curls still stuck out above the aisle of batteries when she looked back. As she kicked the door to the warehouse open, she wished things could be different with Myles. Easy. Like with Orin.
Fat chance.
If wishes came true, she’d have custody of Jenny.
She tried her best not to think about the boys. Instead, she focused on how best to get Jenny’s cellphone to her. At least she had some control over that.
* * * *
Breena pulled into the two-pump gas station at the end of Dogwood Drive. While the almost empty Beetle gurgled away her hard-earned money, she called the house. To her relief, Jenny answered on the second ring and said she was alone.
Once Breena had filled up, she left the CITGO. At Norma’s, she parked behind the shed so she could make an undetected escape if Evil One and Two came home.
“Hi, sis!” Jenny jumped into her sister’s arms, wrapped her legs around her and nearly knocked her down as Breena met her on the steps.
Returning the hug, Breena breathed in the fruity smell of Jenny’s shampoo. It’d only been a day, but she hated the separation.
The swelling from her bruised eye had already gone away and it wasn’t black anymore. Although the yellowish color didn’t look the best, at least it proved Jenny was healing. As Jenny hopped down, she landed a little shaky on her left leg.
Breena held her sister’s hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Jenny poked at her eye to show it didn’t hurt.
My little trooper .
Then she noticed why Jenny favored her left leg–a huge red welt on her shin. “Jenny, what’s this? They did this?”
Jenny looked down at the weathered porch.
Breena got down on her knees and lifted Jenny’s chin, forcing her to look her in the eye. “This isn’t your fault, Jenny. Norma and Susan are bad people.”
Damn bitches .
She’d gotten used to taking their shit. She’d taken it for Jenny too, when she could. And now she had gone and made things worse. At least before, she’d been able to stop by. Granted, she’d been treated the same during her visits as she had when she’d lived there, but she’d managed to buffer more than a few beatings.
Somehow, some way, she’d get Jenny out of this mess. Breena didn’t care how fast her sister healed, the mental scars would last a lot longer. She was proof of that.
“Bea, don’t worry. Doesn’t really hurt.” Big saucer eyes peered up at Breena.
She wanted to scream or cry. Maybe both. But not here. Not in front of Jenny. Breena would be her rock. Miss Dependable.
“You’re strong, Jenny.”
Jenny grinned while she mock-flexed her scrawny arm. Breena couldn’t help but relax a little and let loose a smile.
It won’t always be like this , Breena promised her sister silently.
She needed to take both their minds off the abuse, or she might do something that would land her in jail. Then she really wouldn’t be any use.
“Hang on a sec.” Breena raced to her car and came back with the Radio Shack bag. “Got ya something.” She panted. Maybe a run might be a good idea from time to time, especially with the way she’d been eating lately.
“A present?”
“Yup.”
Jenny beamed.
Breena motioned her sister inside. “Come on, you can open it while I do some of your chores, then I’ve got to head out.”
Jenny’s grin turned into a pout almost instantly.
Breena died a little inside every time she left Jenny here. But the other part of her felt a sense of…relief.
Am I a bad person?
She decided not to walk that rhetorical path right now. Instead, she opted for the semi-normal. “What did you do today?”
Jenny jumped onto the bed with a little less oomph than usual before dumping out the contents of the bag. “Watched TV, read, ate lunch with Myles, did chores–”
“You ate lunch with Myles?” Breena cocked her head to the side.
“Yeah. He brought me a Hardees’ cheeseburger.”
“Did he say why he stopped by?”
“He wanted to make sure I was all right.”
Breena raised an
Fat chance.
If wishes came true, she’d have custody of Jenny.
She tried her best not to think about the boys. Instead, she focused on how best to get Jenny’s cellphone to her. At least she had some control over that.
* * * *
Breena pulled into the two-pump gas station at the end of Dogwood Drive. While the almost empty Beetle gurgled away her hard-earned money, she called the house. To her relief, Jenny answered on the second ring and said she was alone.
Once Breena had filled up, she left the CITGO. At Norma’s, she parked behind the shed so she could make an undetected escape if Evil One and Two came home.
“Hi, sis!” Jenny jumped into her sister’s arms, wrapped her legs around her and nearly knocked her down as Breena met her on the steps.
Returning the hug, Breena breathed in the fruity smell of Jenny’s shampoo. It’d only been a day, but she hated the separation.
The swelling from her bruised eye had already gone away and it wasn’t black anymore. Although the yellowish color didn’t look the best, at least it proved Jenny was healing. As Jenny hopped down, she landed a little shaky on her left leg.
Breena held her sister’s hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Jenny poked at her eye to show it didn’t hurt.
My little trooper .
Then she noticed why Jenny favored her left leg–a huge red welt on her shin. “Jenny, what’s this? They did this?”
Jenny looked down at the weathered porch.
Breena got down on her knees and lifted Jenny’s chin, forcing her to look her in the eye. “This isn’t your fault, Jenny. Norma and Susan are bad people.”
Damn bitches .
She’d gotten used to taking their shit. She’d taken it for Jenny too, when she could. And now she had gone and made things worse. At least before, she’d been able to stop by. Granted, she’d been treated the same during her visits as she had when she’d lived there, but she’d managed to buffer more than a few beatings.
Somehow, some way, she’d get Jenny out of this mess. Breena didn’t care how fast her sister healed, the mental scars would last a lot longer. She was proof of that.
“Bea, don’t worry. Doesn’t really hurt.” Big saucer eyes peered up at Breena.
She wanted to scream or cry. Maybe both. But not here. Not in front of Jenny. Breena would be her rock. Miss Dependable.
“You’re strong, Jenny.”
Jenny grinned while she mock-flexed her scrawny arm. Breena couldn’t help but relax a little and let loose a smile.
It won’t always be like this , Breena promised her sister silently.
She needed to take both their minds off the abuse, or she might do something that would land her in jail. Then she really wouldn’t be any use.
“Hang on a sec.” Breena raced to her car and came back with the Radio Shack bag. “Got ya something.” She panted. Maybe a run might be a good idea from time to time, especially with the way she’d been eating lately.
“A present?”
“Yup.”
Jenny beamed.
Breena motioned her sister inside. “Come on, you can open it while I do some of your chores, then I’ve got to head out.”
Jenny’s grin turned into a pout almost instantly.
Breena died a little inside every time she left Jenny here. But the other part of her felt a sense of…relief.
Am I a bad person?
She decided not to walk that rhetorical path right now. Instead, she opted for the semi-normal. “What did you do today?”
Jenny jumped onto the bed with a little less oomph than usual before dumping out the contents of the bag. “Watched TV, read, ate lunch with Myles, did chores–”
“You ate lunch with Myles?” Breena cocked her head to the side.
“Yeah. He brought me a Hardees’ cheeseburger.”
“Did he say why he stopped by?”
“He wanted to make sure I was all right.”
Breena raised an
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