Lily walked over to Oliver's house, painstakingly slow. She hated pleasing Oliver, but at the same time she felt like she needed to, just so he would continue to love her; even though his love was slimy and immoral. The weekend played out much like she could've imagined. She spent hours doing 'things' to Oliver and in turn got alcohol to wash away her memories, and a bed and food to keep her alive. It was definitely better than her own house.
She had an ache about her whole body, and it was ridden with unshed tears. She kept thinking of the courteousness of Miley, coming to soothe a stranger. But then she remembered the weakness she felt at being cared for, and quickly her hate for Miley grew. It affected her confidence and her self-esteem. Why can't we all just be so damn perfect like her? I bet nothing ever happens to that bitch. She swallowed the jealous distaste down her throat, and tried to sleep the endless nights.
Monday was the worst day of the week.
Lily came in slowly, leaving Oliver, and lumbering to her locker. I hate school. She looked around her, trying to distract herself with the time she had pending before first period. Miley and Jake. Stupid couple.
Miley had a distraught look about her. Her face was twisted with an unsettling difference. She wasn't hyped up and happy. Jake ran up behind her and turned her around forcefully. His basketball buddies stood behind him, eager to see how they would act in school after their little 'session.'
"Hey baby, how's my hot model?" He glared daggers at her. She cleared her throat.
"Umm I'm great Jakey how are you?" He smiled, satisfied with their role play.
"I'm good now that I'm with you Miles. How 'bout a kiss for lover boy?" Without even giving a chance to process his question, he crashed his lips harshly down on Miley, white-knuckling one of her arms to keep her in place.
"Uh thanks Jake, I hafta go to class." She tried to break free of his hard grip.
"See you at lunch bitch." He whispered in her ear, and then smacked her on the ass as she walked away.
Wow, Ryan's getting some confidence; stupid fag wouldn't even touch her before. Lily smiled at her observation. Stewart looks like she's in pain … Lily wiped the thought from her mind. Everything about Miley's life was too perfect for her to be in pain.
First period came and left along with all the other periods in the morning. Guys constantly came to ask Miley about her night with Jake and what happened to her face, and she constantly lied through her teeth about her satisfaction and her accident. Lily spent the day wishing her classes were over and running into Oliver, who kept asking if she wanted to spend lunch with him.
"No Olly, I'm done with weed for the week." The same respond she'd offer every time upon leaving Oliver in a pang of annoyance.
Miley sat with Jake at lunch, walking on eggshells with everything she did and trying to please the sucker. He kept gripping her way too hard and forcing himself on her. She had more bruises on her arms now and her lips were cut from being pressed onto her teeth.
Lily sat with a table of losers; it was a rare occasion she was even at lunch anyways.
Gym was just running miles, and nothing significant came of it at all.
Soon enough creative writing class had come, Lily bummed, and Miley overjoyed.
"Class I will choose partners based on alphabetical proximity, and you will meet to assess your weekend poems. You will each discuss the meanings and writing techniques you used. Are we clear on the instructions?" The class mumbled 'yes' to Mr. Falcon, and he began reading off names. "… Stewart and… Truscott … Truman and … Ural…" Lily looked over at Miley having heard her name, and Miley looked around for a 'Truscott.'
Lily walked up.
"I'm right here you idiot. I can't believe we have two classes and you don't know who I am." Miley looked up apologetically before identifying the face. She remembered the girl. Skater bitch.
"Shut up Truscott, look let's just do the assignment. Where's your poem? Did you even do it?" She smirked her 'I'm a cheerleader' smirk. Lily was pissed.
"Oh fuck you Stewart. Here's my paper you bitch." Miley snatched the paper and chose to ignore the comment. Writing class was her only happiness, and Truscott wasn't gonna ruin it. This is gonna suck. Miley smiled at her thought and handed her paper over.
Miley looked at Lily's poem and read it carefully.
Puppet
At a crooked window of an unloved house,
There sits a paralyzed puppet.
His face is painted in an infallible smile.
But in the agony of his slavery, he frowns.
He looks to his master, sitting on a stained chair,
Floating as a dead body in seas of beer and regret.
Broken dreams and broken bottles manifest at his feet.
The strings of the wooden limbs entangled in his limp arms.
The puppet smiles an unpainted and wicked smile.
He sees control in the bony fingers of a soul-dead character.
Suddenly his master is weak and his wooden limbs are strong.
And the crooked window of the unloved house is empty.
Miley read the poem over and over, willing herself to believe she wasn't blown away in a newfound respect for the girl's writing. She wanted to the girl how amazing it was. But she couldn't.
"Umm Truscott, this sucked. Were you high when you wrote this? It makes no sense." Lily's rage bubbled in anger.
"I don't expect you to understand it bitch. You're too damn perfect to know shit."
"I am not perfect!"
"Then you're just stupid. Plus I don't give a fuck if it sucks, school sucks, this class sucks, you suck." Miley's mild temper flared.
"You suck too Truscott!" She shoved the paper into Lily's chest.
"Ooof." Lily stood up.
"Don't you dare touch me!" Lily pushed Miley's shoulders.
"Get off me you stupid skater slut!" Miley pushed back.
"You. Little. Fuck." Lily launched herself on Miley, straddling her, and slapping her unswollen cheek. Wait how did her other cheek get swollen? In her thought, Miley had pushed her backwards, and slapped her back.
"Ladies, office, now!" Mr. Falcon pulled Miley off, arms still flying.
"Miley. Lillian. Stop It Immediately!" Miley dropped her hands in defeat, Lily still determined to attack. Falcon's grip was strong despite his age and he had both their hands pinned, walking them to the office.
Mr. Donzig sat with a disapproving look.
"Ladies, as your principal, I know both of you in a sense. Miley you are a good student. Lillian, you are fair. You both deserve, at least, suspension. However, even though you've blued each other's faces, Mr. Falcon has offered an alternative to school-coded punishment. He believes in creating bonds between people, and has decided to offer a joined writing assignment to teach you both to work together." Lily sighed with a purposeful loudness.
"Just give us suspension Harry." She looked very uninterested in the situation.
"Lillian, some respect please."
"Don't call me th-"
"Sorry Mr. Donzig, me and my … friend … Lillian here will complete the assignment. What are the guidelines?"
"The assignment is to write biographies for each other. Miley, you will write about Lillian-er-Lily's life. And Lily you will write about Miley's life. Do you both understand? These biographies must be well done, truthful, and very complete with information up to the person's current age. It will be due before midterms. Mr. Falcon says that the interviewing and writing must be done outside of school, and every day for the first two weeks you both must meet up in the library during your lunch hour. Any questions?"
"Yeah I have question, why do I have to do this? Why not just suspension?" Lily scowled out of gritted teeth.
"Ms. Truscott, I believe, as well, in stopping violence by finding similarities and building bonds, and you will both complete this assignment in good nature." Lilly gave a final scowl and looked at Miley. Her bruised face was purple. It wasn't Lily's bruise. I'll hafta ask preppy two shoes how she got that.
After both agreeing to do the assignment, they were dismissed, walking their separate ways, and daring not to talk.
The day ended in Jake forcing Miley to watch his practice, and giving her a rough and unsatisfactory goodbye. Lily, on the other hand, walked home slowly, unsurprised to see a well drunken mother and her boyfriend.
"Where the hell were you last night Lillian?!" The alcohol in her breath stung Lily's nose.
"At Oliver's." Lily tried to push past but her mother stopped her.
"You mean a boy's house?" She put a heavy hand on Lily's shoulder to stop her.
"Yes, Mom. Don't act like you care about me. Just go drink and fuck that stupid boyfriend of yours." Lily was not in the mood. Why do I care so much about Miley's opinion of my work? Nah its not that, it's just because it's her fault I hafta do that shitty assignment.
"Oh fuck you, you little whore." She swung a drunken fist, but Lily ducked it and began walking away.
"Get back here!" She called angrily. Lily just smirked and walked up to her room.
"Hey, Heather, is she home yet?" A man of about thirty walked in. He smelled of alcohol and unshowered flesh. His black hair was oily and his breath stunk of rotted meat and Bourbon.
"Yeah. Look I'm going to work. We're not gonna talk about it." She lumbered out the door, even in her drunkenness.
When Heather had left for a good ten minutes, the man began walking upstairs. He jumbled the handle of Lily's door. Locked.
"Open the door." Lily lay on her bed, a book of poetry in her hands. She recognized the slurred voice.
"No Rick, go bother Heather." He banged on her door harder.
"Open the damn door!" He rustled the knob harder and Lily got up, fear in her steps. She hardly ever feared.
Suddenly the door came crashing down in a hard splitting shriek.
"Rick, get the hell outta my room!" Lily backed up.
"Come on babe I'm like your dad why don't we just talk?" He came closer.
"YOU'RE NOT MY FUCKING DAD!!" Lily yelled back.
"Get out of my room!" She grabbed a baseball bat she kept by her bed and swung it at him. It hit him hard in the shoulder. His eyes went dark. He grabbed the bat from her hands and she began to run. He grabbed the tail of her shirt and she screamed. The bat came down hard on her back and she fell cold on the floor. He hit her another time in the back, hard, instantly bruising it. He was careful to cause pain, but not fractures.
He picked up her shock-paralyzed body, and laid it on the bed. He unbuttoned his pants and tore hers down. She screamed, ear splittingly and fought to get up. He bruised her wrists, keeping them down. The alcohol and the stench of him were slowly becoming nauseating. He stuck into her. She screamed again. This had never happened. She yelled bloody murder. No one else was home. No one else was listening.
He rocked back and forth and back and forth and grunted in disgusted pleasure. Soon, he collapsed. Upon getting up, he slapped her hard in the face.
"See you around baby."
He walked down the stairs, left his money on the counter, and drove off in happiness. Lily made herself decent, and sat in her room. For the first time in years, she just sat and cried.
