Collateral Damage (From the Damage)

by Jasmine Denton

  “Well, he’s picky,” she said, dropping her bags on the staircase and disappearing into the kitchen. She came out a second or two later, carrying a fold-up footstool, which she used to stand on and pull the curtain rod from the bracket. With quick, expert movements, she popped the curtain rod apart, slid the curtains to a heap on the floor and then reassembled the rod and hung it back up.

  “Wow,” he said as she moved to the next window. “You get straight to work.”

  “Well, there are a lot of curtains in this place. A lot of laundry to wash, period. I’ll be lucky if I get it done before he gets home.”

  “Then we should hurry,” Alex said, reaching up to pull another curtain rod down.

  They worked well together, washing the laundry and then folding it. In between loads, he helped her dust the shelves and wash the windows. With his help, the cleaning went quickly and his company made the experience a lot more pleasant.

  In two hours, they were finished. Kay dumped a dirty pair of latex gloves into the trashcan and turned to Alex, where he was giving the counter a final once-over with the washcloth.

  It made her smile to see him use his one good arm to help her clean for hours when he could’ve been in a drama-free zone, doing whatever teenage boys do on Sunday nights. Leaning against the counter, she looked over at him, unable to hide her appreciation. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you this weekend.”

  He only grinned and shrugged it off. “I’m sure you would’ve been just fine.”

  She shook her head, knowing she would’ve been more of a mess without him there to hold her together. “No, seriously. I really needed you and you came through. I just wanted you to know…it means a lot.”

  Coming closer, he leaned against the counter with one hand. “Any time you need me, just call. I mean that, Kay.”

  She felt her cheeks blush. “I should probably get some sleep,” she said suddenly, remembering the day she had ahead.

  “Yeah, you should get some rest. You look exhausted.”

  Chuckling, she self-consciously remembered how frizzy her hair could get and the way her make-up had faded, revealing the circles under her eyes. After the day she’d had, she must’ve looked ghastly. “A good night’s sleep should take care of that,” she said.

  “Want a goodnight kiss first?” he teased, moving closer, touching his lips to hers. Her lips parted to meet his kiss, arms pulling him closer to her. Even with the smell of bleach and fading taste of peppermint gum, he felt amazing. Warm and comforting, causing her to fall deeper and deeper into the kiss.

  Until they both heard a loud ah-hem.

  Stiffening in dread, Kay turned her head to the noise. Horrified to see her dad standing in the doorway leading to the dining room, looking in on the happy couple.

  Alex’s arm was looped around Kay’s waist, pressing her body tightly against his, and their heads were turned toward him, surprised and fearful expressions on their faces. Kay’s arms were wound around Alex’s neck and their lips were red from the heated kiss. And even though she’d gone above and beyond to hide her actions that weekend, she knew this was enough to make it a really, really bad night.

  Roger simply stood, straight and stiff and intimidating, giving them that icy cold glare seen on cops and soldiers.

  “Dad,” Kay said, pushing Alex back and wiping her mouth, trying to think of a way to smooth things over. “You said…”

  “I’d be gone four days, I know,” he said, cocking his head to the side. “A little test. Looks like you’ve failed, Kay.”

  “Dad, I’m sorry,” she said, coming closer. “Alex was just staying to help me clean—”

  “Clean what?” he asked, shooting her a disappointed scowl. “Your teeth?”

  “With all due respect sir,” Alex said, stepping up. “Kay’s worked very hard tonight to make you happy. Maybe you could—”

  “Happy?” he repeated, stepping further into the room. “You know what would make me happy, son?” Standing in front of Alex, looming over him, he tossed a look of disgust her way. “Having a daughter who didn’t fool around every time my back is turned.”

  He looked Alex up and down, studying his cast like he just now recognized him. “You’re that boy who got hit by a car.”

  Alex hesitated, as if wondering where he was going with this, while Roger walked past him to Kay.

  She was standing still, but her hands were shaking as he stopped in front of her. His calculating, angry gaze held her terrified one as he said, “What did I say about seeing him?”

  Alex raised an eyebrow, looking at Kay with question as she stared up at her dad. Seeing how scared she was, he felt obligated to step in. “Listen, sir—”

  “You,” Roger shouted, pointing a stern finger at him. “Should get out of my house before I load my shotgun.”

  Alex looked from Roger to Kay and reached his hand out. “Kay, let’s go.”

  Kay stepped forward about the same time her dad’s temper exploded, wedging herself between them as Roger did his intimidation walk toward Alex.

  “Let’s go!” Roger repeated, loudly. “Let’s go? Who do you think you are?”

  “Alex, just go.” Without waiting for an answer, Kay grabbed him and rushed him into the dining room, then through the living room to the front door with her dad right on her heels.

  Her heart was aching and pounding and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get the looming cloud of dread and fear to dissipate. Alex and Roger’s protests mingled as each one tried to pull her their direction, but she knew better than to disobey her father. She pulled the front door open and shoved Alex out onto the porch, mouthing an apology.

  “Kay, just come with me,” he said, eyes pleading, hand outstretched, ready and willing to help.

  With her father’s indistinct and bitter muttering in the background, she said, “Go home.”

  She slammed the door shut and turned, leaning her back against it as she dreadfully and slowly lifted her gaze to meet her father’s. He stood a foot or two away, at the end of the couch. Watching her, each hand tightened into a fist, making the muscles all down his arms jut out.

  Her brain tried to think of something to say, tried to focus on something besides how scary those fists looked, how enraged his eyes looked.

  Without a word, he walked toward her, keeping eye contact with her until the last possible second, when he stopped in front of her and peered over her head to look out the small window.

  “He’s getting in the car,” he told her. “Looks like he doesn’t care much, after all.”

  She barely heard what he said. He was too close, prompting too much fear, for her to comprehend anything else.

  He took a step back once they heard Alex’s car drive off. “Why’d he want you to go with him?” Cocking his head to the side, his gaze bored straight through her, ready to detect a lie. “What have you been telling that boy?”

  Finally, she managed to whisper, “Nothing.”

  “You been crying on his shoulder? Hm?” he taunted in a low voice. “Telling him all about Big Bad Dad?”

  She shook her head. “I swear.”

  Without warning, his fist flew into the side of her face, making her head explode with pain. Her ears rang and her eyes instantly clouded with tears as her head flew to the side with the blow, ricocheting off of the door. While she was stunned from the pain, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and shoved her into the living room so hard she tripped over her feet and landed face first on the floor. She stayed there, hearing each footstep, feeling the floor shake with it, as he walked up behind her.

  She couldn’t find the strength to stand. After everything she’d been through this weekend, this was just too much. He’d broken her spirit the moment his knuckles collided with her temple, and she just didn’t care anymore.

  “I spent all weekend listening to my friends talk about their kids.” Roger knelt down beside Kay, leaning in to talk to her. “They were doctors and law students and great mothers. Even a
few soldiers. And I get this.” He grabbed a handful of Kay’s hair, yanking her head up. “A constantly disobedient, disrespectful attention-whore who never stops to think about the future. Hell, you’ll probably work at that diner for the rest of your life, popping out kid after kid and living on welfare.” He stood, pulling her to her feet along with him, holding her head so tight she thought her neck might snap.

  “Is that what you want? Because that’s exactly where you’re headed.”

  He shoved her again, but this time she caught her balance and starting running. But he only started after her, laughing loud, arrogant cackles as he called, “It’s a nice effort, but you don’t really think you’ll outrun me, do you?”

  ***

  Her body aching with every movement, Kay stopped at the sign at the end of her road. She looked in the rear-view mirror to make sure her dad hadn’t woken up and come after her. But all she saw was a dark, empty street. Her hands shook as she pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts. Bypassing Alex’s name, she stopped on Daphne’s and hit send.

  She held the phone to her ear and waited while the line rang three times, then four, her heart filling with anticipation. Finally, Daphne answered, sounding sleepy and concerned at the same time.

  Kay opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly couldn’t bring herself to do it. The words were so close, right on her lips, and she couldn’t say them. Help me, she pleaded silently, wishing she could just say it out loud.

  “Hello?” Daphne repeated.

  Kay swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut, blurting out, “Daphne, I need your help really bad.”

  “What happened?” She sounded fully awake and alert now. “Kay, are you hurt?”

  “Can we meet somewhere?” she asked, trembling. “At that park by my house, maybe?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be there in a few.”

  Kay drove to the park and got there before Daphne, so she climbed out of her car and walked over to the swing set. As she took a seat, she thought about the times she’d played here as a child. Sometimes with Zander, sometimes alone. When her dad was overseas, she came here a lot just to escape her mother’s unbearable aloofness.

  What an idiot she’d been to miss him. He’d come back wounded and bitter, then quickly turned violent, and their lives had been hell ever since.

  Across the park, Daphne’s van pulled into the parking lot and Kay’s heart began to beat rapidly with dreading anticipation. She stood up and started toward the parking lot, and Daphne got out of the van, heading Kay’s way.

  As Daphne passed under a streetlight, Kay saw she was still wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a tank top, with a sweater thrown over top. “Kay, what happened?” she asked as she came closer.

  Kay stepped into the light, revealing her bruises and prompting a gasp from Daphne. Kay knew how bad she looked; she’d studied herself in the mirror for two hours after he fell asleep. Just staring, numb and shocked, watching as the colors changed and darkened. His temper had left her with two black eyes, a busted lip, fingerprints around her throat and huge bruises on her arms, from where he’d thrown her into the TV and into the bookshelf, which had fallen on her.

  “Oh honey,” Daphne exclaimed, coming closer, arms stretching out to pull her for a hug. But she stopped a foot short, as if thinking better of it. “Did the boy find you?”

  Kay winced, shaking her head. “There was never any boyfriend,” she whispered, barely mustering the sound.

  Realization dawned on her face, but she took another step closer, willing to listen without judgment.

  “It’s my dad.” Saying the words, something inside her caved, and her emotions flooded over her like an avalanche. Pushing her to tears that wouldn’t stop, tears she’d stifled and buried for years. And her entire body drained of all energy, and her knees buckled under the pressure. But Daphne stepped up, stretching her arms out, and caught Kay in an embrace as she fell, guiding them both to their knees on the pavement.

  Kay wrapped her arms around Daphne, sobbing into her shoulder, so grateful that she was there, listening to her and holding her tight, while her own mother was sleeping safely in another house, with another family, with no worries about Kay. So tired of the fighting, of the demeaning words leaving wounds so much worse than any she wore right now.

  But as Daphne held Kay tight, whispering soothing words of encouragement, Kay knew her life had changed forever.

  ***

  Daphne carried two steaming cups of tea over to the couch, where Kay sat with a throw blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She sat down and handed Kay the cup, waiting a moment before she finally said, “We really need to call the police.”

  Kay shook her head gently, staring down into her cup. “I can’t, Daphne.”

  “Honey, you can’t go back to that house,” Daphne said gently. “It isn’t safe there.”

  “Isn’t there a way that doesn’t involve police and social workers?” Kay asked. “I can’t tell all those people.”

  “I know it’s hard to talk about it, but it gets a little easier each time. You’ve already taken the biggest step and told me, and I’ll be there with you, every step of the way.”

  Kay took a sip of her tea as she considered this. “I’m too exhausted,” she said. Although it was true, she was using it as an excuse. “I haven’t even slept since I found out about my mom. And now this…”

  Daphne gazed at Kay compassionately, then leaned forward and placed her tea cup on the table. “It must’ve been so horrible, finding out those things about your mom, seeing her second family.”

  Kay nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek and landing in her tea with a splash.

  “Let’s make a deal,” she said, scooting closer and turning to face Kay. “You can stay here tonight, get some rest. But, first thing in the morning, we need to file a police report. And I’d really like you to see a doctor, just to make sure you’re okay.”

  Kay thought about it, weighing her options. Daphne’s came out the better bargain. “You promise you’ll be there when I talk to them?”

  Daphne nodded. “I promise.”

  After a minute, Kay finally agreed. “Deal,” she said. She tried to give her a smile, but moving her face muscles hurt too badly. Every inch of her ached, muscle and bone alike. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “When you were…” she paused as she tried to figure out how to word her question, “with your husband, what was the worst part? Like, out of the hitting and the name calling and the way he talks to you, what did you hate the most?”

  Daphne thought for a second, her gaze turning distant as she took herself back to that place. “Honestly, the worst part was trying to make sure it never happened again. The little compulsions all throughout the day to keep him from getting mad. Like, keeping the house in perfect order, or not going to the store without him. What to say, what not to say. And it never really matters how hard you try, he will get mad, because he’s mad at the world. It’s not you Kay, and it wasn’t me, or any other girl or child out there suffering from the same problem. It’s them; the abusers and the rapists and the killers build themselves up by tearing other people down.”

  Kay nodded, looking up at Daphne to see she had tears in her eyes.

  “But it’s okay, because you can and will get through this.”

  ***

  Kendall

  ***

  Kendall only invited Seth up to her room with the intention of talking to him. But, like usual, things turned physical pretty quickly. Before she knew it, they were on her bed, shoes slipped off, bodies moving together, enjoying heated, but somehow very empty kisses.

  No matter what she did, there was always an empty place inside her, so deeply rooted in her soul that nothing alleviated the lingering cloud of negativity. Sometimes, if she tried hard enough to focus on the way his hands felt as they slid over her skin, or the way his breath tickled her neck, she could forget about her pain and the secret they shared.


  But this time, it wasn’t working. The more he touched her, the more uneasy and uncomfortable shefelt. The more ragged his breath became, the dirtier she felt. Finally, unable to take the panicky feeling anymore, she broke her lips from his. “Seth,” she said, but it came out a breathless whisper inaudible over the sounds of his heavy breathing. She pushed at his shoulder to get his attention. “Seth, wait—”

  “Come on,” he moaned, his breath hot and wet against her ear, sliding his hand further up her shirt, under her bra.

  “Seth, seriously,” she said, wedging her other hand under his shoulder to push him up. “Not now.”

  Looking down at her, his eyes were hazy with lust, like he only half-heard what she said. “Okay,” he said, nodding, letting out a breath as if to calm the hormones. “I get it. How ‘bout a blowjob?”

  “Seth, you’re a jerk,” she said, trying to roll out from underneath him, but he kept an arm on each side of her, not letting her move.

  He smiled down at her, all beautiful teeth and persuading charm and she found herself giggling as he said, “Come on, please?”

  She locked gazes with him, stifling a giggle, trying to remain firm, trying not to give in as she said, “No.”

  Reaching down, he started tickling her hip, then the other one, until she was giggling and squirming underneath him.

  “Seth, you are such a jerk,” she said around a fit of laughter.

  “Oh come on.” He stopped tickling her, supporting his weight on his hands again. Looking down at her, his face just inches away, eyes locked playfully on hers. “You love me.”

  A laugh died on her lips as everything went still and quiet. Looking into his eyes, she realized she felt connected. Just for a second, she felt whole, and not fragmented, not yearning. The look in his eyes was changing, shifting with realization, with the suspicion that his joking words were somehow true.

  She was stretching up to kiss him again when the door banged open and Kelly stormed in, saying, “Kendall, did you take my jeans?”