away the intense Summer heat, through the soft Autumn breeze, and into the cool Winter air."
Missy let her head fall back, and closed her eyes, her face relaxing into pure serenity.
"I was finally free."
Riley smiled, and though her tears continued to fall, her eyes were warm as she gazed at the beautiful young woman before her.
"After they died, my parents lawyer revealed they had never set a new guardian, so they sent me to my only remaining relative. My mother's sister, Aunt Genevieve. After I told her everything that had had happened, she was furious. She dragged me straight out of that house, into her own, and had my old home torn to the ground."
Riley smiled, happy Missy was with someone who cared for her.
Missy continued on.
"My point Riley, is that it will get better. Thanks to my Aunt Genevieve, I know that no matter what shit you've been through, no matter how painful it may have been, you'll get through it, just so long as you have someone who loves you. Someone who cares for you. All I have is my Aunt, and I am truly thankful for that. She has helped me in more ways than you could possibly imagine. But you, you have all these magnificent, loving people in your life. Don't let that one night rule the rest of your life, overcome it. Conquer it. And leave those three whores to me."
She winked, and Riley giggled, that feeling of complete, and utter safety she had only ever felt around Zay overcoming her once again as she locked gazes with Missy.
With that said, Missy stood up from the bench, and placed a single finger below Riley's chin, tipped her face up, and gave her a soft, glittering smile.
"Remember what I said, okay?"
Riley nodded, a smile on her face, and with that, Missy turned, walked away, and out through the doors of the girls Locker room.
End.
A.N.: I'll have the next ficlet up when it's finished.
The next ones will be a Power Rangers oneshot, a runaway, a step sibling AU, a post apocalypse AU, probably one or two sequels to my Farkle/Missy oneshot 'Why Don't You See', and hopefully, many more.
PLEASE REVIEW!