Loving His Broken Luna

Chapter 34

For a fleeting moment she’s glad for her mother’s tantrum. Not for the pain but the look into her life, even if Kris can’t actually see her.

That’s what he said, didn’t he? The way he asked for her even though she was there…hiding.

The smallest whimper escaped her. The thought of Jason came to mind. What did he do?

“I know it was you,” her mother snarled into her ear, then shook the fist full of Renee’s hair.

Follicles burst here and there. In clumps, some not, but all still painful. Each pluck shattered her attention. All the while, Renee’s mother threatened her. Or at least that’s the tone.

Her tone, Renee shuttered. Her tone was deceitful and merciless.

It solidified Renee as the villain in her family’s life, no matter the cause.

“Renee, please!” Kris’ voice barely crested over her mother’s torment.

“Mother, please… I,” Renee wheezed.

“Your… your Mother?” Kris worried.

“I didn’t do anything,” Renee forced her weight back to the floor.

So what if she had a bald spot? She ed a minute where the pain stopped. needs to get away!

“You’re the only one we have trouble with, Missy!” her mother snapped. “Why would I believe anything you have to say?”

“Yeah. That checks out…” Renee muttered to herself.

… Fuel to the fire.

… That was dumb.

“What did you just say?” her mother challenged, her scowl deepening by the second.

“Nothing,” Renee struggled to reply.

“It wasn’t nothing,” the woman shoved Renee across the room.

Her head throbbed wildly, blinding her. The more she blinked through the pain, her eyes picked up on bits and pieces of her room; her location.

“I’m coming for you,” Kris growled in her ear, startling her further.

“I didn’t do anything, Mom,” Renee ignored Kris. “I don’t gossip,” she began to cry. “I’m quiet, just like you want. No one knows anything… they still don’t.”

“Oh really?” her mother laughed.

“Yes!” Renee replied, bracing herself for her mother’s next tantrum.

“Then why is the school calling to check in with me about your safety?” Renee’s mother seethed.

Renee blinked back her concern.

“What?”

“You heard me right, you traitor!” her mother argued. “We go through hell raising you and you… you fib about us to them? You get them on your side?”

Renee shook her head no.

“Why would I?” Renee’s frown deepened. “School’s been on my case for most of the year. I don’t know what they want.”

“But you had no problem telling them we abuse you…” Bruce hollered over their mother’s shoulder.

… That azzhole! Renee’s sadness quickly flipped to red hot anger.

“I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’t deny it either,” Bruce sneered. “Because of you, I lost all my electives and have to sit in guidance until I come clean.”

“They have you doing what?” her mother questioned.

Renee’s memories bounced around recklessly in her mind. That… that time with Colla. That was supposed to be separate. School shouldn’t have been able to see it. No one should have!

Dread hit her next which was welcome. It dulled her senses for what came next. Here mother was in no mood to continue her beating. If the woman was going to threaten her, she’d do it properly, with a weapon. At best her room had a small collection of paint brushes and a pot Renee threw on the pottery wheel in art class last year. Its thickness alone would do some damage, Renee thought, like throwing a brick at someone.

But still, her mother left, interrupted again by the trill of the phone.

“This better not be them again,” she hissed as she left the room. “Clean yourself up. No one’s to know about this. Got it?”

“Sorry Mom,” Bruce said, stepping out of the way.

Their mother huffed as she went.

“See that she doesn’t leave,” she replied. “We have much still to discuss.”

Renee swallowed at that. The sound of her mother kindly picking up to speak to the individual on the phone was maddening. How could she act out the way she did?

Disgust rose like bile in her throat while she stood there wondering.

Her brother slid in to her room next, looking like the cat who killed the canary. Sly and horrible.

“Don’t be mad at me, Nee Nee,” Bruce chuckled. “I had nothing to do with it.

“Please get away from me,” Renee whined.

“That’s not going to happen,” Bruce taunted. “Mom’s pissed and I’m not getting her on my bad side.”

“They take everything out on me. Why would it ever have anything to do with you? Your problems are my problems,” Renee replied hoarsly.

“Yeah,” he agreed wickedly. “My problems are your problems. Aren’t they?” he nodded slightly to her bed.

Renee refused.

“She’ll come back.”

“So?”

“You know what happens when I move.”

“Do I?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Renee sniffled while she tried pulling herself back together. “She gets mad and you all pile on.”

“Ah, another ploy to your innocent story,” Bruce outed her. “Be real. You’re the problem. If we didn’t have you, our family would be perfect.”

“You’re an asshole,” Kris growled in her ear.

… Too bad you’re not real.

Renee dismissed Kris, shutting down once more.

Her mind went blank, her body stiff. War would be present and no one could know. She had to smile. She had to fake it enough to see the next day.

“Think about it. Mom and Dad would just have me and Karri. All their troubles would be gone. They could come and go as they pleased,” he listed.

“They already do that,” she grumbled.

“But you’re a wild card,” he mentioned. “A confused bag of bones that thinks she could be better.”

“Shut up, Bruce.”

“You’re not though, are you?”

His words felt like knives stabbing her heart.

“You’re just living bagage. A statistic. A reminder of a time they fvcked up and lost their freedom,” he chortled. “Don’t look at me like that. You know you are. And that’s why they can’t trust you.”

… This is not the time to ask for Jason to come save her.

… She knows this, yet, “kill him,” rolls off her tongue so easily now. Now, while he’s being a spiteful baztard, just to get back at him for… well… what now? What did she take from him this time?

“I know you can hear me, Jason. Ignore me…” she mutters low enough, but her lips still move.

“Resorting to dark arts now like Jason? Calling in your savior to beat the s**t out of me for you?” he taunted. “That’s rich!”

“That’s it!” Renee snapped, then lunged out towards Bruce, who still stood by the door. He flinched away, retreating behind the door which he shoved open in Renee’s direction.

The smack of the wood barely registered afterwards, worrying Bruce as she rushed after him. His footfalls thudded through the hall, alerting those below them. She could hear the way they stirred, the scrapes of their chairs against the polished wooden floors, the hissing of their colorful slang and hurtful calls up the stairs chased her but if someone was going down tonight, it wasn’t only going to be her.

Bruce would meet his maker!

In all of three steps she’d chased him across the way to his room where he relied heavily on the door to keep her out. The stressed wood creaked, practically screamed in protest as Renee held her ground.

“You ever think you’re the problem, you azzhole!?” Renee called back through the door.

“Yeah right. My parents love me.” Bruce kept the taunts coming, laughing while she struggled to keep her footing.

“I hate you!” Renee jumped back to avoid getting her hand caught in his door. “I’ve hated you since you took your first breath!”

“Well, the truth finally comes out!” Renee’s skin prickled at the sound of her mother’s seething tone.

With her phone in hand and her icy cold stare pinning Renee in place, she thoughtfully replied to the individual on the other line, “Yes, officer, I do believe we’ll need to restrain her to get her in.”