-VEA-

I stepped out onto the asphalt with my bare feet, just as the cold breeze from the night fanned across my cheeks and the chill covered my toes. My long hair flew up behind me, and I was still walking straight towards the navy sedan with clarity in my mind. I came up to the side of it, and tried to look inside, but the side window was tinted black. I tapped my knuckles on it. And waited for the person inside to roll it down.

Instead of the windows winding down, the car door popped open. I took a step back and waited with bated breath for the person to reveal herself, but I gasped when I saw that it wasn’t his mother.

It was the guy himself.

He was dressed in an oversized polo, and jeans that were also not fitting. His auburn hair was neatly trimmed, but I could see that he had not shaved recently. He blinked rapidly as he stood facing me, and his fingers were rubbing against one another like a broken doll.

“What are you doing stalking my house?” I asked.

“You - “ he said. “You ruined my life! My family’s lives!”

I paused. Irritation pricked me, and I wanted to shoot forward to spit in his face.

“I committed no crime,” I stated. “You’re the criminal. Especially with what you’re doing right now.”

He gritted his teeth. “You have to pay! Pay for what you’ve done! Now!”

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I smiled. “Or?”

“Or I’ll report you to the school and have you expelled!” he yelled.

I didn’t want that to happen. “Don’t do that.”

“You know what? I shall! I will, right this instant, with haste - “

“Look, you don’t know everything,” I said. “You don’t understand why I did it.”

“What?” he said, eyes blazing. “Why did you do it?”

“I couldn’t help it!” I said. “I live everyday with scars from my past! I was wounded, and am wounded still. You don’t know what kind of monster I’m living with. My godfather - He - That monster has been abusing me from when I was only a toddler right up to this moment. The reason why I do shit like that is because I don’t have a good relationship with sex. How can I, after what my godfather did to me?”

Total lie.

“Wha - “ he began, brows still knitted. Disbelief was written all across the creases by his eyes.

“Do you know what he said when he was caught? You will never believe your ears. He told the person who caught him that if I wanted to explore and have sex, then I should do it within my own family, instead of searching outside it! Because there were so many bad people outside, and that if I sought sexual pleasure from inside my family, I would be safer. He was only looking out for me, he said.”

Another lie.

“I didn’t know at all, “ he said, and his brows unkitted, his back straightening to composure.

“Guess what?” I said, tears flowing. “My godfather was never put away. He is still free to ruin my life. I was just trying to survive everyday. I’m sorry I did such stupid shit. I’m just sorry. I’m just so sorry.” My shoulders shook as I cried.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have confronted you like that,” he said. “I apologise. Please forgive me.”

“It’s okay.”

He looked down at the ground between us. “We should just forget everything. Let it all be in the past.”

“Y-Yeah,” I said, crying. “Thanks.”

He snapped his head towards the vehicle. “I have to go.”

I watched as he got in, and the car drove off. I waved at the vehicle as I wiped my crocodile tears away, then started towards my house to go inside and head to my bedroom.

But I caught my godfather standing by his car, a water hose in his hand, right in the middle of washing it.

He had heard everything.