Chapter six: Under his wing

At home Ruthie lay on her bed lost in thought over Sean, he was willing to protect her at all cost. He was always there for her; he had been suspended because he jumped into a fight for her without even knowing what happened. She was withholding a dark secret from him, and if he knew he would probably kill for her if to set her mind at ease. Ruthie rolled up her sleeves only to see the dark purple bruises along her arms, placed there in what she wished was a nightmare. The marks on her arms brought her outer pain to the inside, where a more troubling pain was settling inside her; eating at her.

There was a knock on the door; it jolted Ruthie from her semi-reality of thought.

"Who is it?" Ruthie asked.

"It's your mother. We need to talk" Her mothers irritated tone only made Ruthie angry. Her mother came in without an answer though. She took a seat on the bed opposite of Ruthie. "Ruthie we need to talk about Sean"

"What about him?" Ruthie said with an edge.

"Well, first is there a reason having to do with you, why he might of beat up Alex?" She said crossly.

"Yeah, Alex is a stalker, he won't leave me alone, he follows me around and he won't give up on the fact I already have a boyfriend and I don't like him!" Ruthie yelled.

"Really a stalker! Cause I don't see him outside our house all the time, I see Sean around you all the time though you two seemed to be joined at the hip. Actually more like joined at the mouth! I remember saying that I don't like Sean and don't approve of him being your boyfriend," Annie said standing up. "Further more, that is no reason to have Sean beat him up as far as I'm concerned you should have been suspended too"

"What! First of all we are not joined at the mouth! Second you don't approve my boyfriend! Third you don't see how Alex follows me around and school!" Ruthie said her voice rising. "And lastly, I didn't tell Sean to beat him up I don't like Alex it doesn't mean I want Sean to beat him up!" Ruthie was screaming at the point.

Downstairs, Eric was with the boys. He heard Ruthie Scream at her mother. Sam winced thinking of earlier.

"Why is Ruthie screaming?" asked David.

"It's nothing okay" Eric assured the boys, Sam didn't seem to believe him, David was fine with it and kept on drawing.

"Is Ruthie mad at us?" Sam asked.

"No, at mommy" David snapped.

"Well, I think she is also mad at us" Sam said.

"Why do you think that?" Eric asked.

"Because this morning when she was leaving, David was talking to her and she looked really mad and mean" Sam said softly.

"Well, I'm sure it's not you" Eric said. Looking upstairs.

"Sure Sean would just beat up a guy randomly for you?" Annie said.

"Yeah he would do anything for me" Ruthie said, tears started to come to her eyes.

"Are you so sure about that?" Annie asked.

"Yes!" Ruthie said breathing hard. "Just get out!"

"No, I'm not done talking to you," Annie said. ""Your attitude is my next issue, you cursed at your principal"

"So he doesn't care about me anyway—" Ruthie started.

"That's not the point," Annie said cutting her off. "Ruthie your attitude has changed so drastically for the worst. Your frightening its like you're a totally different person"

"Get out!" Ruthie cried. "Get out!"

"Ruthie—" Annie started, Ruthie stood up.

"Get out!" She screamed cutting her mother off.

"Don't talk to me that way!" She said. Ruthie ran out of the room, Annie followed her. "Ruthie"

"Leave…me…ALONE!" Ruthie screamed through tears. She ran down the stairs, and into the kitchen where she grabbed her bag.

"Ruthie," Eric said. "Ruthie!"

"NO" Ruthie stared at her dad, tears streamed down her face. She looked cold and distant, but Eric for once saw a lot of pain in his daughter's eyes. She ran out the door, slamming it behind her. Annie rushed down, and prepared to run out after her but Eric held her back.

"Let her go" Eric said. Just then Sam began to cry, and Eric waited until Annie reluctantly went over to comfort him.

Ruthie ran as fast as she could, it was cold but she didn't care. Tears streamed down her hot face, and clung their making her all sticky. She could feel cold streak lines formed on her face by the tears. She dragged her legs on as she kept running not knowing, or caring where she was going. Finally she just collapsed in the park on some grass, she laid her face on the cold ground sobbing. She stayed there till the sun went down, and the wind began to whistle. It had gotten colder and in her frenzy she had forgotten to take a jacket. She sat up shivering, partly from cold and partly from hysteria. She pulled out her cell and called Sean.

"Hello?" Sean asked. All he could hear were sobs. "Hello?" he said again.

"Sean?" Ruthie whimpered into the phone.

"Ruthie?" Sean asked. "What's wrong?"

"Please…come…get…me…I'm in the park," Ruthie cried.

"Ok, I'm coming wait for me at the gate?" He asked.

"Sure, thanks Sean" Ruthie sighed.

"No problem" Sean was worried what was wrong, was she hurt? He hurried out the door to get her. He kept replaying possibilities in his head.

Sean Pulled up, jumping out of the car he ran over to her, his hands grabbed her warm skin, and he looked at her frightened face.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She said nothing but just looked at him, she looked at the car and then at him. He understood she wanted to go to his house. They had a special connection, which was great he understood her.

Ruthie's head lay in Sean's lap, as tears streamed down her face. He put his hand on top of her head stroking her hair gently. His fingers brushed against her warm cheeks. They sat there still, only the sound of Ruthie crying breaking the silence; they felt like the only people in the world. Finally Ruthie sat up and stared into Sean's eyes, for what seemed like another eternity. Sean saw someone else staring at him though within those eyes he could see pain, tears, misery and emptiness. But what he didn't see was Ruthie, the smiles that always lit up her eyes had been replaced with darkness, the glow that radiated off her face became a pale empty gaze.

"Sean" Ruthie finally uttered quietly. "You'd do anything for me right?"

"Of course Ruthie" Sean said. Ruthie took a deep breath.

"Sean… I… at that…party" Ruthie stumbled.

"What?" Sean said nervously.

"I was tired, so I went upstairs to rest; and I didn't see him come in Sean" Ruthie blurted out, sobbing.

"What?" Sean was confused but didn't like how this was going. "What happened?"

"He…" Ruthie trailed off. "He raped me" she cried. Sean was silent, as held Ruthie close to him. Ruthie's heart lifted she told someone. It wasn't her secret anymore, Sean knew. He could protect her he would protect her.

"Who?" Sean asked.

"I don't know…" Ruthie said, they sat there silently. Ruthie felt safe, and was able to let her guard down for the first time since that night. She was able to let someone else protect her, she felt like a little baby again all warm and safe. Only know she wasn't, and she wasn't in her mothers arms she was in her boyfriends. She felt like a bird under its mothers wing Sean was her wing. Sean would save her.