Billie Joe - 3rd Grade, chapter 6
"This is my doggie Tricia, his name is Elvis," Billie said, patting his black Labrador.
Tricia smiled.
"He's real cute Billie, haha I like him," Tricia giggled as the dog sniffed her face with its nose.
"Yeah, he does that all the time, its kinda funny cos my mum thinks its real gross and my dad thinks its real funny when my mum gets sniffed at cos she runs away screaming and the neighbours all look at her funny!" Billie laughed until a voice came from behind them.
"Careful kid, that thing eats its own shit, I wouldn't let it lick if I were you." Billie and Tricia turned.
David stood, arms folded, at the back gate with Allen by his side. They slid a case of beer into their usual spot under the house and stared at Billie and Tricia. Tricia looked down at her knees.
"Tricia, these are my big brothers David and Allen, they're yucky and they stink." Billie stuck his tongue out at them. David gave him the finger and Billie's eyes and mouth widened in shock.
"I'm telling MUM!" Billie yelled, running for the house. David ran at him and grabbed him, pulling him backwards and lifting him upside down. Billie yelled and Tricia burst into tears, running at Billie and trying to pull him down.
"No! NO! Don't hurt him! PLEASE!" Tricia wept, as David quickly put Billie down and looked worriedly at Allen, who shrugged slowly and looked concerned at the scene unfolding. Billie felt Tricia holding him tightly and sobbing. Billie held Tricia back, overwhelmed. His brothers were only playing, he knew that. After they held him upside down David should shake him a little, asking where his lunch money was, then flip him back up and carry him back inside. He wasn't trying to hurt him, Billie had never even thought about that.
"Listen, um, little girl, we... we weren't gunna hit Billie or anything, we were just mucking around with him," David explained, watching Tricia shaking in Billie's arms. Billie looked puzzled.
"Yeah... Tricia they're just my big brothers. They do it to me all the time, its what big brothers do, its okay!" Billie reassured her, stroking her hair. Allen and David, sensing something was wrong, came to sit beside Tricia and Billie on the bench in the garden. Billie let go of Tricia, who held her forearms and wouldn't look at his brothers.
"You shouldn't shake him. It hurts when bigger people shake you," Tricia whispered, as Billie looked to his brothers for help.
"Why do your parents shake you?" asked Allen quietly, looking at Tricia, who nodded.
"Well you're parents are arseholes. We'd never shake you or Billie. Not to hurt anyway. If Billie said stop, we'd stop." David, who had friends who had suffered physical abuse, immediately felt fury towards Tricia's parents, but wasn't sure how to deal with her.
"Listen, Tricia was it?" asked Allen, putting out his cigarette on the concrete and exhaling. Tricia nodded once again.
"Billie, come here," Allen asked, and Billie trustingly moved toward him.
Tricia looked up at the pair, scared of what Allen was going to do to him.
"This is the difference between you're parents and us. We can push Billie around... " Allen roughly shoved Billie and Billie fell forward, but into Allen's outstretched arm, who pulled him back, holding his younger brother protectively.
"But we'll catch him. We'd never make him fall and do damage to him Tricia, he knows we love him too much for that crap...don't you?" Allen asked, and Billie nodded, hugging his brother. They'd never actually said it like that to him before. It felt good and he hoped it'd make Tricia feel safe.
"Do you get it?" David asked, touching Tricia's arm gently, who recoiled.
"Yeah... I guess so. Sorry, but I dunno you, I've never seen that kind of stuff. I thought you were gunna throw him or kick him or something." David winced at the thought, and Allen frowned sadly.
"No. Listen Tricia, you're parents shouldn't hurt you ok? We'd never hold a girl upside down and shake her, or even muck around the way we do with Billie. Boys just, they push and shove but they don't mean it. We'd never push or shove you okay? You're parents are real shitty to hit you, and anything else they do is shitty too, like, touching you... um, in bad places, or whatever, you're too young for that bullshit and we'd never do that to any girl who didn't like it. No guy should ever do that to a girl who's scared or doesn't know what's going on." Tricia sat down slowly.
She never knew anyone else knew about that.
The worst kind.
She thought it was right.
She was told it was.
"Ah fuck... look kid cmere its ok... " David picked up Tricia and sat her down on his knees, holding her and rubbing her arm soothingly.
"God... we've got no idea how much that'd hurt... we're so sorry... " Allen said quietly. Billie shook his head in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"Nothin. Ask mum or dad," David mumbled, as Tricia whimpered into his leather jacket. He knew she should be the one to explain it however she wants to Billie, not him. Tricia looked gratefully at him and sighed exhaustedly. She hated remembering that kind of abuse. It was so secret before; she'd never been allowed to speak of it. Having someone blurt it out, knowing someone else knew what was happening and hearing that yes, it was wrong, just as it felt so wrong, was both a huge shock and relief. She loved Billie's family so much. She'd only been here for less than half and hour and she felt so much better about life than she had before.
Tricia closed her eyes, remembering the nights when her parents used to beat her and her father would lie her down and violate her. His hands were so rough, so degrading. She remembered when her mum was out "partying" and her dad had passed out, that night she had lay on the road and waited for someone to run her over. No one came and she woke early the next morning shivering and aching, and dragged herself inside.
She opened her eyes and felt Billie's looking hopefully at her in return. He could see she was hurt, in ways he didn't understand, but even at seven he knew it was something awful and something she'd need a lot of help with. He was really glad he had has his parents and his brothers there. His sister was upstairs, but he knew she'd help too. Billie smiled at Tricia, and she smiled back. She knew she was safe with Billie's family.
"We love you Tricia. Even if some other people aren't gunna treat you with respect, we always will. I promise you that. Its not your fault," Allen stated with seriousness in his eyes, protectiveness. David and Allen both knew about sexual abuse, they knew friends that had been molested, raped. They knew, but it was beyond them how anyone could bring themselves to hurt the little trembling girl they saw before them.
There was heavy sense of frustration and loss in the comforting huddle in Billie's before, to him, pure and innocent backyard. Billie in Allen's arms, Tricia in David's. The only comfort the older boys could take in the subject of abuse was knowing they were helping stop it. Allen blinked, realizing they'd never helped someone so young before. There was wasted chicks at all the parties they went to, they'd beaten up dozens of jerks who'd taken advantage of girls they knew, they'd even sat there on occasions while girls cried into them about being used and abused. But Allen now knew they had no idea how to handle this. But he'd try.
Tricia smiled.
"He's real cute Billie, haha I like him," Tricia giggled as the dog sniffed her face with its nose.
"Yeah, he does that all the time, its kinda funny cos my mum thinks its real gross and my dad thinks its real funny when my mum gets sniffed at cos she runs away screaming and the neighbours all look at her funny!" Billie laughed until a voice came from behind them.
"Careful kid, that thing eats its own shit, I wouldn't let it lick if I were you." Billie and Tricia turned.
David stood, arms folded, at the back gate with Allen by his side. They slid a case of beer into their usual spot under the house and stared at Billie and Tricia. Tricia looked down at her knees.
"Tricia, these are my big brothers David and Allen, they're yucky and they stink." Billie stuck his tongue out at them. David gave him the finger and Billie's eyes and mouth widened in shock.
"I'm telling MUM!" Billie yelled, running for the house. David ran at him and grabbed him, pulling him backwards and lifting him upside down. Billie yelled and Tricia burst into tears, running at Billie and trying to pull him down.
"No! NO! Don't hurt him! PLEASE!" Tricia wept, as David quickly put Billie down and looked worriedly at Allen, who shrugged slowly and looked concerned at the scene unfolding. Billie felt Tricia holding him tightly and sobbing. Billie held Tricia back, overwhelmed. His brothers were only playing, he knew that. After they held him upside down David should shake him a little, asking where his lunch money was, then flip him back up and carry him back inside. He wasn't trying to hurt him, Billie had never even thought about that.
"Listen, um, little girl, we... we weren't gunna hit Billie or anything, we were just mucking around with him," David explained, watching Tricia shaking in Billie's arms. Billie looked puzzled.
"Yeah... Tricia they're just my big brothers. They do it to me all the time, its what big brothers do, its okay!" Billie reassured her, stroking her hair. Allen and David, sensing something was wrong, came to sit beside Tricia and Billie on the bench in the garden. Billie let go of Tricia, who held her forearms and wouldn't look at his brothers.
"You shouldn't shake him. It hurts when bigger people shake you," Tricia whispered, as Billie looked to his brothers for help.
"Why do your parents shake you?" asked Allen quietly, looking at Tricia, who nodded.
"Well you're parents are arseholes. We'd never shake you or Billie. Not to hurt anyway. If Billie said stop, we'd stop." David, who had friends who had suffered physical abuse, immediately felt fury towards Tricia's parents, but wasn't sure how to deal with her.
"Listen, Tricia was it?" asked Allen, putting out his cigarette on the concrete and exhaling. Tricia nodded once again.
"Billie, come here," Allen asked, and Billie trustingly moved toward him.
Tricia looked up at the pair, scared of what Allen was going to do to him.
"This is the difference between you're parents and us. We can push Billie around... " Allen roughly shoved Billie and Billie fell forward, but into Allen's outstretched arm, who pulled him back, holding his younger brother protectively.
"But we'll catch him. We'd never make him fall and do damage to him Tricia, he knows we love him too much for that crap...don't you?" Allen asked, and Billie nodded, hugging his brother. They'd never actually said it like that to him before. It felt good and he hoped it'd make Tricia feel safe.
"Do you get it?" David asked, touching Tricia's arm gently, who recoiled.
"Yeah... I guess so. Sorry, but I dunno you, I've never seen that kind of stuff. I thought you were gunna throw him or kick him or something." David winced at the thought, and Allen frowned sadly.
"No. Listen Tricia, you're parents shouldn't hurt you ok? We'd never hold a girl upside down and shake her, or even muck around the way we do with Billie. Boys just, they push and shove but they don't mean it. We'd never push or shove you okay? You're parents are real shitty to hit you, and anything else they do is shitty too, like, touching you... um, in bad places, or whatever, you're too young for that bullshit and we'd never do that to any girl who didn't like it. No guy should ever do that to a girl who's scared or doesn't know what's going on." Tricia sat down slowly.
She never knew anyone else knew about that.
The worst kind.
She thought it was right.
She was told it was.
"Ah fuck... look kid cmere its ok... " David picked up Tricia and sat her down on his knees, holding her and rubbing her arm soothingly.
"God... we've got no idea how much that'd hurt... we're so sorry... " Allen said quietly. Billie shook his head in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"Nothin. Ask mum or dad," David mumbled, as Tricia whimpered into his leather jacket. He knew she should be the one to explain it however she wants to Billie, not him. Tricia looked gratefully at him and sighed exhaustedly. She hated remembering that kind of abuse. It was so secret before; she'd never been allowed to speak of it. Having someone blurt it out, knowing someone else knew what was happening and hearing that yes, it was wrong, just as it felt so wrong, was both a huge shock and relief. She loved Billie's family so much. She'd only been here for less than half and hour and she felt so much better about life than she had before.
Tricia closed her eyes, remembering the nights when her parents used to beat her and her father would lie her down and violate her. His hands were so rough, so degrading. She remembered when her mum was out "partying" and her dad had passed out, that night she had lay on the road and waited for someone to run her over. No one came and she woke early the next morning shivering and aching, and dragged herself inside.
She opened her eyes and felt Billie's looking hopefully at her in return. He could see she was hurt, in ways he didn't understand, but even at seven he knew it was something awful and something she'd need a lot of help with. He was really glad he had has his parents and his brothers there. His sister was upstairs, but he knew she'd help too. Billie smiled at Tricia, and she smiled back. She knew she was safe with Billie's family.
"We love you Tricia. Even if some other people aren't gunna treat you with respect, we always will. I promise you that. Its not your fault," Allen stated with seriousness in his eyes, protectiveness. David and Allen both knew about sexual abuse, they knew friends that had been molested, raped. They knew, but it was beyond them how anyone could bring themselves to hurt the little trembling girl they saw before them.
There was heavy sense of frustration and loss in the comforting huddle in Billie's before, to him, pure and innocent backyard. Billie in Allen's arms, Tricia in David's. The only comfort the older boys could take in the subject of abuse was knowing they were helping stop it. Allen blinked, realizing they'd never helped someone so young before. There was wasted chicks at all the parties they went to, they'd beaten up dozens of jerks who'd taken advantage of girls they knew, they'd even sat there on occasions while girls cried into them about being used and abused. But Allen now knew they had no idea how to handle this. But he'd try.
