Page 31 of Hurt Me Not
She had connections. She had deals in the works up to five years in advance. The scale of everything was beyond my understanding.
It made me realize how much of a fish out of water I really was.
The job itself was simple, but everything behind it, including Emerson, was stress-inducing.
My eyes lingered on her again. The VP of Finance, Cristian, was inside talking to her like he was an old friend. She looked up at him with a bored expression, but I could see the slight twist of her lips every so often.
She really isn't the same girl I knew back then, and I’m so happy for her.
Because I knew what she’d been through. Even though she probably had no idea I did.
I watched the way her father treated her.
I could never bring it up with her for several reasons. I was afraid of how she’d react, of course, and if her cutting words toward me could become even worse, especially since I’d have to tell her that I followed her sometimes and witnessed the abuse.
But mostly… Because it seemed to me that it would be more painful if she realized someone else knew, and she’d been through enough pain already. Making her relive it? And with little old me? I couldn't think of a worse hell for her.
And yet, I’d never been able to forget. Or to regret not doing something about it.
The scene was engraved in my mind.
The muffled sound of punches and kicks played from behind the dumpster. I paused when I heard it, my heart dropping into my stomach.
I knew what was going on. It wasn't the first time I had heard it, but this would be the first time I’d see it.
Our schedules lined up, so I followed her home, but she didn’t go there. She went to meet her father at some random shop. But she never made it inside.
“I told you to bring it!”
“No, you fucking didn’t! Don't think just because you're drunk you can?—”
“Wanna talk back to me, huh?”
“Fuck off!”
I leaned over the corner just in time to see Emerson be thrown to the ground and her father place his foot on her throat. I could tell the side of her eye was getting swollen, andshe likely wouldn't be showing up to school for the next few days.
There were rumors going around that this happened all the time. He was probably careful about not giving her any obvious bruises, but he seemed out of control now.
I ducked back around the corner. Should I call the cops? Would they take her dad away? Would he come back? Would he give her a worse beating if he did?
Would he end up killing her?
Fuck. How could I go up against him if Emerson herself couldn't do it?
But when I turned back around, I realized that it wasn't that Emerson couldn’t. She… didn't want to.
She lay there as he kicked her side, unmoving. Her eyes were focused on the sky.
Tears escaped my eyes.
I couldn't fathom how anyone on earth could hurt Emerson like that.
Unable to control my sobs, I forced myself to leave Emerson. Alone.
“I'll pick something up for you!” Cristian said as he left her office. The suddenness of his voice had me snapping back to reality.
There were many things I regretted about my high school years, and not being strong enough to help Emerson was at the top of the list. But looking back at her now, I was proud. She rose above it. She became the person she was always meant to be. She left all that behind.
