"Well here we are," I thought to myself, as I looked in the mirror ready to start my senior year in high school. We had just moved halfway across the country to escape my abusive bastard of a father. While I was lucky to not have to endure any physical abuse, my mother and brother did fared much worse. My brother, Jonathon, suffered the most because he would always stick up for mom. Because of the injuries he suffered during the last of that bastard's drunken tirades, he ended up missing his senior year and would be going to school with me this year.
I started to head downstairs but I stopped at my brother's door to check on him. I knocked but got no answer so I opened the door peaked inside. I saw my brother with his shirt off standing in front of his mirror checking out his scars. It wasn't that there were a lot of scars nor were they horribly disfiguring, but I would catch him from time to time checking them out. As soon as he noticed me he immediately threw his shirt on to cover his body.
"You ok Jon."
"I'm fine Jen."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"I guess."
"What are you thinking about when look at the scars?"
I stood there waiting for a response but he just flashed this half smile at me. I smiled back, but I knew he was hurting and I was hurting for him. He gathered his things and off we went to try and make a new start.
That evening when we returned home from school our mother inquired about things we went. I told her about some of the people I met and that I had made the volleyball team. She then tried to get some info out of Jon but he simply said that he made the football team and went off to his room. Mom looked sad but she knew that it wasn't anything that she or I did; it was just the way Jon had become after the abuse started. He became quiet and introverted, choosing to spend his time alone instead of being with the people that loved him.
"So mom you find a job yet?" not that she needed one. Mom had gotten a good settlement not only in the divorce, but also from our old hometown. Because of my father's connections to the police he never got in trouble for any of the abuse that he inflicted. The police just kept writing if off as accidents. It wasn't until he put Jon in the hospital that everything came light and there was no way out of trouble for him or the police. We carried on small talk for a while then I made my way to my room to study.
Things carried on like this for a few weeks. We might not have been a close family, but mom and Jon made it to my games and we would make it to Jon's. I quickly made friends and started going out more. Jon had become well known not only for his athletic abilities but also for his good looks but he preferred his solitude. He was handsome. 5'10" with an athletic build. He wasn't ripped but he was toned very nicely. His clean-cut brown hair and green eyes made him the most eligible bachelor at Premont Prep. I on the other hand was 5'7" and could not quite shed that baby fat. My body was lean but not as toned as Jon's was. I had inherited my mother's sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes.
My 18th birthday mom had decided to throw me a party. I really wanted a party, but at the same time I knew brother would be uncomfortable with having people around. He that they would expect him to be social, but that just wasn't Jon. I opted instead for a sleepover with a few friends. My birthday was during the week so we had our own private celebration. The three of us went out to dinner at this restaurant I'd been dying to eat at. We hardly ate out because mom insisted that we learn to cook. She wanted us to be able to fend for ourselves once we off to college. Once we got through with dinner and returned to the house mom broke out the cake and gave me a few presents. After the celebration was done it was time for everyone to head to bed. As I was about to slip in the bed I heard a knock at my door.
"Come in."
"Hey baby sis I just wanted to give you your present."
"Thanks but you didn't have to get me anything."
"It's not much, but I just wanted to give you something to show you how special you are to me."
Jon handed me a box beautifully wrapped with a card. I was going to open it with him there but he simply kissed me on the forehead and bid me goodnight. "Happy birthday baby sis. I know I don't show it or say it a lot, but I love you very much. You're very special to me and I wanted you to know it" read the card. I started to tear up a little as I started to unwrap his gift. I gasped as I opened the box. It was a white-gold citizen watch I had been wanting for a while. I don't know how Jon knew I wanted it, but I did know that it cost upwards of $500. I wanted to give it back but I didn't know how to tell him. I set the box down on the nightstand and lay there thinking about him. How could he be so kind, so gentle and so loving after enduring what he did? I lay in bed for what seemed like an eternity before I realized that I needed to be near him.
The house was dark and quiet as I made my way to his room. I opened the door and silently made my way to his bed.
"Are you ok Jen?"
