Wild Ride

You have to promise

“How bad was it last night?” She asks.

I gasp and look in the mirror. I know I covered everything.

“It was fine,” I say when I look back at her. She has her mouth hanging open and she’s staring at me. “What?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asks.

“Yeah, I got grounded but that’s it,” I say.

“Damn, that sucks. Hopefully you’ll be off punishment in time for Hunter’s party next weekend. His parents are taking his littles to their grandparents and he’s getting left behind,” she says. 

“Maybe you’ll finally hook up with Adam,” I laugh.

“Oh I wish. He’s playing hard to get. What about you? When are you going to get that cherry popped?” She asks.

“I’m not. You know I promised my mom,” I say. Christina is the only one who knows the whole truth about me. She’s been my bestie since I moved here. Thick and thin that’s my main b***h. I started spiraling and her parents gave her permission to follow me anywhere and keep me out of trouble. They didn’t want anything bad to happen to me since they know my dad is pretty much M.I.A.

“I know, but you’re never going to fall in love if you don’t put yourself out there. I heard Hunter has a crush on you,” she says.

“No way. He’s too gorgeous. He can have any girl he wants and I’m not his type. He likes all the skinny blond barbies. I am none of those,” I tell her. “Besides isn’t he dating Nicki?”

“Nope he dumped her when he caught her blowing the boys soccer team,” she says.

“The whole team?” I ask.

“Yup, all of them,” she says.

“At once?” I ask.

“Apparently he went into the locker room because he forgot his phone and it was an all out c*m fest in there. She was ass naked on her knees and one of them was recording it,” she says.

“What a slut. I can't believe she would do that to him. Hunter is such a sweetheart,” I say.

“Are we talking about the same guy? He’s a jerk. A smoking hot jerk, but still a jerk,” she says.

“He’s always nice to me,” I say.

“Yeah because he likes you stupid!” She says smacking me in the stomach.

“Ouch!” I yell and block myself from getting hit again.

Christina pulls into the school parking lot and slams the breaks.

“I barely touched you, how badly could I have hurt you?” She asks.

“It wasn’t you that hurt me,” I slip. I cover my mouth with my hand and hope she didn’t hear me.

“Who hurt you Diana?” She asks.

“What? No one,” I tell her.

She reaches over and pokes my stomach again. I bat her hand away and cry in pain.

“Please stop,” I say.

“Then show me what you’re hiding. We’ve been friends for eight years and I know when something is wrong with you. Do I need to call your dad?” She asks.

“NO!!!” I yell.

She gasps, “Did he hurt you last night?” 

She reaches over and pulls up my sweatshirt revealing a nasty purple bruise. I try to pull it back down but she keeps looking for more.

“He beat you for drinking last night?” She asks.

I can't help but cower in fear, “I’ve never been afraid of my father before but last night was the most horrible experience of my life.”

“Why didn’t you call the police?” She asks.

“I can't. I have nowhere else to go. I don’t have any family in the U.S. and I can't go back to Brazil. My grandmother is too old to take care of me. She didn’t have any other kids other than mom,” I tell her. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone. You have to promise.”

“I can’t. Your dad kicked your ass last night for drinking when he’s been drunk since the day your mom died. You have to tell someone,” she says.

“No. I’m not telling anyone. He’s never hit me before and you don’t know that he’ll do it again,” I tell her. “I’m fine and if you say anything then you aren’t really my friend.”

“I am your friend. You know I am. But if he hurts you again then we have to tell my parents,” she says.

“They can’t do anything to him. He’s a powerful lawyer in this town and I’m a minor who got put on a psych hold when her mom died. Who are people going to believe?” I tell her. “Come on we’re going to be late for class.”