Little Things

by Madison Street

  Craig snarls, “You fuckin bitch. You can’t escape me!”

  I contemplate spitting on his face again until I hear a tear in my dress. His hands run along my smooth legs and I kick at him again but he blocks my attempts. He spins me around to face the wall and grabs hold of my hair as his hands move up my thighs and around my ass.

  I begin to panic and break out into a cold sweat. “Please don’t do this, Craig.”

  He snorts, “You deserve what you get.”

  I hear another rip in my dress and hold the bust area to prevent it from falling. He spins me around to face him and smirks with a heinous look, “This will be quick.”

  He pushes me onto the cold, damp floor and climbs on top of me, pinning my legs to prevent me from kicking and holding my arms above my head by my wrists. Bending down, he licks the side of my neck as he lifts my dress and rips off my panties. His body maneuvers as he unbuckles his belt and I cry out and squirm beneath him. No, please no. Not like this.

  Just as his hands are about to touch me there, his body is yanked off of me and thrown across the room, crashing into the shelves. A dark shadow tackles him and punches him blow after blow. The two shadows tangle in a battle of strength and agility as they dodge each other’s punches. I struggle to sit up against the wall and see that my shadow warrior is Duke.

  My weak and fragile voice cries for him, “Duke, help me.”

  Duke turns to face me and all I see is dread, worry, and outrage in his eyes. Craig surprises him with a swift punch to the gut and Duke plunges to the ground. He cries out in pain but tenaciously gets back up, rushes into Craig, picks him up, and slams his body onto the floor. Craig screams in agony and Duke sits over him, laying punch after punch into his face.

  He yells at Craig, “You won’t ever fucking touch her again!”

  Duke maintains his hits to Craig’s face as I make my way to them. I glance over to see Craig is completely unconscious with blood all over his face. I look up at Duke and have never before seen him so focused and fueled with hatred.

  I reach up to grab his arm, “Duke, stop. You’ll kill him.”

  He looks at me and staggers off of Craig. Reaching out to me, he jerks me into his arms. His breathing is rough and unsteady so I wrap my arm around him to give him comfort. He takes a good look at me, “Shit, he hit you good. You’re bleeding pretty badly.”

  He notices that I’m holding up my torn dress with one arm, so he takes off his dress shirt and covers me with it. A few seconds later, we hear the sirens approaching the house.

  Duke wraps his arm around my shoulder, “Come, let’s get you upstairs.”

  He helps me up to my feet as I take a last look at Craig. He’s out cold.

  My eyes widen as I realize I haven’t seen or heard from my mother.

  With a burst of my last ounce of energy, I let go of Duke and sprint up the stairs, “Mom!!”

  I hear Duke yell behind me, “Raya, wait!”

  Ignoring his plea, I make my way to the living room and hurry upstairs to her bedroom.

  “Mom…Mom!!”

  My voice cracks as I scream her name and my body trembles as I jet toward her room. I don’t even remember breathing for air. All I care about is finding her. My heart pounds against my chest as I approach her door. Reaching for the knob with a trembling hand, I twist it and fling the door open. Running into the room, I look around for her.

  “Mom! Where are you?”

  I make my way into her bathroom, only to come up empty. Duke enters the room behind me and glances into the closet. He shakes his head, “No.”

  Duke follows me back into the hall and I sprint to my bedroom. The door is slightly ajar, which is unusual as it’s always supposed to be shut. At this point, my body is shivering profusely and tears are still cascading down my face. I push the door open and glance in, only to find an empty room.

  As I’m about to enter, Duke grabs hold of me and steadies me. “Stay here, Raya.”

  I pull away from him, “No, I have to find her.” I push past him and look into my closet, but still nothing.

  Duke walks out of my bathroom and shuts the door. Tears threaten to spill from his mournful eyes and he shakes his head.

  I run toward him and push him away from the door.

  “Raya, don—”

  I open the door and see my mother sprawled across the bloody bathroom floor. Her face is completely beaten and swollen. Blood runs down her mouth and her nose. Her shirt is ripped and torn and her legs are twisted into unnatural angles.

  “Mom!!” I run to her, kneel beside her, and cradle her head into my arms. Screams and sobs escape my mouth as my body howls with a heavy cry.

  “Mom, please. Please don’t leave me. I need you.”

  I try to wrap my arm around her and hold onto her as tightly as I can. Tears spill down my face and I close my eyes and pray for her to come back to me.

  “Mom, please. Don’t do this.”

  A shallow breath escapes her mouth and I look up to see her open her eyes. “Mom, you’re safe now. The police are here. Just stay with me, please.”

  Her small smile creeps along her lips as she reaches up to touch my face. I grab her hand, kiss it, and squeeze.

  She looks up at me and a small tear escapes from the corner of her eye. Her hand slowly begins to slide out of my own, but I grab hold of it.

  “No, don’t let go, Mom. Don’t let go.”

  And with her last breath, I feel her leave me. I crouch down and cry against her still body. Cries of agony and sorrow echo throughout the house as I cling to my mother’s body.

  Duke kneels beside me and begins to pull me off of her but I yank away from him, “No! I will not leave her!”

  At that moment, the police come barreling into the bedroom, guns poised and ready to shoot.

  An officer points his gun at Duke, “Put your hands in the air!”

  Duke immediately complies, “I called the cops. Her step-father is downstairs in the basement. He did this, not me.”

  The cop pulls Duke to his feet and escorts him out into the hallway. Duke turns to look at me, “Raya, I’m right out here!”

  A female cop enters the bathroom, “Miss, I need you to tell me what happened.”

  I yell at her, “Don’t you fuckin’ see it? He killed her! He killed my mother!”

  I lay my head on my mom’s chest as I cry and cry.

  The cop places her hand on my shoulder, “Miss, who killed your mother?”

  “Craig. Craig killed her. And it’s all my fault.”

  Raya

  The past twelve hours have been a complete blur. I can’t remember the last time I ate or even spoke to someone. After the police questioned me and Duke, a coroner arrived and took my mother away. I remember standing outside of my house, police lights flashing throughout the street, Duke’s arms huddled around me. The EMTs examined my arm, and apparently I fractured it, but nothing too serious. A few weeks in a sling will do. After the exam, a few officers haul Craig off into the back of a police car. My body stiffens but I have the urge to kill him. I would do anything to give him what he deserves. The only thing that stops me is Duke’s look. His eyes convey concern, comfort, and loyalty all at once.

  Melanie and her family allow me to stay with them for the night. They put me up in the guest room, and thankfully, she stays with me all night. I don’t sleep a wink; all I do is cry and cry. The whole time, all she does is hold me and wipe my tears as they fall. A few times, she even cries with me.

  “Raya, I’m so sorry you have to go through this. I can’t imagine how you feel.” She reaches up and moves my hair away from my face.

  Snot clogs my nose and my throat feels scratchy. “Melanie, she’s gone. I’m all alone now.”

  The heavy sobs return and she gently caresses my back in an attempt to calm me for the remainder of the evening.

  I wash my face, brush my teeth, and make my way downstairs for breakfast with Melan
ie’s family. Rummaging through my overnight bag to find anything decent to wear, I can’t seem to settle on anything—it all looks like shit to me. I look at my reflection only to see dark circles and a lost soul in front of me. Tears fill my eyes but I look away. This is your fault. She’s gone because of you.

  I throw on a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a long t-shirt and comb my hair into a sloppy bun. Opening the bedroom door, I slowly walk down the stairs, and as I approach the kitchen, I hear whispering.

  “How’s Raya, Melanie? Do you think she’ll come downstairs today?”

  “I don’t know, Mom. How would you react if your mother was murdered? She needs more time.”

  I hear Melanie’s mother sniff, “Bless Genna’s soul. It’s such a shame to have this happen. And to think that Craig was going it all this time and I never suspected. Did you?”

  “I’m still shaken over it, Mom. It’s been three days and I haven’t been able to sleep a full night. Imagine how Raya feels. She was there; her mom died in her arms.”

  “She’s been cooped up in her room for days. She needs to eat. Do you think she’ll come downstairs today? Maybe we should call a doctor?”

  I walk into the kitchen to find Melanie hugging her mother, and instead of letting go of one another, Melanie opens her arm and pulls me into the hug. The three of us curl up and hold our embrace for a few minutes as more tears spill down my cheeks.

  I let go and sit at the kitchen table, “Thank you for having me here. I know it must be hard for you.”

  Melanie sits next to me, grabs my hand, and squeezes it, “Nonsense. You are always welcome here, Raya. You don’t ever have to feel like you don’t belong. You’re family now.”

  I smile at her sign of affection and squeeze her hand in response. Melanie’s mom serves us breakfast—bacon, eggs, and buttermilk pancakes.

  After days of not eating, my stomach growls in anticipation as I grab a fork and dig in.

  Melanie looks over while I eat, “Duke keeps calling for you. He’s worried about you. You should talk to him.”

  I swallow the last bite of pancake and exhale, “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Why not? He cares for you. Shit, he saved your life.”

  I let out a deep sigh, “Because every time I close my eyes, I see my dead mother on the bathroom floor. If I talk to him before I’m ready, I’ll completely lose it and won’t be able to cope. He was there. He saw what was going to happen to me.”

  Melanie scoffs, “Really? That’s your excuse? Raya, now’s not the time to start pushing him away.”

  I clean my mouth with a napkin, place my empty plate into the sink, and make my way upstairs. Melanie jumps from her seat and runs up behind me.

  She pulls on my arm, spinning me around. “Don’t walk away. People are here to take care of you. Don’t you see that?”

  I jerk my arm out of her grasp and run up the stairs.

  “Raya, come on!”

  I run inside the bedroom, slam the door shut, and hear Melanie’s mom shout, “Melanie, give her some space. She’ll come around once she’s ready. Don’t push her.”

  I lie down on the bed, wiping away new tears. A few minutes later, a soft knock sounds at the door, “Raya, I’m sorry. Don’t be mad. Just…please don’t shut me out.”

  Ignoring her request, I turn over to look out the window and lock myself away for the rest of the day.

  If someone told me a month ago that I would share the best and worse night of my life on the same day, I would’ve probably laughed in their face. And here I am, five days later, standing in Melanie’s living room, wearing nothing but black. Luckily, she had a black dress to loan me as I obviously, I don’t have one lying around. She even combed my hair and pinned it up nicely. It’s somewhat manageable today and has a tiny hint of elegance to it.

  I make my way outside and sit on the front steps and breathe in the cool spring air. Spring was my mom’s favorite season. I imagine her face lighting up as she smells a fresh tulip. She clasps her hands as the breeze blows through her long dark hair and she rejoices while soaking up the warm sun. She would say something like, “Let’s go to the ranch and visit the horses.” She always loved animals; it’s a shame we couldn’t have any pets. And now, she won’t ever be able to see the horses again.

  While imagining her face, I sense Melanie sit beside me on the steps. She wraps her hand around my head and rests it on her shoulder. Giving me a quick kiss on the forehead, she caresses my arm.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  “No. I will never be ready to say good-bye.”

  Melanie stands up, pulls me into a hug, and squeezes hard.

  “You can do this, Raya. Be strong for her. She would have wanted you to.”

  I wrap my arm around her in response, “I miss her so much. I can’t do this without her.”

  Before I know it, we are both a blubbering mess, wiping away each other’s tears. A few minutes later, we make the drive to the funeral home in complete silence.

  Surprisingly more people attend the funeral than I expect. I cry during the entire service, but with Melanie by my side, it isn’t so bad. After the funeral mass, we make our way to the burial site. As we arrive, I see the priest hand out tulips to the attendees. Melanie guides me to the front, and as we pass, a few spectators are staring at me and whispering to one another. As we approach the front of the crowd, the white casket comes into view, covered in tulips and other floral arrangements. A few sprays are positioned near the casket as well.

  Duke is standing to my right, holding a serenity wreath. He looks up at me and smiles gently. My breath catches and my heart stirs in a static beat. I have the urge to run into his arms, but fight the instinct. I break away from his stare and focus on the priest’s prayer. After his final blessings, he invites us all to recite The Lord’s Prayer, Our Father.

  Realization hits me. This is the last time I’ll be with her. Tears immediately pour down my face and my knees almost give out. Luckily, Melanie is next to me and reaches out to hold me up. My sobs cause my chest to heave up and down. I feel my soul literally split in half as the only family I have left is lowered into the ground. The priest asks us to now toss our tulips onto the lowered casket and we do so in unison. Duke walks up beside me and tosses his wreath onto the pile of tulips. He reaches his hand down and grabs hold of mine.

  Melanie leaves us alone and walks toward her parents. I continue to bawl with Duke by my side, his arms tightly wrapped around me and cradling me as I weep and weep. The crowd slowly dissipates until Duke and I are the only ones left.

  He turns me to face him and lifts my head to look into his eyes, “I’m so sorry, Raya. I wish I could have saved her.”

  My body shivers and convulses as the tears slide down my face. I turn to look down at the casket and cry out, falling to my knees.

  “How could you leave me?”

  Duke wraps his arms from behind and pulls me up but my body is unresponsive. I feel it completely shut down as pain and heartache fill my lungs. The howls from my screams echo throughout the cemetery.

  He pulls me up to my feet, “Raya, look at me.”

  I shake my head in rebuttal so he grabs my chin and forces me to look into his eyes, “Don’t do this. Don’t shut down. I need you, Raya.”

  I nod my head, pulling him into a hug. He whispers, “I want to tell you something.”

  He bends his head and kisses my cheek, “Happy Birthday, Raya.”

  About forty-five minutes later, we leave the cemetery and head back to Melanie’s house. Duke wraps his hand around mine as he drives in a comfortable silence. Looking out the window, I realize that everything from this point on has changed. I no longer have a mother; I’m an orphan. And most of all, it was my fault. I did this—all because of a stupid prom. If I hadn’t gone, she would still be here. Perhaps, we could have already escaped from Craig’s path if I had listened to Duke earlier. But what good does that do? It’s too late. H
e won.

  A few minutes later, we pull up to Melanie’s house and hear scattered voices coming from inside. Duke shuts off the car, unbuckles his belt, and positions to open his door. I reach out to him in time, stopping him from exiting.

  He looks at me with a vast amount of protectiveness, “What’s wrong, Raya?”

  I groan in protest, “I’m not ready to go in yet. Stay out here with me?”

  He beams, “Of course, whenever you’re ready.”

  I scoot closer to him and rest my head on his shoulders.

  “Duke?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you for saving my life.”

  He kisses the top of my head, “I would do it again, you know?”

  “I know.”

  “So, now that Craig’s locked up, what will you do? Go to college, get a job?”

  I inhale deep, “I’ll probably get a job and an apartment. I’ve been saving up some money so it should hold me off for a few months.”

  Duke hands caress my arm, “If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask me.”

  “I know. But you start college in a few months. Syracuse is at least a five hour drive.”

  He hesitates, “Actually, I don’t think I’ll be going to Syracuse.”

  I look up at him, astonished, “Why? You got a scholarship? Don’t turn that down.”

  He brushes his hand along my cheek and fiddles with a long curl of my hair, “I want to be where you are. And if you’re here, that’s where I’ll be.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that. I’m not worth it.”

  He chuckles, “You will always be worth it.”

  He digs his hand into his jacket pocket, pulls out a small red jewelry box, and looks at me nervously.