Loved But Broken

Chapter 2

I ran to my room the pool was finally open. I found my bikini set, tied the straps up so my breasts would not fall out. Being slightly well endowed in the chest area had its ups but also had its downs too. The strings on my briefs to match were done just as tight so they would not fall off. I slipped on my board shorts and tank top, heading out the door before mum realised what I was wearing she was a bit of a nun even when it came to my swimwear. Walking the few houses down to the pool went fast. Before I knew it, I was at the kiosk ready to pay my dollar to get in. Once you paid here you could come and go as many times as you wished. Most of the other pools you had to repay once you left. And if you were not swimming you did not have to pay. I handed my dollar to Lucy.

Once inside the gates I threw my towel down on the grass and dived straight in. So graceful a swan would have been proud of it. Not even a splash as I went in the water. The coolness was enough to calm my racing heart. William was watching me as I snuck out of the house. After a few laps of the 50m pool I was feeling more relaxed the initial shock of the coolness had settled other people were gathering to the water now. As I looked up, I cringed. Fabulous Robert decided to come today. Sasha and he weren’t fans of me. They should have learnt what the word no means. Guess they didn’t get the 411 on that one.

Swimming to the edge of the pool I pushed myself up onto the edge to climb out. Next stop diving board. I loved being able to use the diving board now. In lessons we weren’t allowed to use it and it had been broken the committee have just replaced it. Calmly walking to the edge of the board I was gauging how my steps it would take as a run and dive. One two three jump dives simple. I got this. Hitting the water this time I dove to the bottom of the 2m depth. As I was rising to the top I was pushed back down. Looking around under the water Robert was there smirking. It was enough for me to end my day in the water. Reaching my towel on the shore I wrapped myself up and left holding back tears so they didn’t see them until I was almost home. No words or retaliation walking back in the door trying to calm myself down, William looked up at me. His face changed to anger. Shocked I didn’t say anything to him.

“Mmmuuumm Robert just deliberately tried to drown me,” I cried. William was listening to every word; he was out the door before any of us had a chance to stop him. Dad wasn’t home thanking goodness he would kill Robert. Pretty sure that’s what William was thinking too his whole face changed as soon as I started telling mum what happened. Why did he take off like that? Robert has hated me since I told him I would never sleep with him. He didn’t like that. We were dating for a couple months until he tried pushing the issue constantly so I broke up with him. His hated me for the last year and usually I stay far away from him and Sasha.

I hate them as much as they hate me. Nan never liked them when they first arrived if she was still alive, we wouldn’t have got mixed up with them. After what felt like hours I was sitting on our wrap around veranda, more like lying I had my towel laid down and was spread out on my belly drying off still wearing my purple board shorts but no tank on now was how William seen me when he walked back in. I looked up as I heard the footsteps tears were gone now. Sipping on my glass of lemonade, he bent down so he was level with me. “Soph, are you okay.” He asked me concern in his voice. He spoke so gentle to me. He looked a lot calmer now than when he disappeared. “It’s fixed they won’t bother you again.”

“Thank you, William, you didn’t have to do that but thanks I appreciate your concern. Mum’s gone down to talk his parents. Dad doesn’t know yet what happened.” I said as calmly as I could my body was still shaking slightly from the incident. I sat up and before I knew it, he was hugging me. Butterflies were going nuts in my stomach. I was seriously attracted to this man. Lifting my face up to look at him I kissed him before I knew what I was doing. He was kissing me back. Shocked by my own actions I jumped up and ran inside. Sophie you i***t why did you do that for scolding myself. That kiss was magical. My whole body felt like it was on fire. Unsure of why my body just betrayed me. Locking my door to my room I hid out in the quietness. I had access to our veranda directly from my room. Moments like what just happened outside were great for quick escaping. He looked devastated when I took off. In no natural world would it be right for anything to happen between us. Typical families wouldn’t allow it. The kiss only had me longing for him more. I opened my work book for English and wrote out my assignment. Words just started flowing out of me on to the page. Finally, I was finished it well sort of had to submit it to the teacher as a draft first and see what needs changing. Love is like a dove; it hits you from high above...

By the time Monday rolled back around I’d avoided William for most of the weekend it was late February my birthday was in a few days. Like usual it’ll just be another ordinary day. Nothing much to celebrate only a year older. I hated birthdays ever since Nan died. They are meant to be special occasions and while she was alive, they were. We grew up how kids are meant to grow up being kids, playing in the mud when it rained, climbing trees and running round on the lush grass. When Nan died it was like we grew up suddenly overnight. Aunty Ann had to break the news to all of us kids. Billie took it the hardest and ended up running away just after his fifteenth birthday. For a year he left Mark and I behind to handle the after effects of losing nan. Even Pa wasn’t the same and we stopped celebrating most things. Christmas and Easter were the main occasions we still celebrated but even those weren’t the same anymore. So why would my fifteenth birthday be any different. It wasn’t any different to every other year except this year I had William and he made it a day to remember. Looking out at the world today I was able to appreciate the little things in my life.

Those little things have will make me a stronger person and I will take that into my adulthood. I never did have a chance to enjoy my childhood and I wish I could have had a different childhood. These things you can’t change though. Nan and Pa did their best for us, now it was Mum and Dad that had to step up and where are they on the one day of the year that I would like them to acknowledge they’re both down the pub playing darts. There was always something that was more important to deal with. There were days where I wish I could lock myself away and throw away the key. This was the way my life was. Days like these I yearned to be able to leave home and start my own life. I was already more grown up then most people in my year at school, none of them had been through what I have been through in the short span of my life. By the time I turn fifteen I would have learnt several life skills that were never taught at school. Only because they were that life skills. Not some textbook explanation but reality.

By the time I was twelve I was able to wash laundry, dishes, cook a meal, keep a house sort of tidy. Chores that were drilled into me at young at age. Days where I just wished I could be a kid out in the rain building mud dams in the flowing gutters while pouring down rain. Even just playing in the rain not a care in the world. Secrets were kept but never not frowned upon. There were things you just didn’t talk about to anyone. Even with friends from school, they have known me my whole life but they don’t really know me. They see the front that I want people to see and that’s all.