Chapter 2
"Hey Jen!"
"Hey, what's up?"
"Hey babe, glad you made it!" Zac said, looking at her adoringly. She just smiled.
"Hey guys. So. what are you guys working on?" She inquired, glancing with raised eyebrows at the piece of paper with scribbled words on it, looking more like hierogyphics than the english language.
"Um...a song about being there for the people you love." Tay answered, kicking a piece of dirt on the floor around like a soccer ball. Right away Jen knew what was wrong. Tay's girlfriend lived in Georgia, and he was always missing her. He never seemed to be himself anymore.
"Tay, why don't we take a break, so you can call Natalie. We need a break anyway." Ike suggested, while the other two nodded. Tay went off by himself, and Ike excused himself to the bathroom.
"Well, it's just you and me..." Zac trailed off in a husky voice.
"Zac, can I talk to you? It's about my dad..." At that moment, he completely forgot everything but Jen and the last time she'd showed him her bruises.
"What did he do?" He asked her gently, but firmly. He'd sworn to do anything he could to keep her safe, and he would keep that promise. Jen just started to cry. She lifted up her pant leg, and reluctanly showed him the large purple welt on her thigh and knee. Zac gasped and his eyes filled with angry tears. Then she lifted her sleeve up to reveal her swollen and bruised arm. He just scooted closer to her and silently gave her a soft hug. She sobbed into his shoulder.
"Will you stay at my house tonight?" Zac asked, knowing the answer before she even looked up.
"Yes. Anything to stay away from him." Tay and Ike walked in then and saw the two crying.
"Whoa...okay, what's going on?" Ike asked Zac. He looked at Jen and she nodded.
"Jen's dad...beat her." Zac told them, just as Tay gasped, seeing the bruises."Oh my god, Jen....I'm so sorry. You are staying over tonight aren't you?" Tay asked her.
"No, Tay, she's gonna go back and let her dad do this all over again." Zac answered him crossly. Tay shot him a look, and Zac rolled his eyes."I need to call my mom and tell her that I'm staying over at your house." Jen spoke slowly, her voice choking.
"Jen, you need to tell her what happened. She'd want you to. If you don't tell her, she could be in danger too." Zac told her gently.
"Yeah, I know. Could I just tell her I need to talk to her tonight, and have her meet us at your house? I'd feel better if you were there." She began to cry again, and Zac comforted her as he whispered 'Yes.'
It seemed as if it had been hours since Jen had called her mom. She'd simply told her they needed to talk, and right away she knew something was wrong. She told her to come over to Zac's house at about 7:30 that evening.
Her mom had arrived early, at about 6:45. They all walked silently into the den in the basement. Just Jen, her mom and Zac. Jen sat down, pulled up her pant leg and her sleeve just like she had done for Zac earlier. She heard her mom gasp sharply and angrily, making Jen cry even harder.
"Well, Jen. I'm glad you told me. We need to get some help for him this time. I'm sure he's sorry."
"Wait, mom. There's something else. Zac and the rest of the Hanson's said that the next time he hurt me that they were going to take legal action. And they meant it." She said boldly. She knew without even looking the rage in her mother's eyes. She could feel it burning a hole through her and Zac.
"What?" Her mother said quietly, trying to control herself.
"It's true. We all agreed to it the last time this happened. I don't want to see her hurt anymore. This is the last time." Zac answered for Jen.
"If you even try anything, I will make sure you will never see Jen again. She is my daughter, and I know what's best for her. Jen, you are coming home with me. Now." She tried to pull Jen up out of the couch beside Zac, but Jen was just as stubborn.
"Mom, I'm not going anywhere. Dad has a problem, and the other two times, he's said he was sorry. He always is, but he always does it again. You need to understand that I'm on Zac's side. I don't want to live with dad anymore."
She knew these words would cut straight through her mother, but she also knew it was something she needed to hear. She was so tired of living in fear. She wanted to be able to sleep at night without wondering what her dad would be like when he came home. She knew she could find that comfort, that security at Roni's house, or at the Hanson's. Right now, she didn't care, she just wanted out of there.
"Mom, I won't leave." She said quietly as Zac carefully put his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze of support.
"Fine. Stay here. But your father loves you. He just has a lot on his mind right now. Please remember that." With those soft words, realizing she was defeated, she headed out the door. Jen just stared after her, shocked.
"She thinks it's my fault dad beat me. She thinks I deserved it." Zac looked at her and shook his head firmly.
"No. Don't you ever think that. He has a problem. I don't want you to get hurt. I love you." He whispered into her hair, letting her sob into his shoulder. He rocked her back and forth, arms around her. She calmed down a little bit and was able to think about that night. It was two nights ago and her father had come home early, for once in his life. Jen could tell that he's had a bad day and that she'd better stay out of his way. So she went upstairs to her room. She had only been there a few minutes when he knocked on her door and let himself in. He was holding a can of beer in his hand and he looked miserable. His speech was slurred, and he spoke to her roughly.
"What are you doing up here? Where is everyone else? Are they too afraid of me to stay home?" She shook her head and trembled with fear. "Well? Answer me!" He growled walking toward her. "I-I don't know where they are."
Her father began to laugh, slowly at first and then louder until his can of beer, now almost empty fell to the floor and splashed onto the carpet. He groaned.
"Now look what you made me do you little whore!" She looked away, toward her window wishing that someone would come home at that moment to save her. She knew there was no escaping. There was no way out. He grabbed her hair and yanked hard on it, causing her to fall off of the chair she had been sitting on. Her arms flailed and she desperately tried to loosen his grip, but it was no use. Once again, he had won. He picked her up and grabbed her wrists. His hands began to travel all around her body, which was still trembling. He then turned her to face him and grabbed her breasts and shoved her down onto her bed with such terrific force that she bounced back up and almost touched his face with hers. She could still smell the beer on his breath. She looked down when she heard his zipper come down and went numb, just like all the other times. Just went numb to avoid feeling. To avoid the pain. When he was done, he picked her up off the bed and kicked her. Hard. In the knee. She collapsed on the floor, still wearing nothing but her socks. Then he picked her up again, this time like a baby and threw her back down on the bed, face first. Her arm flew up and hit the headboard with a thunderous crack. Then he left her. Left her alone in her room, scared, used and in pain. Jen looked up at Zac with wet, red eyes about forty five minutes later, startled from her empty stare when the phone rang.
"Hey Jen? It's for you! I think it's Tyler!" Ike called down the stairs.
"Okay, we've got it down here!" Zac yelled to him. He handed the cordless phone to Jen, who was wiping her eyes and nose before putting it to her ear.
"Hello?...Yeah. What's wrong?....WHAT? Oh my gosh....Where is she now?...Okay, we'll be right there. Bye." As soon as she hung up, she stared at Zac and he knew something was wrong.