Chapter 9: Broken Glass

Craig lay in his own, comfortable bed after being stuck at the hospital for three days. He opened his eyes tiredly, hearing dishes clinking downstairs. Craig dragged himself out of bed, and stood up, glancing at himself in the floor mirror. His bruises were slowly diminishing but were still visible. He sighed and then put a band shirt on before heading downstairs. There was no way that he would let Angie see it. She already saw the first bruise and he wouldn't let Little Angela see the second. He got downstairs and saw Joey getting dishes out of the oak cupboard and saw eggs frying in a man.

"Hey, champ. How are you feeling?"

Craig gave a small smile to his guardian and sat down. "Okay, I guess. Ellie and the others visited me in the hospital, so that was definitely a plus."

He playfully messed up Angela's hair and started tickling her. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes! Stop...yes!" she screeched, laughing hysterically.

"Oh, Craig; that reminds me. Ellie called and told me to tell you to call her back if you get a chance."

Craig nodded, watching him flip the egg onto a ceramic plate, and then quickly buttering the toast from the toaster, adding that to the breakfast entrée.

"Alright, I'll call her after breakfast. Umm...did my dad call?" Craig looked down at the table, purposely ignoring his guardian's eyes.

Joey was silent for a few minutes and then sat down next to him, putting his plate in front of Craig.

"Yeah, he did. How did you know?"

Craig shrugged, picking up his fork and beginning to play with his food. "Just a wild guess," Craig snorted, shaking his head. "So what did he want, to apologize for beating me, and did he want me to come over and make it right?"

Joey must have sensed the anger inside Craig.

"Angie, sweetie. Take your breakfast into the living room and go watch cartoons or something, alright?"

"But dad..."

"Now, Angela."

Joey waited until the little girl was out of the kitchen before he spoke to Craig.

"I think we should press charges against your father, Craig,"

"Joey, no..."

"What he did to you was unforgivable, and it's not the first time he's done this to you!"

Craig could tell that he was losing patience with him. All the times that Craig had been beaten or hit, he never went to the police. When he did go to child protection, his bruises had already disappeared, so his evidence couldn't be proven. Inside, Craig didn't want to send his father to jail, partly because he was scared that his dad would get out on bail and then come after him. This idea had haunted him in his dreams for years.

"Joey, please. Just leave it; he can...he can go fuck himself! I hate that self-righteous prick."

"Craig, what if it was Angie that he had hurt instead of you? Would you want him to walk on the streets?"

Craig sighed, understanding his point that he was trying so hard to get through to him. Of course he would want to press charges then if it had been Angela he had hurt, but still. His fear would just haunt him in his dreams, or rather, nightmares.

"I understand where you're coming from, I really do. I just...let's just leave it alone for now, alright?"

Craig was then taken aback as Joey stood up angrily, simultaneously knocking his glass of orange juice off the table in rage. Craig Manning flinched and looked at him, terrified. For a solid moment, he could have sworn that his father was in the room again and they were back at their old house.

"Damnit, Craig! I'm trying to help you here and you don't want to hurt the man who hurt you! You've got to take responsibility for yourself and do what's right instead of ignoring the problem. Tomorrow, you will go to the police station, and press charges against your dad! Do you understand?"

Craig just sat there, mouth agape, a lost for words. He had never seen Joey act this angry towards him for even the most severe reason. He couldn't stop playing this scene in his head as it came back to him from a scene that his father had thrown so long ago. Craig remembered his dad knocking a glass of wine off the table, shattering it into a thousand small pieces as well. He remembered the exact tone he had used, and Craig found it startling that Joey's tone and his father's tone was identical.

Craig then stood up, and started to walk backwards towards the wall, almost in fear of being hit.

Joey suddenly realized his mistake, and then walked gently towards the boy.

"Craig, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to act like that towards you..."

Craig's eyes glanced quickly down at the floor and then just as quickly at Joey. He simply nodded and then walked cautiously towards the door. "I'm...I'm going out for awhile. I-I'll be back soon..."

Joey nodded and started to clean the glass from the floor, shocked by his own behavior.

Craig walked out the door and started walking towards Ellie's house, all the while glancing back every so often back at Joey's house. He hated himself for being afraid of Joey, his guardian and his friend. He wasn't like his father, and knew how his father acted. Craig hated himself for seeing evil in every father figure he saw. His father had made him afraid of anyone who ever lifted a finger in front of him. Craig knew that he shouldn't act this way, but it hadn't changed his mind about pressing charges.

Before he knew it, he had reached Ellie Nash's doorstep and was facing the oak door. He gently pressed the doorbell, and waited patiently for his friend.

"Ellie! Get the door!"

Craig was hesitant to stay when he heard Ellie's mom's voice. She sounded drunk, and angry.

Maybe this is a bad time, he thought. Fuck it, every time's a bad time here.

Before he could force his feet to move away from the house, he saw the front door open and a tired figure leaning against the doorway.

"Hey, Ellie..."

"Hey, Craig. It's good to see you out of the hospital," she replied.

Craig Manning could barely tell the fragile girl standing in front of him was indeed his friend Ellie Nash. Her eyes looked red and puffy, as if she was crying. She looked a lot skinnier, as if she hadn't eaten in days.

His heart suddenly went out to her even though he wasn't positive what had happened. She looked so...weak. He was half contemplating if her legs might give out; they were as thin as toothpicks. Craig wouldn't have been so worried if she had toned them from joining and participating in the school track team, but she was far from school sports.

"Umm, yeah...may I come in?"

Ellie nodded, standing aside so Craig could come in. After she let him in, she closed the door.

"Let's go up to my room."

Craig followed her up to her room and started to feel uneasy when he heard the sound of a glass bottle smashing to the floor. He watched her close the door and sit on the bed beside her.

"Ellie, what happened to you? You don't look like yourself..."

Ellie found herself silent for a long time and then felt herself start to break down. Tears escaped her small eye sockets and raced down her fragile cheek.

Craig gently wiped the tear away and held her face in his palm, wanting more than anything to hold her.

"Craig, I found out...a lieutenant from the army c-came to the house and...and...and told us that...Craig, my dad was killed in the war..."