Troubled

THIRTY FOUR

KYLE GARCIA

When we get there I was surprised, the neighborhood Cora lived in was a calm, quiet, neighborhood. The type you expect all those preppy girls to come from. You know the kind of girls that wore knee length socks that were white and sparkling, and always had good grades, never partied and wore bright colors. But the only thing you can say about Cora was the fact that she got extremely good grades, I saw her files. She would not be caught dead wearing any colors, or white bright socks. She was predictable in her fashion sense. Always wearing black skinny jeans, black converse shoes, or knee high boots, and her black hoodie. The only way to know it wasn't the same hoodie was the inscriptions written on them. Yes I have watched her that closely.

"Should we knock?" Xander asked me while we studied the door together. It has been at least seven minutes since we got down from my car and both of us stood there awkwardly.

"I don't know. Isn't that what we are supposed to do?"

He shrugged and went for it, I don't know why I was nervous.

"What if her parents are the ones who answered the door?" I ask.

Both our heads scan the driveway, no sight of any car.

"You're sure this is the place?" He asked as he knocked for the third time and doesn't get a response.

"Yes it is, look at the number. 124." I point at the mailbox.

I shift back a bit to survey the house, the windows didn't look like any bedroom windows. They were sitting room windows.

"Do you think anyone is home?"

I was starting to get annoyed by the questions quite honestly.

"We came here together Xander, I don't know what to think."

I find a doorbell tucked away neatly into the flowers on the door. Smart, hidden from plain sight so kids don't prank them.

I press on the doorbell. The sound resonated through the house.

"Wow, that is one powerful doorbell."

I wait a few minutes before pressing it again.

"If we press it one more time and she doesn't show up. We will have to leave, it only means she is not home."

Xander nods at the same time a dog starts barking. We turn to the sound and find a huge dog, it would go up to my waist, running towards us.

"Kyle, please tell me you are good with dogs." Xander whispered as the dog bounded towards us with full speed from across the street.

"Yes I am. But not dogs as ferocious as that."

We both start screaming and banging on the door.

"We can make it to your car!" Xander screamed but made no move to leave.

"Are you crazy? No way it will tear us to bits." I tell him.

We continue screaming and banging on the heavy wood door.

"Cora! Please be in there, I'll serve you forever, please save us." I would say Xander was being dramatic but I needed her to come save us as well.

The door swung open and we scrambled inside, shutting the door on the dog's face. I hear him bark and scratch at the door, Xander and I pushed the door even after I bolted it. I needed to be sure nothing would let him in.

"Wow." Cora's voice say.

Our heads whip to her direction.

"Cora!!"

She winced at the loudness of Xander's voice.

He moved to hug her but she put out her hand, halting him in his tracks. I notice she was wearing a white bathrobe. Her hair isn't shielded from my view for the first time, I see her full face. And she is breath taking. Her brown hair went up to her waist. Her usually red lips were pale pink today.

"Are you sick?" I ask her.

She doesn't answer, she turns around and start to walk towards the kitchen. It looked like it was painful for her to walk.

"Cora what happened?" I ask when I sight blood running down her body.

"What are you guys doing here?"

I walk in front of her, her face was ashen, in it's usual expressionless manner.

"Cora what happened?" I repeat.

"Answer my questions first."

"We came here because you weren't in school, and your phone was switched off." Xander explained to her.

"You guys.. skipped school..for me?"

Shock was apparent in her tone but she wasn't showing anything on that blank beautiful face of hers.

"Yes, we had to know you are okay."

I don't tell her I deserved to know, I just explained myself. I realized just now you don't force people to trust you, you get them to trust you. And then they will choose to open up to you.

She chewed on her lip. That's the first time I saw her do that. She must be feeling something different from what she was used to.

"You're touched aren't you?" I ask.

I was beginning to figure this girl out, and it made me happy.

"Yeah actually, very."

"Have you cleaned them? They won't bleed so much if you cleaned them." I say.

"I didn't. They hurt too much."

She doesn't look like she is in any form of pain. Her face was blank. Giving away nothing.

"Can I clean them?"

"You can't touch most of them."

"I'd like to clean the ones I can see."

"Where do you keep your supplies?" Xander asked her with a bright smile. I guess he was going to follow my lead.

She sighed.

"Check the bathroom on your left, the cabinets." She pointed.

Xander immediately went to get them.

"You guys are persistent."

"I guess we are." I study her face.

It was going to reveal nothing. I wonder how long it took to master the art.

"You haven't had breakfast right?"

"Nop."

I sigh. I wasn't asking her, but the question presented itself to me.

Were her parents abusing her?

"Here." Xander came out the bathroom handing me a first aid kit.

She pushed the sleeves of her bathrobe up. And the sight that assaulted my eyes had me boil in fury.

Long gashes of red angry wounds, four on the right hand and two on the left. Xander gasped, but I had to keep my cool, or she might crawl up her she'll and hide again.

I start to clean the left hand first, all the while my mind is reeling. Who could do this kind of thing to a person?

"The dog outside, is he yours?" I ask to distract her.

She winced a little once the cotton swab made contact with the open gash.

"No he isn't, I don't like him either."

I chuckle, but it sounds foreign to me.

"Why?"

"Didn't you see him? Stupid annoying dog." I think she knows what I'm trying to do. That's why she continues the conversation.

When I look up from the wound Xander is crying.