Aftermath Ch. 01-02

"Yeah, Mells?" I asked back.

"I really love you." There it was. My Kryptonite. The pure honest love you have for someone when they love you back equally. As strong as it is selfless.

"I wouldn't be able to love anything if it wasn't for you," I said honestly. I was never comfortable with emotion and I was damn near distraught when it came to strong ones.

"You should wear the green dress that makes me question my sexuality." Mellissa exclaimed. She was always very good at knowing when to change a topic subtly and when to make a joke at the same time to change the direction of emotions. "We'll meet at V and I'll be your wingette." The joke was that I did not need one. "You can't back out to mope. Be there at 7:30 p.m." She hung up the phone.

I returned the phone to the receiver. I looked at the papers on my desk and pick up two calling cards. I tapped my stylus on the desk. I made several calculations and circled the tallied amount, looked up at Josh.

"Here's what we are going to do Joshua."

2

I hopped into the bath to relax and get clean before I went out for drinks. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift to forgotten places.

Mells had been my best friend since the eighth grade. I'd loved her the moment I saw her. She had those long flowing curls of sunshine. I was skate boarding with my friends in the parking lot across the street from my school. I saw a little princess running down the street, bare foot in a pale pink dress. I was in love, which I later figured out was just admiration and possessiveness.

As she got closer I could see that her face was bruised and she was running down the street for her life, her face tear streaked. Without hesitation I picked up my skate board and ran for her. When I caught up to her, instinct took over. I scooped her into my arms, looked her in the eyes and told her I was going to save her. She didn't say a word. I put down my banana board and skated us to my house. When we got there she still had yet to say anything. Being almost fully grown into my adult body, I was able to pick her up and carry her to the bathroom inside my house. My parents had yet to come home from a meeting. It was the only reason I was allowed to leave the property and skate board with boys. They didn't know. I placed her on top of the counter and started a bath.

While the water ran I smoothed her hair out of her swollen face to check the damage. One black eye, a split lip, and a swollen cheek bone. Someone had hit her at least three times. The poor girl was in shock or broken so bad she was broken on the inside. I helped her into the tub. The soles of her feet had sharp pebbles embedded into them. I watched the swirling blood in the water. I was strangely fascinated by the swirls of blood.

She had stopped crying and just sat there watching me pick the stones out of her feet. She was like something so wounded it could no longer protest. The blood had stopped dancing in the water. I lifted her feet out of the water so the shampoo didn't sting them. After rinsing her hair I washed her back to discover old, as well as new scars all over her body. What kind of monster could hurt a little girl?

"You remind me of Tinkerbelle only you're beat up," I told her hoping to break the silence. In my head I was praying for her to react somehow. "You look like Snow White, only tougher." She smiled at me. She smiled as though we were friends spending time together just as always. It felt rather strange.

"I'm Lillian. What's your name?" I asked, hopeful she was not actually broken.

"Mellissa Riley. Thank you Lillian for being my Peter Pan." We both smiled at each other. I really did love this girl, only now like a big sister.

"I really have to disinfect your feet. Can you put your arms around my neck so I can put you back on the counter?" She put her arms out so I could wrap a big towel around her. After her feet were cleaned and bandaged I gave her some of my clothes to wear.

Every time she calls me Pan I think of that day. I dunked my head down into the tub to rinse my hair. I looked at the clock 6:32. "Shit. shit. shit!"I hadn't realized an hour had passed by. Jumping out of the tub I flipped my hair over my head brushing it as I air dried. I put on the green dress Mellissa had bought for me. It was a slinky material that clung to all the best places and hung nicely on the rest. My waist length hair is so baby fine I never have to blow dry it. I decided down straight so that the focus was on getting out the door, I was running late. I threw on my heels hopping towards the door. I grabbed my pre-packed purse, and decided I would take a cab so I could do my make up on the way.