"It seems like we've been seeing each other lately." Tory said as soon as she approached Melissa.
Melissa, who was sitting on a bench in the small park a few feet blocks away from her apartment looked up and her friend and a wry smile appeared on her lips.
"Well, I guess you can say that."
Tory sat down beside her and exhaled, her breath was visible. "Looks like it's getting colder."
"Mm, yeah." Melissa replied absentmindedly.
"You sounded sad on the phone this morning, is everything okay, Mel?"
Melissa sighed and her eyes wondered around the quiet park. It was a little after 7pm. The sky had changed from a bright blue, to a darker blue. The park which always looked fun and jovial, was now shrouded in darkness, giving off a solitary feeling. The swings and play equipments in the park had casted dark shadows to the ground as the moon popped out from within the thick grey clouds. The park was quiescent, and it perfect for Melissa to air out her thoughts.
"I definitely would be lying if I say I'm fine. I'm not fine Tory, and that's why I called. I needed someone to talk to, a listening ear or a shoulder to...maybe cry on?" Her voice cracked up a bit.
" What's up? You can tell me anything."
Melissa exhaled and clasped her hands on her thighs. "It's about Brandon, Tory. He's becoming more and more distant from me. I'm scared he'll finally drift away from it and I won't be able to do anything. It's terrifying."
Tory chuckled a bit and gave Melissa several pats on the back.
"Oh, come on Mel, he's a teenager that's how they are. I told you, it's his rebelling phase. He'll get over it eventually. The same thing happened with my sister before she went to college. Now, she calls me all the time to check up on me."
Melissa looked at Tory, wistfully.
"You don't understand Tory. It's not just rebellious behaviour, it's not that at all. Brandon and I...we don't exactly have a good history together." Her lips quivered as she spoke.
Tory's smile suddenly faded. She became keenly interested and worried about what Melissa was saying. "Did... something bad happen between the both of you?"
Melissa looked to the grassy ground and nodded slowly. "Something I wish I could change."
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Melissa looked up at her friend, contemplating on what to do. She looked back to the ground and sighed.
"Yeah, there's no point in keeping it to myself. It just makes the weight heavier."
Melissa sat up straight and exhaled, like she was preparing herself. She closed her eyes as the memory began pouring into mind slowly.
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Smoke, cigarettes, the smell of alcohol. The musty and damp living room of the tiny house along elmon street. A house that she detested so much. It was just like any other day, seventeen year old Melissa and ten year old Brandon were sitting in the farthest corner of the room, watching their foster father lounge on the worn out musty couch drinking out from a beer bottle. His pathetic face and figure was all Melissa could stare.
Melissa, Brandon and a few other children were the only survivors of the fire that had broken out in the orphanage. With no where to go, they were all sent to different foster homes. Melissa and Brandon ended up in one of the worst homes. Their foster father was an abusive man who drinks and smokes all day, while his wife didn't say anything while she got beaten by him every single night. It was hell living in the foster home, but they had a roof over their head, clean clothes, good food and someone to pay for their tuition fee, so Melissa couldn't complain. All she could do was stay quiet and endure everything.
Melissa clutched Brandon's hand tightly as they squeezed together in the corner. The man sitting on the couch scratched his unkempt beard and let out a dissatisfied huff. He threw the empty beer bottle to the ground harshly and it scattered into the pieces.
"You! Clean this up!" He bellowed as he pointed to Melissa.
Melissa glared at him as she reluctantly got up from the floor, letting go of Brandon's hand. She walked over to the pieces of glass and began to pick them up slowly, not wanting to cut herself.
"Faster!" He hollered.
Melissa gritted her teeth and began to pick the pieces up as fast as she could, but he was dissatisfied with her pace. He grabbed her hair and Melissa winced.
"Are you defective? I said faster!" He shouted this time, his grip on her hair tightening.
"Let me go..." she muttered.
"What?"
"I said let me go!" she exclaimed.
The man's veins began to pop out on his forehead as he clenched his fists. "You think you're old enough to talk back at me now?"
He dragged her off the floor with her hair and landed a blow across her cheek.
"Who do you think is paying for your tuition fee? The clothes you have on now? And the fucking food you eat? Huh?!"
Melissa groaned as pain spread across her cheeks. She grabbed his wrists and tried to budge free from his grip, but that only enticed his anger even more. He landed another blow across her cheek, again and again, and again. Melissa felt herself losing consciousness. She got a glimpse of Brandon weeping and trembling in the corner as she finally drifted away.
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"After I woke up the next day, I became fed up. I couldn't do it anymore. I was tired of getting beat up day in, day out. And then I ran away and came to your place." Melissa said as she opened her eyes slowly.
Tory nodded as she recalled an injured Melissa showing up at her doorsteps. She didn't question Melissa and Melissa didn't seem like she was ready to talk about it, so she let it be. Hearing the story now was making Tory boil with anger.
"You know I was so stupid back then. I actually thought he wouldn't hit Brandon because he never has, but I was wrong."
Melissa croaked, a tear slipping down her eye.
She cleared her throat and continued.
"I come back days after and I see Brandon covered in bruises, a lot of bruises. He even had a black eye, and that was when it hit me, I was the one protecting Brandon all along and since I left, he hit Brandon as much as he wanted."
Melissa broke down and began to cry. Tory wrapped her in a hug and sighed. "I'm guessing that's when your relationship got sour."
Melissa nodded. She withdrew herself from Tory's embrace and cleaned her eyes.
"And I don't think there's any way I can fix our rela-"
Melissa paused when she noticed a familiar black car pull up beside the entrance to the park.