Don't Take It All Away--Chapter Twenty-One
. I wuv my mommy and da-da. Yes, sadly, this is how I really act. ::Shakes head::. I gotta take a shower...Rub-a-dub, one girl in the tub..Swips and gets hit with a JI Joe..Wait, I'm mixing up two songs. Dang. I'm confrrrrrrrrrrrrrrused!
**At Horizon**
At class Cole was distracted. He had a feeling something wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Not quite. Not yet.
"Mr. Taylor?" Frank asked. Cole looked up. "Yes?" he asked hesitantly. "The answer please?"
"Umm...Six," Cole guessed. "No, six isn't how many states border Maine. What's wrong?" "Nothing. I keep thinking I forgot something." Cole lied. "Well, did you?"
"DId I what?"
"Forget."
"Hmm...I don't know. I guess I forgot if I forgot." Cole said, shrugging as the kids laughed. "Hey Cole, spell dork!" David called out. "D-A-V-I- D!" Cole called back.
"My mommy dead." Aaron said, pointing to a bunch of squiggly lines he had drawn. Peter looked up. Ashley was out with Sophie getting some things. "My mommy died. My daddy is a bad man. Really." He said, wiping his eyes with his small, chubby fists.
"My dad died, too, Aaron," Peter told him. "But I wamember how she died. No one else know." he said, frusterated. "A bad man kilt her." "No, Aaron, cancer killed your mom." Peter tried to explain. "I KNOW. Cancer is a bad man. He hurt mommy. But now Sophie is my mommy. Is that white?" he asked, as he continued scribbling. "Um, yeah it is." Peter answered. "I thought so. Everyone thinks she died from sick. But Cancer killed her."
**At Kristin's house**
Kristin remembered the symptoms of her dad being drunk. He'd start swaying and screaming words she couldn't even understand. She grabbed Colt and ran for her room and locked the door. They hid in the closet. She knew this wouldn't keep him out. It never had. it stalled him, but he always got her.
"Pray, Colt," Kristin ordered. SHe knew how horrible her dad got after it'd been so long. So long since a beating. Since he heard her screaming at night. When she got back from foster care or after she abadoned her for weeks at a time, that night he'd beat her until she couldn't even breathe.
"I am. I really am." Colt said, tears down his cheeks. He hadn't ever seen his daddy like this. Suddenly the door swung open. "I know you're here you stupid ugly bitch!" he roared as she heard his hard, angry footsteps shake the floor as he flung open the closet door and grabbed her collar.
. I wuv my mommy and da-da. Yes, sadly, this is how I really act. ::Shakes head::. I gotta take a shower...Rub-a-dub, one girl in the tub..Swips and gets hit with a JI Joe..Wait, I'm mixing up two songs. Dang. I'm confrrrrrrrrrrrrrrused!
**At Horizon**
At class Cole was distracted. He had a feeling something wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Not quite. Not yet.
"Mr. Taylor?" Frank asked. Cole looked up. "Yes?" he asked hesitantly. "The answer please?"
"Umm...Six," Cole guessed. "No, six isn't how many states border Maine. What's wrong?" "Nothing. I keep thinking I forgot something." Cole lied. "Well, did you?"
"DId I what?"
"Forget."
"Hmm...I don't know. I guess I forgot if I forgot." Cole said, shrugging as the kids laughed. "Hey Cole, spell dork!" David called out. "D-A-V-I- D!" Cole called back.
"My mommy dead." Aaron said, pointing to a bunch of squiggly lines he had drawn. Peter looked up. Ashley was out with Sophie getting some things. "My mommy died. My daddy is a bad man. Really." He said, wiping his eyes with his small, chubby fists.
"My dad died, too, Aaron," Peter told him. "But I wamember how she died. No one else know." he said, frusterated. "A bad man kilt her." "No, Aaron, cancer killed your mom." Peter tried to explain. "I KNOW. Cancer is a bad man. He hurt mommy. But now Sophie is my mommy. Is that white?" he asked, as he continued scribbling. "Um, yeah it is." Peter answered. "I thought so. Everyone thinks she died from sick. But Cancer killed her."
**At Kristin's house**
Kristin remembered the symptoms of her dad being drunk. He'd start swaying and screaming words she couldn't even understand. She grabbed Colt and ran for her room and locked the door. They hid in the closet. She knew this wouldn't keep him out. It never had. it stalled him, but he always got her.
"Pray, Colt," Kristin ordered. SHe knew how horrible her dad got after it'd been so long. So long since a beating. Since he heard her screaming at night. When she got back from foster care or after she abadoned her for weeks at a time, that night he'd beat her until she couldn't even breathe.
"I am. I really am." Colt said, tears down his cheeks. He hadn't ever seen his daddy like this. Suddenly the door swung open. "I know you're here you stupid ugly bitch!" he roared as she heard his hard, angry footsteps shake the floor as he flung open the closet door and grabbed her collar.