Chapter 29
Strip
Trigger warning: This chapter gets kinda... violent.
Chapter 29
I pulled my self together and was out the door by 1:30, leaving James with Mrs. Copper. The library was only 5 minutes away, but I wanted some extra time to make sure I would be ok in the library.
I reached the library's entrance, and felt a wave a fear rush over me. The building was huge, stone, the oldest building in the city. I felt it towering over me, taunting me.
I took a deep, shaky breath, and started up the 8 steps to the doors.
I was breathing heavy, my heart was beating so fast it was just a buzz, and my legs had turned to raw egg. I reached the top step, feeling like I was going to pass out.
And I wasn't even in the building yet.
I felt tears welling up behind my eyes. How the hell was I going to do this?
I took a step into the building.
And it all came back.
---
Just before I turned 16, my mom started dating this guy named Rick. My mom had only dated a few people back before things got bad, and they had never lasted. After things got bad, she still didn't seem to date anyone, though there were quite a few nights where she went out and didn't come home.
Rick was a huge asshole, and it was pretty clear to everyone, except mom. She sometimes got really really drunk and just blabbered about how amazing he was for hours. Rick wasn't exactly glad about the fact that mom had kids, and I don't think he ever spoke more than 2 words to me, and James was always hidden in his room when he came over. I don't think Rick actually knew my name.
So, my mom dated Rick for about 6 months, as far as I knew. Some things Rick was a fan of:
-Beer
-Whisky
-Vodka
-Vodka mixed with apple juice (I had actually watched him make this drink with James' apple juice multiple times)
-Fooling around with my mother on the couch when her kids were trying to sleep.
-Eating everything in the house, leaving literally nothing for a mouse to eat, much less a family of three.
-Smoking indoors.
-Strip clubs (Is this irony? I'm gonna say it is.)
-Leaving town without telling anyone just long enough to make a certain teenager very excited that he never seemed to be coming back, just to return.
-Leaving town without telling anyone with his girlfriend, making this girlfriends daughter incredibly nervous, and unbelievably relieved when they returned.
-Making huge scenes in public, and very inappropriate places.
-Crappy reality shows, that he watched 24/7 with the volume as loud as it would go.
-Occasionally hitting his girlfriend.
-And hitting his girlfriend's daughter.
He only hit me once. He hit my mom more, but I would try to stop him, he would turn on me, and my mom would somehow make him stop before he actually hit me.
Anyway, so Rick was a total Asshole. So, about 6 months after my mom and Rick started dating, I had to do this project in school.
I will mention that I really loved school at that point. I was still keeping up good grades and it was a distraction from all the shittiness at home.
So, school project. Something in history. So, I had to do some research.
So I went to the library.
I also hung out a lot at the library around that time, usually bringing James with me. But James was with Mrs. Copper, and I was planning on spending most of the day at the library. Also, Mom and Rick didn't know James stayed at Mrs. Copper's, so hopefully they wouldn't find him.
So, yeah, library.
I got to the library. I was excited, I really loved it there. I actually love reading, and the smell of paper was basically my favorite thing in the entire world.
I went through my regular routine, saying hi to the librarians, looking around, picking a book, and settling down in a chair to study for a little while.
I was feeling relaxed. I was feeling something close to happy.
And then I heard something.
It was a giggle. This flirty, stupid school girl giggle.
It was a giggle I knew.
Very slowly, and very quietly, I closed my book, and rested it on the table. I slowly got up, and walked over to the book case. There was a gap in between books. I carefully peered in.
It was my mother, and Rick.
The were up against a wall. He had his hands on her ass, and she had hers in his hair. He was aggressively making out with her neck. I came pretty close to vomiting.
I couldn't move. I felt if I moved my legs, they would evaporate, and I would be left as a crying puddle on the floor. So I stayed. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. I felt numb.
After a few minutes, my mom moved her hands to his chest, and tried to push him off.
"Come on Ricky," She said. "I should go home."
Rick ignored her. He moved to the other side of her neck.
"Really Ricky. The kids are waiting."
"Fuck the kids," Ricky said.
Mom giggled again, and they went back to making out. About 30 seconds later, she pushed him off again.
"No, I should really go home."
She started to walk away, but Rick was holding onto her arm.
"Come on Ricky." Mom pulled a little. "Let go."
"No," Ricky said, and pulled her towards him.
"Really," She said.
"I said no." He seemed to be trying to eat her face.
"Rick. Stop." The playfulness was gone from her voice now.
He continued to eat her face.
"Stop!"
"God dammit woman," He said. Now he was trying to pull off her shirt.
"Rick! Stop it! RICK!"
He pushed her up against the wall.
"STOP!" She could barely speak with his tongue stuffed in her mouth. He was ripping off her shirt.
My legs suddenly went back into motion. I ran around the bookcase as fast as I could.
"GET OFF HER!" I yelled, and with the force of a thousand Hulk Hogans, I pushed him off my mother.
He tumbled to the ground, and I landed a few feet away from him. I felt like every bone in my body was broken, but he seemed alright. He got back up, and started at me.
"No!" My mom cried, as he pulled me off the floor, and smacked my across the face. I tasted blood in my mouth.
"SHUT UP!" Rick yelled. He hit me again.
Mom got up, and ran over to him, trying to fight him, hitting at his arms as he slapped me for a third time. But it was like an ant against a gorilla.
He hit me a fourth time, and then let my drop to the ground, like I was nothing more than a sack of flesh. Now he turned on my mother.
I was feeling dizzy, and I was sure I had some cuts on my face, since blood was dripping into my eye. But from where I was lying, I managed to see Rick hit my mother across the face too many times to count. He pulled her up by her arm. He yelled at her. (It was this time when I realized no one in the library seemed to be hearing this.)
And I regained at least a little of my strength. I pulled myself up. I ran at him.
He pushed me away like I was a fly. Then he looked down at me.
"You little fucking bitch," He said. "Why can't you stop being suck a little whore for 5 FUCKING MINUTES!!!"
I now the blood pouring into my eyes was mixed with tears. But he turned away, and he started storming out of the library.
"Baby, wait!" Mom called, from where she was propped up against the wall. She stumbled up, trying to reach for him.
Then she looked at me, tears pouring down her face, blood running down her cheeks. Her eyes were paralyzed, struck with fear.
"This is all your fault!" She yelled. "Why did you make him leave! Why did you even come! You fuck up everything you touch, you BITCH!" (The bitch was a lot louder than anything else she yelled)
Then she turned away, and started running after him, yelling, "Baby, wait! Come back, Ricky, please!"
And that was the last time I saw my mother.
---
Wow, it just got dark.
Hi. Thank you for reading. Hope you liked this chapter, quite a bit of backstory... actually not that much, but it's my favorite part of the backstory.
Please vote, comment, and follow me if you liked it.
Sorry it took me so long to publish this chapter, I had to get it just right.
Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.
Thank you guys so much for reading.
XOX