I hope chapter 2 lives up to chapter 1. But I'm going to be honest with you guys, I cried while writing this chapter.
Warning: Does mention abuse. Things get serious between Violet and Carley.
1 Year Later
School was over, at least until the weekend ended.
Which was fine by Violet. She'd finally have a day or two to spend away from the jail cell she called her house. For most kids, it meant freedom away from school, a time to relax and kick back doing whatever. Probably meaning staying up till two a.m. playing Xbox or some shit like that. Like a normal kid. Violet knew she was no normal kid. Call it a hunch, but she was pretty sure most kids didn't lock themselves in their bedroom closet while their parent's arguing fits rattled the house and the neighbors threatened to call the cops if they didn't cool it.
But this weekend was going to be different. This weekend she was spending the night at Clementine's house. A place she became familiar with over the past year. Violet was still baffled that Clem had even started talking to her in the first place, but she guessed she had Louis to thank for part of that. Him having introduced Clem into her small band of friends that she seemed to have picked up along the way by some miracle.
She was glad for the break. Plus there were some recent memories she'd like to try and forget. Mainly what happened last night.
"Hey, Vi." A cheerful voice spoke out to her, breaking Violet from her thoughts.
She looked up at the curly haired girl. A bright smile on her face, worn baseball cap in its rightful place on her head. The twelve-year-old stopped in front of her, grabbing her hand. "Come on!"
Violet winced a bit as Clem pulled her arm, but willed herself to function and walk forward. She took notice of how Clem didn't let go of her hand, even after she was sure Violet was following her. It caused her to smile, something that only seemed to happen around Clem. She liked the feeling it was something she missed. Her parents never smiled, at least not anymore. There were times her mother would try and put on a brave face for her, but Violet knew the smile was fake.
Clem swung their interlocked hands as they walked. Clementine a step away from skipping as she hummed whatever song was in her head, a bright smile on her face. Violet assumed Clem was excited about the approaching summer. It was already the beginning of June. With only like two more weeks left of school who wouldn't be happy?
Violet. That's who.
School was her only time away from her house. A chance to be free from the shackles of depression. Once summer hit, her parents would have nowhere to send her with grandma and grandpa out of the mix. That left her at home to sit amongst the loathing and blame that filled the air and forced its way down her throat. Her mom and dad didn't talk to each other except to release anger, which always escalated and caused her to retreat to her not so soundproof hideaway.
Thank god Clementine showed up in her life. Her other friends were nice and she often enjoyed her time with them, even if she wouldn't admit it. Even a night with Louis was worth it if she didn't have to listen to parental bickering. But Clem was the only one that actually made a difference in her life. Her lucky number in the lottery. No matter how bad she felt, Clem always got her to smile. Something Violet loved about her.
They walked on in silence, which Violet knew Clem didn't mind. Violet was often a silent person and Clem respected that, but she knew Violet had her moments. If there was anyone Violet would talk to it was Clementine.
Violet found herself fiddling with her locket around her neck as they walked. The first conversation she ever had with Clementine was actually about the little gold trinket that she refused to part with. Clem saying how it was pretty and asked what it was.
"You look pretty with it on."
Violet looked up to find Clem staring, catching her off guard. "What?"
Clem pointed at her necklace. "Your locket. I think you look pretty with it on."
Violet felt butterflies at the girl's words. Something she had been experiencing lately whenever she was around the younger girl, but it was a welcomed feeling. "I-uh thank you."
Clem sent her a bright smile in return. "Your welcome." She said before turning forward once more and continued humming her little tune.
A minute later the Everett house came into view.
"You're not gonna believe how big AJ's gotten since the last time you saw him," Clem told the blonde as they approached the front door.
"He talking yet?" Violet asked. She remembered the first time she had met Clem and her family. AJ had only been a few months old.
"No, not yet," Clem said disappointingly as she opened the front door.
Violet sent her a slight smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be soon."
Clem smiled at her in return.
"Hey there, sweet pea."
Violet would recognize that saying anywhere. Only one person ever called Clem by that name. A man she knew as Lee Everett appeared.
Clem ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He crouched down and embraced her.
Violet had to turn away, afraid she might cry if she watched the action unfold. She couldn't remember the last time her dad had hugged her like that, or even acknowledge her with any source of kindness. She rubbed her arm self-consciously.
Another voice sounded from the kitchen. "Is Clem home?" Came a female voice.
Violet recognized this one to be Clem's mom, Carley. And soon enough she appeared from the kitchen doorway.
"Sure is," Lee replied standing back up.
Carley came around to get a look. "Good. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes." She smiled when her eyes landed on Violet. "Hello, Violet. Glad you could come."
"Yeah, I don't think Clem's stopped talking about you all week." Lee implied pushing the bill of Clem's cap down over her eyes.
"Daaad." Clem fixed her baseball cap, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
Did Clem really talk about her that much? Violet was perplexed by Lee's statement, but she forced herself to respond. "I-I'm glad to be here. T-thank you."
Lee smiled. "Not a problem. We're always happy to have you."
Violet felt overjoyed to hear that. She loved being here! Lee and Carley were always nice to her, always treated her with respect. A total one-eighty compared to her home. And best of all she had Clem here.
Not to say that Clem hadn't been to her house before. But she didn't like to think about that. It...haden't exactly ended well.
"We need to work on our project after school today," Clem told Violet as she slipped on her backpack waiting for the blonde to pack up her notebooks.
Violet zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Okay. Wanna head over to your house?"
"Why don't we go over to yours?" Clem asked as they walked the school's halls towards the front doors, not paying attention enough to see Violet's face fall at her suggestion.
Violet rubbed the back of her neck. "I-er, I don't know..." She hoped Clem would change her answer.
"Come on, I've never been to your house before. I wanna see where you live." Clem told her giving Violet her best puppy dog eyes.
Violet sighed. If it had been anyone else she would have shut them down in a heartbeat. "O-okay."
Clem gave her a smile like she had just been told tomorrow was Christmas. "Yeah, let's go!"
Violet felt her stomach churn. What had she just done? If her parents started up while Clem was at her house... She felt like she wanted to throw up. She fought back the bile that was at the back of her throat.
Violet took in a deep breath as they walked. It would be okay. Her mom didn't get home till later tonight. All they had to do was avoid her dad. Hopefully, he was asleep on the couch once they got there.
Violet felt her hands shake as she opened the front door. It creaked open and Violet winced at the noise but felt relief once she heard the sound of the TV coming from the living room, meaning her dad wouldn't hear them come in.
She allowed Clem to come in and softly closed the door behind them. "Alright, we have to stay in my room. Okay?" She somewhat warned. "My dad...ugh...is asleep." That was mostly true.
Clem nodded. "Alright."
Things were actually going well for once. The girls had been able to work quietly for over an hour now without any disruptions. Violet surprisingly felt herself relax. She had been nothing but tense for the first ten minutes, dreading the bitter outcome of when the two-headed beast awoke and released its vicious roar.
She even felt herself smile as they added the finishing touch to their science project. "There that should be..."
That's when they heard the front door slam shut.
Clem pushed herself up from her spot on the floor of Violet's room. "What was that?"
"Ughhh...nothing." Violet lied. Her heart started to hammer in her chest. She looked over at the clock on her desk that read four forty-five. Her mom shouldn't be home this early.
That's when thundering footsteps could be heard running up the stairs. Violet knew what was coming and let a small whimper escape her. Seconds later yelling could be heard coming from upstairs. It wasn't as loud as when they would go at it right outside her bedroom door in the hallway, but she knew sooner or later they'd make there way downstairs.
Violet felt panic set in. "Clem you-you need to leave."
"What? But we're almost done. I..." She stopped when she saw the scared look on Violet's face. The girl looked like she was ready to cry. A few swear words broke through what little muffling the house provided. "Violet, what's going on?" Clem asked worriedly as the voices grew louder.
"I'm so tired of this bullshit!"
"If you don't like it, then go to hell!"
"Please Clem, I...I don't want to get you in trouble. You need to leave, like right now." Violet winced as a crash was heard.
Clem didn't understand what was happening but could tell Violet was serious and nodded.
Violet helped her gather her things and the two of them snuck down the hallway and out the front door.
Out on the front porch, Violet felt like she could breathe again. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't think my mom would be home this early." She apologized.
"Are they always like this?" Clem asked.
"No, no! It's not!" Violet quickly blurted out. "It's fine." She bit her lip. "But could you...please not tell anyone about this?"
"Yeah, sure," Clem replied casually.
Violet stopped her. "No Clem, I-I need you to really promise that you'll never say anything about this to anyone."
Clem's expression changed to one of concern. Violet was scared. "Why?"
Violet's gaze drifted to the ground. "I-I just... don't want to get in trouble." A single tear ran down the side of her face, the rest threatening to break through in a cascade of salty streams.
Clem walked up and brushed the tear away from Violet's face. "I promise."
She didn't like to think about that. Watching her favorite person in the world leave while she had to stay back and endure the bitterness of her reality. At least she had saved Clem from the shackles of despair.
Unlike her, Clem was able to leave Castle Violet. While everyday Clem went home to her domain, Violet was held captive in her own kingdom, where even the depths of the dungeon weren't enough to escape the two-headed monster's rage as it descended upon the house. Its roar was enough to shatter Violet's armor and leave her helpless amongst its fierce and fiery personality.
But after that Clem never bothered Violet about going over to her house again. Which Violet wasn't sure if she should be thankful for or not. Was Clem afraid of her house too?
"That's because Violet's the best," Clem explained. She ran up and hugged the slightly taller girl wrapping her arms around Violet's waist.
A sudden feeling of pain shot through Violet's body at Clem's touch, pulling the girl from her thoughts. "Ow!" She blurted out.
Clem immediately let go, scared she had hurt the girl.
"Everything okay, Violet?" Lee asked, eyebrows raised. He didn't think a hug from Clem was enough to hurt the young girl.
Violet realized everyone was staring at her and cleared her throat sheepishly. "I-uh, yeah. Every-everythings fine. It just surprised me is all." Her side still stung from the hug though. It felt like vines had wrapped around her midriff with their sharp thorns digging into her ribs.
Clem shrugged it off believing the girl. "Alright then, come on!" She grabbed Violet's hand and pulled the girl up the stairs to her room.
Leaving Carley and Lee to give knowing glances to each other at Clem's enthusiasm.
Later that night after dinner both girls could be found up in Clem's room constructing a fort from various pillows and blankets that they'd gathered from around the house. Lee had even let them take the couch cushions from the living room at the promise of returning them before they went to bed.
"Aren't you hot in that?" Clem asked as she watched Violet fix one of their walls that had fallen down with a large blue pillow from Clem's bed. Her eyes falling on Violet's attire.
Violet wore a dark purple, long-sleeved shirt that covered her arms, and a pair of faded jeans. She had even been wearing a gray hoodie earlier in the day but had tied it around her waist once it had gotten too hot. "No, I'm fine." She told the brunette. It was a lie though. It was already June and the temperature had reached almost eighty-five by mid-afternoon. And even though they were inside with the air conditioner on, it was still uncomfortable to be in anything heavier than a t-shirt and shorts.
"Okay, now just one more on top. Hand me that one." Violet pointed to one of the beige couch pillows sitting next to Clem.
The girl obliged and handed the pillow over. Being too short, Violet had to stand on Clem's bed in order to reach the top. Her footing uneven as the springs of the bed creaked and shifted to her weight.
She outstretched her arm to place the cushion, but the spot she had to cover was inconveniently on the other side making it hard to fix. Violet forced herself to stretch, but the mattress sunk in at the edge and caused her to lose her balance. Without a seconds notice, Violet toppled over and onto their pillow fort, landing with a thud.
Clem chuckled at her mistake, despite all their hard work being ruined. "That was awesome." But she quickly stopped her laughing when a yelp came from the blonde haired girl. "Ow!"
"Vi, you okay?" Clem asked. Even though she fell from the height of Clem's bed, she landed on pretty much every pillow and blanket that they owned in the house. It shouldn't have hurt.
Violet clutched her shoulder as she sat up. "Shit." She mumbled under her breath. "Yeah, I-I'm f-fine."
Clem would have taken her for her word, except she noticed Violet's shirt had ridden up just a bit leaving a part of her stomach exposed. Normally nothing would have been wrong with this, except for the large purple mark that covered the young teen's pale skin. Clem had her fair share of bruises, but none of them were bad enough to color her skin the shade of an eggplant.
It wiped the smile off of her face in an instant. Her voice shook with each word. "Vi...Violet...?"
"What?" Green eyes followed Clem's pointer finger.
"Y-your side...w-what happened?"
Violet's eyes widened as she realized her skin was showing. She yanked her shirt down. "It-it's fine." Violet winced as she pulled herself up more and brought a hand to her side.
"Y-your hurt!" Clem's eyes widened. "You need help."
Violet shook her head as panic spread through her mind. Please just drop it, Clem. "I'm-I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She tried to convince the brunette but was clearly failing.
Clem looked at Violet horrified by the thought. That's why she had reacted the way she had when Clem had hugged her, why she wore such warm clothes. "Vi, that...that's not normal. You need some help. Wait right here!" Clem jumped up from her spot on the floor.
"Wait! Clem!" Violet tried to stop her but failed to do so. Her heart thudded in her chest hard, to the point it felt like it was hurting her ribcage. Clem was going to tell her parents. Violet felt like she wanted to cry, this was just going to make it worse.
Clem returned a minute later with Carley in tow.
Violet picked herself up off the floor and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to put on a brave face. She lived with dragons, she could handle a woman in an office blouse.
Carley knelt down to her height and sent her a sweet smile. "Violet, Clem tells me you hurt yourself. Can I see?"
"I-I'm fine." Violet tried to say with conviction, but her voice came out more unsure. She took a tentative step back. "It-it's not a big deal."
"Violet, it's okay. You don't have to be scared." Carley told her.
"I-I'm n-not scared." She told Carley, but her voice was a big betrayer. Her hand went to her locket, her fingers tracing the metal casing. Something she did whenever she was scared or nervous.
Carley could tell something wasn't right. She knew Violet wasn't the most open person, but everything about her deminer was sending up red flags. The young girl had fear written in her eyes, like any minute someone would jump out and attack her. The biggest concern was the fact that Clem actually had to come to get her and Lee. She knew their daughter, Clem liked to solve her own problems, and only had her and Lee step in when things were seriously wrong. Clem was smart. If she felt there was a need to worry, it was usually for good reason.
Carley's voice was calm but stern when she spoke. "Violet, let me see."
Violet's mind screamed no. Don't let her get involved. It'll only make things worse. But she figured Carley wouldn't ask again. "O-okay." It came out in a whisper. Her hands shook as she reached for the helm of her shirt. Her heart beat loudly in her ears. She slowly lifted the edge of her shirt just enough for Carley to catch a glimpse of the bruise that ran across her midriff.
Carley wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't that. She lifted a hand and ran a thumb across the mark. It clearly went farther than what Violet was willing to show her. Violet sucked in a sharp breath and jerked back, dropping the shirt down.
A million thoughts ran across Carley's mind. Being a reporter she had heard her fair share of horror stories, seen a fair amount of carnage, but she hoped this wasn't going to be one of them.
"Honey, I want you to come with me." She stood and walked toward the door.
Violet's head drooped and she stared at the floor. She was in trouble, she knew she was. She felt sick again as the feeling of despair and regret settled into the pit of her stomach. It was her fault again. It was just like at home, this is where the blow comes in. The yelling would start up again, but this time it'd be directed straight at her.
"Clem can you go wait downstairs with Lee please." She heard Carley say.
The curly haired girl nodded in reply and ran off, but not before sending Violet a guilty but apologetic look. She hadn't meant to get Violet in trouble, she was just trying to help.
Carley escorted Violet across the hall and into the upstairs bathroom. Turning on the light to give life to the darkened room, the bright yellow paint brightened up the walls giving it a welcoming feeling. She shut the door behind them and locked it so no one would walk in on them.
Violet gasped and flinched when Carley walked over towards her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the harsh words, a backhand across the mouth, anything to punish her, to put her in her place.
"Violet do you have any of those marks anywhere else?" Carley asked gently.
She opened her eyes when the verbal assault hadn't started and was instead met with kind words. She looked up at Carley then down at the floor, she wasn't going to answer. Not this time. She couldn't. She'd already buried herself deep enough, why make it seven feet under when she was already at six. This would just make it worse.
Carley sighed. If Violet wasn't going to tell her she'd just have to show her. "Honey, I want you to take your shirt off."
Violet's head snapped up at Carley so fast it probably gave her whiplash. Was she serious right now? "What? No, no I..."
"I need to see if there are any more. Can you please take off your shirt?" Carley knelt down to Violet's height to appear less threatening to the younger girl.
Violet shook her head, as tears started brimming her eyes, her voice cracking. "No, no, I-I can't." She backed up until she hit the edge of the bathtub, almost falling back into it. This wasn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to know. No matter what she did everything always came back to her. She was always caught in the crossfire. Poison arrows drawn on both sides, but with armor so worn, it barely made a difference. Why couldn't Carley understand that the more she revealed the more damage was done.
"Yes, you can," Carley spoke softly.
"But, but I..." Violet tried to stall. She couldn't just pull off her shirt in front of Clem's mom.
"It's okay, sweetie. Were both girls." Carley reached out a hand and placed it upon the scared girl's shoulder. She could feel Violet's body shake under her touch.
Carley slowly reached down and gripped the bottom of Violets shirt. Seeing no resistance she continued. Violet whimpered as the shirt went over her head. Leaving her upper body in nothing but her necklace and a white training bra. But that's not what caused Carley to gasp in horror as her eyes widened at the sight before her.
Bruises ranging from black to purple covered the little girl's upper body, from just below her collar bone down to her waist. Some were faded, but others were clearly new. Violet's arms were covered in bruise marks twice the size of her thumb as if someone had gripped her arms tightly to the point where it had left marks. The largest mark was located up by her ribs. A purplish blotch about the size of an apple petering out from under the side of her bra. Carley was no doctor, but she was pretty sure Violet's ribs were bruised if not broken.
Violet shifted unsettlingly under Carley's gaze as she stood bare-chested. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest, unsure if she should cover up her bruises or her bra. She felt so exposed as she felt the embarrassment heat rise to the back of her neck and caused her cheeks to burn, her face turning a light red color. She didn't dare meet Carley's eyes. She could already hear the disappointment coming.
Carley brought a hand up to cover her mouth. "Oh, Violet..."
Her eyes stung as she held back tears. She could feel the thundering of her heartbeat through her hand as she gripped her heart-shaped locket against her chest. "I-I'm sorry..." She choked out. Maybe if she apologized ahead of time her punishment wouldn't be as harsh.
Carley brushed away the horror and sorrowful expression. Her face hardening into one of seriousness and anger. "Violet..." Her voice a warning tone. "...who did this to you?"
Violet shook her head. "N-no one. I-I tripped...and- and f-fell down the stairs." She lied. Violet knew exactly who had done this. She wanted to step farther back, but she was as far back as she could go. Unless she wanted to step inside the bathtub, but that would only make her feel more cornered.
Carley shook her head and sighed. Those weren't bruises from an accident. She'd viewed enough abusement cases to know the difference between the two. It made her sick to her stomach to know that someone hurt such a sweet little girl. "Violet I know that's not true. Honey, I need you to tell me the truth."
Violet couldn't help it anymore as a few tears streamed down her face. "I-I can't. I don't wanna get in t-trouble."
Fear was present in her eyes. A kind no child should ever feel. It was her fault, everything was always her fault. If she tried to help it would only make things worse. She really wanted to run to her closet right now, lock herself in and never talk to anyone ever again. Everything was already so broken. Why couldn't she just leave it at that? Why try to glue the pieces back together, just to drop them again and shatter it more.
Carley's heart broke at that. "Honey, you won't be in any trouble. I promise. But you have to tell me who did this to you."
Violet shook her head. She wanted to run away from it all. If she left then there'd be no pain, no damage done. No sting, no hurt, no one. Everywhere she looked just reminded her of what was, what had happened, and what would happen if she revealed too much. And it was all because of her.
She choked back on a sob. "I...It-it was an accident, da-daddy didn't mean to...he..." She stopped as she realized what had just left her mouth was supposed to stay in her mind.
"Your dad did this to you?" Carley said to make sure she heard correctly.
"He-he was d-drinking an-and..." Violet didn't finish.
Instead, Carley watched as tears dripped down from her chin and splashed onto the bathroom tiles below. She was full on crying now as salty streams poured from her already red eyes. Everything was just too much right now. Her life was a mess. Home was a battlefield on a good day, if any of those were even left. Each fight was glued to her mind, not a word, insult, scream, crash, shout, yell, swear, whatever you wanted to call it, none of it was missed. And it all bared down on her shoulders, whether intentional or not. The unrelenting words seeped into her head, much like they did through the walls of her bedroom, and clouded her mind.
Violet looked up at Carley through blurred eyes. "Mm s-sorry." She said between sobs.
Carley placed a hand on her should. "It's okay to cry, sweetie."
Violet took in a sharp breath and exhaled shakily, trying to calm down.
"Does your mom know about this?"
Violet shook her head. "N-no. I-I don't want them to f-fight anymore."
"When did this happen?" Carley asked.
Violet was too tired to fight anymore and submitted to Carley's questions. "Y-yesterday."
"Does this happen a lot?" Carley wondered how long this had been going on and why no one had ever noticed before. Maybe Violet was just really good at covering her battle scars, both internally and externally.
Violet rubbed some tears from her eyes with the palm of her hand. "N-not often."
It had only happened one other time and she had gone to school with a black eye the next day. But Violet was positive it would happen again if Carley tried to do anything about it. It would only make it worse. Why did no one understand that?
"Honey, do you think you can tell me what happened?" Carley asked gently.
Violet knew exactly what happened. It was all her fault.
She'd returned home from school yesterday with little to no homework considering summer vacation was right around the corner. She stopped in the kitchen to look for one of her books. Not finding it there she figured it was upstairs. She went to go look but had to pass by the living room before she could make it to the staircase. Her dad was currently seated in his recliner watching TV, a half-empty Budlight sat loosely in his hand and about a dozen other empty bottles were scattered across the coffee table.
Most days he didn't pay much attention to her. Which was fine by her, not like she had anything to say to him anyway. It was the days when he did acknowledge her that she had to watch out for. And today just happened to be the lucky day.
Violet had one hand on the staircase railing when his gruff voice reached her ears. "Violet!"
She winced at his yell. He threw his head back and chugged what was left in his bottle. "Grab...grab me another one of them beers." He ordered.
Violet stared at the empty bottles strewn across the table. She didn't like it when her father drank. He always smelled like stale beer and it only made her mother angrier when she came home to him passed out on the couch.
"M-mom d-doesn't like it when you drink." Violet stuttered out.
Her dad glared at her. "What?" He rose from his seat and slammed his now empty bottle onto the table. "That better not be sass I hear girl!"
Violet felt her fight or flight instinct kick in and she wasn't too happy with the choice she made. "...An-and I don't like it either!" She shouted. What the hell was she doing?
He stormed up to her with a stagger in his step, extream anger written across his face. "I don't give a fuck what you think."
Violet shrunk into herself as he approached. She went to run up the stairs, but he caught her arm before she could escape. "Fucking smart ass." He yanked on her hard, getting her to yelp. "Get over here!" He gripped her arms tight.
Violet whimpered in pain. "Dad." She tried to loosen his grip on her arms. "Dad!" She pleaded for him to let go, but he wouldn't listen. Instead, it seemed like he squeezed her harder, digging his fingers into her skin. "Daddy, it hurts." She cried desperately trying to get him to stop. Violet never called him daddy, unless it was mentally triggered when she was scared.
He sneered at her. "I don't fucking care!" He growled pulling her closer to him, the scent of beer suffocating. "I am your father. And you FUCKING LISTEN when I'm TALKING TO YOU! UNDERSTAND?"
He shoved her hard against the stairs. Violet cried out in agony as she felt a sharp pain in her side when she made contact with the wooden surface. She wanted to run from his tyranny, but couldn't. She was trapped between a drunk and a hard place, literally. Tears filled her eyes and a few fell down her face.
If she would of just let it go, then maybe she would have been fine but out of impulsiveness, she fought back. "F-Fuck you! Your-your just drunk!" She yelled through tears. Her eyes widened at her outburst. What had she just done?
He turned back to her, fists shaking with rage. "Why you little bitch!"
Violet felt her jeans become damp as she let out another whimper.
He raised a fist and brought it down hard.
That's when she learned to never fight back.
"No, no Please. Please, d-don't make me!" Violet cried. She pulled away from Carley. Tears falling faster than before. "I-I just want the fighting to stop."
She didn't want to relive it again. Her ribs burned just at the thought. They had felt like they were on fire that night when she had gone to bed. It had hurt, but not as much as the words did every night. It would never hurt as much as the blaming did. Wounds healed, but the scars from the verbal berating would remain. They were already implanted in her head, and now they were branded into her skin. Each accusing word hot ironed into flesh so they'd never be forgotten, because you can't un-hear, and you can't un-say.
Those words from before found their way into her mind again. If only words were like little toy guns. Then there'd be no sting, no hurt, no one. There was no smoke, or bullets, no kick from the trigger when you pull it.
Just a Bang! Bang! rolling off the tongue.
God, Violet needs a hug. I feel terrible. :(
If yall are wondering why Clem went to Carley instead of Lee, it's because having Lee at that moment would have been really awkward and somewhat inappropriate, in my opinion, with Violet having to remove her shirt. I know Violet never really has a relationship with Carley in most fanfics, but it was necessary for this one. Sorry just felt like I needed to provide an explanation if people found it weird that Clem went and got Carley instead of Lee. Don't get me wrong, Lee is still totally concerned about the situation.
Secret Life of Writing Out! :)
