Hogan walked out of the room and into the living room where CJ and Simon
were waiting. She couldn't tell them that it wasn't the date that had laid
a hand on her. They were mad enough, she thought. "I'm sorry I took so
long," she said as she tried to smile.
"Don't worry about it," Simon said. "We're in no hurry." He smiled and put an arm around her, his hand on the bruise on her shoulder.
"Ouch!" She said as she moved away quickly. 'Stupid! How could I have been so dumb!' She thought. Now she knew they would grill her.
Simon looked at her. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you or something," he asked, concerned.
"Uh, no. I just slept in a weird position and my shoulder hurts from it." There. That should work.
CJ stood up from her place on the sofa. "You sure you're all right? Because if you're not feeling all right, you can stay here a little longer."
"No, that's okay, Aunt CJ. Thank you for the offer though." She smiled a little and rubbed her shoulder.
Simon, who had been watching Hogan this entire time, wasn't buying it. "Hogan, why don't you tell us the truth," he said in a soft yet firm voice, almost like a father's voice.
"What do you mean," she asked nervously.
"I think you know."
"Simon, what is going on," CJ asked as she looked at the two.
He looked at Hogan. "You say that the bruise we saw last night was from your date. That he hit you. Am I correct?"
"Y-Yes." What was he getting at?
"Uh-huh." He walked around to the other side of her. "That's kind of strange because I saw the bruise on your back. You didn't say anything about your shoulder being hurt as well." He put his hand on the shoulder that wasn't hurting. "Is there something you need to tell us?"
CJ cupped her mouth with her hand. "Hogan, what are you not telling us?" She asked, now extremely concerned.
"I still don't know what you're talking about!" Hogan said in a rather loud voice. "I told you, I slept in a weird position last night and now my shoulder hurts."
"You don't need to raise your voice." Simon said. "Come on, let's sit down on the sofa and talk." He motioned for CJ to follow.
Hogan looked at the two. "There's nothing new to tell you. I already told you what happened last night." She hated this. She hated lying to her aunt and to Simon. He was almost like her uncle.
"Honey, if there's something going on that we should know about, don't be afraid to tell us. It's not like we're going to yell at you or anything like that," CJ said in a soft voice.
Simon nodded in agreement. "She's right. You shouldn't be afraid to say anything about what is going on."
She sighed. She knew that it was now or never. "I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth last night," she said, quivering.
Simon put his arm around her as CJ grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.
"Tell us now then," Simon said as he wiped her eyes.
She took a deep breath and looked at the two. "Sometimes I get on Kate's nerves. I guess I sometimes bother her a little too much or something." There were more tears forming in her eyes as she spoke. "Two days ago, when we were out shopping for clothes, I saw something that I really liked. I guess that Angela, my stepsister," she said, mostly to Simon, "wanted the same thing. So I looked to see if there was another shirt that was the same size, since we both wear a medium." More tears flowed down her face. "There wasn't, and I said to Angela in a polite manner that I had seen the shirt first and that there were many others just like it on the rack. She wanted the one I was holding though, so she went over to her mother and told her. Kate walked over to me and said that the shirt wasn't something that I would wear, and that it would look better on Angela. I told her that I really liked the shirt though. She didn't listen though. All she did was yell at me for being selfish. So I gave the shirt to Angela and started looking for another one when Kate came up to me and said that we were done shopping. I said that I hadn't gotten a chance to find a shirt for myself and that I really wanted to get something. She ignored me though. When we got home, Angela went and tried on the shirt. She walked over to me and bragged about how much better the shirt looked on her." There was now a steady flow of tears coming down her face. "I ignored her since I really didn't care how it looked. So she goes and tells Kate that I'm being rude to her." She rubbed her sore shoulder. "So Kate walks over to me and tells me to never be snobby to her daughter. Before I could say anything, she hit me. here." She showed them the bruise.
CJ and Simon just sat there, not knowing what to say or think. CJ finally broke the silence. "Has this happened before?"
Hogan didn't have to say anything for them to know. Her face was now buried in her hands as she let out a small, "Yes."
CJ moved so that she was on the other side of Hogan. She looked at Simon, who kept his main focus on Hogan. He looked up at CJ and knew that something had to be done.
TBC...
"Don't worry about it," Simon said. "We're in no hurry." He smiled and put an arm around her, his hand on the bruise on her shoulder.
"Ouch!" She said as she moved away quickly. 'Stupid! How could I have been so dumb!' She thought. Now she knew they would grill her.
Simon looked at her. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you or something," he asked, concerned.
"Uh, no. I just slept in a weird position and my shoulder hurts from it." There. That should work.
CJ stood up from her place on the sofa. "You sure you're all right? Because if you're not feeling all right, you can stay here a little longer."
"No, that's okay, Aunt CJ. Thank you for the offer though." She smiled a little and rubbed her shoulder.
Simon, who had been watching Hogan this entire time, wasn't buying it. "Hogan, why don't you tell us the truth," he said in a soft yet firm voice, almost like a father's voice.
"What do you mean," she asked nervously.
"I think you know."
"Simon, what is going on," CJ asked as she looked at the two.
He looked at Hogan. "You say that the bruise we saw last night was from your date. That he hit you. Am I correct?"
"Y-Yes." What was he getting at?
"Uh-huh." He walked around to the other side of her. "That's kind of strange because I saw the bruise on your back. You didn't say anything about your shoulder being hurt as well." He put his hand on the shoulder that wasn't hurting. "Is there something you need to tell us?"
CJ cupped her mouth with her hand. "Hogan, what are you not telling us?" She asked, now extremely concerned.
"I still don't know what you're talking about!" Hogan said in a rather loud voice. "I told you, I slept in a weird position last night and now my shoulder hurts."
"You don't need to raise your voice." Simon said. "Come on, let's sit down on the sofa and talk." He motioned for CJ to follow.
Hogan looked at the two. "There's nothing new to tell you. I already told you what happened last night." She hated this. She hated lying to her aunt and to Simon. He was almost like her uncle.
"Honey, if there's something going on that we should know about, don't be afraid to tell us. It's not like we're going to yell at you or anything like that," CJ said in a soft voice.
Simon nodded in agreement. "She's right. You shouldn't be afraid to say anything about what is going on."
She sighed. She knew that it was now or never. "I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth last night," she said, quivering.
Simon put his arm around her as CJ grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.
"Tell us now then," Simon said as he wiped her eyes.
She took a deep breath and looked at the two. "Sometimes I get on Kate's nerves. I guess I sometimes bother her a little too much or something." There were more tears forming in her eyes as she spoke. "Two days ago, when we were out shopping for clothes, I saw something that I really liked. I guess that Angela, my stepsister," she said, mostly to Simon, "wanted the same thing. So I looked to see if there was another shirt that was the same size, since we both wear a medium." More tears flowed down her face. "There wasn't, and I said to Angela in a polite manner that I had seen the shirt first and that there were many others just like it on the rack. She wanted the one I was holding though, so she went over to her mother and told her. Kate walked over to me and said that the shirt wasn't something that I would wear, and that it would look better on Angela. I told her that I really liked the shirt though. She didn't listen though. All she did was yell at me for being selfish. So I gave the shirt to Angela and started looking for another one when Kate came up to me and said that we were done shopping. I said that I hadn't gotten a chance to find a shirt for myself and that I really wanted to get something. She ignored me though. When we got home, Angela went and tried on the shirt. She walked over to me and bragged about how much better the shirt looked on her." There was now a steady flow of tears coming down her face. "I ignored her since I really didn't care how it looked. So she goes and tells Kate that I'm being rude to her." She rubbed her sore shoulder. "So Kate walks over to me and tells me to never be snobby to her daughter. Before I could say anything, she hit me. here." She showed them the bruise.
CJ and Simon just sat there, not knowing what to say or think. CJ finally broke the silence. "Has this happened before?"
Hogan didn't have to say anything for them to know. Her face was now buried in her hands as she let out a small, "Yes."
CJ moved so that she was on the other side of Hogan. She looked at Simon, who kept his main focus on Hogan. He looked up at CJ and knew that something had to be done.
TBC...