16. Dear Sister

The stars were stunning that night. We lay in the sand, my head resting on Aron's chest. He stroked my hair.

There was a campfire right next to us. We'd decided to use it since we were probably going to be here for a while. It had been at least an hour after I told him.

"Now tell me about your ghosts of the past." I mumble.

Aron begins to smoke.

"You can't smoke your way out of this."

"Did you ever get help after what happened?" Aron asks, completely changing the subject.

"Did you?" I counter.

He lets out a long sigh.

I get up.

"Look, I just told you the worst thing that ever happened to me! If you don't tell me—"

"Alright. Fine." Aron gets up.

He sits down on one of the tree trunks around the fire. I sit next to him.

His eyes go dark again. In the low orange light of the fire he looks really intimidating.

He looks down at his hands and takes a deep breath.

"It happened two years ago...

I was sixteen and my sister was fourteen. She was beginning to 'grow up' or something. She started wearing makeup and doing her hair different. It drove my dad insane. She started wearing more revealing outfits..

It didn't really bother me. If anything, I thought it was kind of funny. She was trying to be a woman but anyone with eyes could see that she was just a kid. At least.. that's what I thought. And I was sure the guys in her class were too much of a bunch of pussies to try anything. She got into a lot of fights with my dad. He didn't accept her change at all. My dad's the judgiest person I've ever met. He didn't even try to understand. He called her all kinds of names. They were constantly screaming at one another.

I got involved a lot too. I wouldn't let him talk to her that way. Calling her a slut and what not. He disgusted me.

"It was around this time I started making friends with some.." Aron searches for the right word.

"They weren't exactly the best crowd for a teenager to hang out with. It was sort of like a gang."

He looks into my eyes to see my reaction.

I try to hide my shock.

He was in a gang?

"I guess I joined them to release my emotions or something. My house wasn't really a home. We were all constantly fighting. I just wanted to stand up.. go against something. We didn't really do anything.. Nothing serious, anyway. We stole some food sometimes. We destroyed some bikes.. 'Petty crime' I guess you could say." He chuckled darkly.

"My sister was always wondering where I was off to. I left the house a lot. Especially at night. She was a typical rebellious teenager.. so one night she followed me." Aron covers his face.

He takes a deep breath.

"The guys were destroying a car that night. They took things to a new level there. I just sat there and watched. I was beginning to find it all a little ridiculous. I was thinking of a way out..

Suddenly my little sister turned up.

She wore blue distressed skinny jeans, red heels and a red top.

Even I could see that she looked amazing. Too amazing.

I jumped up.

"Sofía, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"So this is where you hang out?" She crossed her arms.

"Go home, now." I urged. I wanted to get her away before any of the guys saw her.

I was too late.

"Heyy, Aron. Who is this hottie?" Danny, one of the guys came around.

Soon all the other guys followed.

"She's my sister." I said, warning clear in my voice.

"Oh." He said and immediately backed away.

"N-nice to meet you." He said politely before going back to the car.

"Hi, I'm Sofía." She smiled that brilliant smile of hers.

The guys all melted and started drooling over her. It was repulsive.

"My name is Donnie." One of the guys said. He was twenty-eight years old. He was probably the most straight forward about liking her.

"She's leaving." I said, dragging her away.

"Aron!" She complained.

I put her in a cab and she went home.

When I came back most of the guys apologized. Not Donnie.

"Why didn't you just let her stay? She can make up her own mind, she's old enough."

"She's fourteen." I answered in disbelief. Was this guy serious?

All he did was nod. He didn't give a single fuck.

That was the night where it all started. The next times I met up with the guys Sofía was already there. Laughing and hanging out with them. They weren't the right crowd for her. For neither of us, actually.

It quickly became clear that Donnie had a thing for her. He kept making moves and she accepted all of them. I didn't know how to stop it. I tried to get her away from them.. tried to explain it wasn't a good idea. She wouldn't listen.

A few weeks later they were 'dating'.. I guess. They were always together. There wasn't anything I could do. I couldn't tell my dad. He would just lose it and it would all become worse. If I told the police my dad would find out. All I could do was sit and watch as my sister fell deeper and deeper in love with that creep.

One night I was at home, just scrolling through my phone. I had decided I wouldn't show up for the gang meeting that night. I wanted out. I didn't want anything to do with those guys anymore.

Until Sofía came home.

Aron shakes his head. His eyes are burning with hatred and anger.

She had a huge scar on her face. I immediately knew he'd done it.

I looked into her eyes.

"Did he hurt you?!" I screamed.

"No! I just fell, okay?" She lied terribly.

I ran out the door.

"Where are you going?!" She cried.

When I reached our usual hang out spot I immediately searched for Donnie's face. I ignored everyone else. I was only there to find him.

And finally I did. He was smoking with some of the other guys. I ran up to him and punched him hard.

"DID YOU TOUCH HER?!" I screamed.

He was already on the floor bleeding.

I got ready to kick him in the nuts. The guys held me back.

"LET ME GO!" I screamed.

"He hurt her! He touched my sister!" I yelled.

"What are you talking about, man?" Donnie said, faking innocence.

"You are such a fucking liar!" I screamed.

I struggled hard to get out of the guys' grasp.

They held me long enough for him to leave.

I had never been so angry before. If the guys hadn't stopped me.. I don't know what I might have done.

A few months later, my sister and Donnie stopped seeing each other. At least that's what she told me. I didn't hang out with the gang anymore either. Things seemed to be going better.

Though in those months Sofía had begun to change. She got more and more quiet. She was in her own head a lot. She zoned out a lot. I was really worried about her.

One time I decided to talk to her about it..

"Sofía." I knocked on her bedroom door.

When I came in, she was on the bed, crying.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing." She whispered.

"Please, just tell me. I promise I won't get mad."

She looked into my eyes. Her eyes looked so sad..

Aron's voice cracks. His eyes are wet.

She told me she lied to me. And that she was still seeing him.

I got so angry but not at her. At that sick fuck for even being with her like this. But that wasn't even the worst part.

"A month ago.. I went to his house. And we started making out.." She said.

I was trying not to throw up. That's how disgusting that image in my head was.

"But he.. wanted to do something else.. I told him I wasn't ready but.." She started crying again.

"We had sex." She cried.

At this point I couldn't control my rage.

I started punching the wall. She yelled, begged for me to stop.

That's when my father came in.

"Qué dijiste?" He spoke lowly.

My sister cried harder.

After she told him he immediately started yelling at her. Calling her a whore and a slut..

He was so angry. He said she wasn't his daughter anymore. That really broke her.

She was so quiet after that. She didn't cry anymore. She just sat there like a statue. I couldn't take seeing her like that. I wanted to confront Donnie. I told her I was going to make her dinner and left to go to the store.

I drove to the meeting spot instead. I was ready to defend my sister. Halfway, I turned around, though. I knew I wouldn't be able to control myself if I saw Donnie. I made a U-turn and drove back. I walked around a little to clear my head.

That night was the worst night of my life.

When I came back..

Tears are streaming over Aron's face. I hold his hand.

When I came back..

I knocked on her door, and went straight in. I immediately wish I hadn't. She lay on the bed. Completely still. Her eyes were open. She didn't move at all.

I slowly walked over to her. Terrified. I hoped that if I could stretch the moment out longer it wouldn't be true.

Tears streamed down my face as I watched her motionless body.

"Sofía?" I whispered.

I never got an answer.

She'd committed suicide. Took a bunch of pills.

I blamed my dad. Him screaming at her like that had been the last push. From that moment on, I hated him.

..But there was one person I hated more.

I jumped into my car and drove to the hangout. I could barely see. There was this haze of anger over my eyes. I wanted to kill Donnie..

And.. I did.