Jay Bell

“I’m all right.” She took a deep breath. “After Dad shoved Ronnie I got in between them and told Ronnie to leave. After he was gone I started arguing with Dad, and that’s when he hit me and I ran straight over here. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“I’m glad you came,” Ben said. “You should stay the night here.”

“Thanks.” Allison sniffed and sighed. “What are we going to do about this?”

Ben chewed his lip thoughtfully while they considered the situation in silence. Allison didn’t have any other in-state relatives, and the idea of her moving far away was unbearable. But how could she endure living with such a monster? What was to stop something like this from happening again?

“I wish we were already in college,” he said wistfully.

“You and me both. Have you decided yet?”

That was another unhappy topic. Ben wanted to continue his vocal training at an arts college that specialized in music. Allison wanted to pursue a medical career at one of the more traditional colleges. The inevitable separation if they chose different schools was something neither of them liked to think of, and now wasn’t the time to discuss it further.

“I have no idea,” Ben replied. “It’s all so far away. You want your PJs?”

“Yeah.”

Allison had stayed the night so often that she had bought a pair of pajamas to keep in his room. It was a miracle that her father had never figured out that she was actually staying the night with him and not Karen. Their former friendship had been useful camouflage in that regard.

The next day was a school day, which presented an awkward situation. Ben decided to confide in his mother, who wasn’t nearly as sympathetic as he would have expected. The bruise on Allison’s face was twice as ugly now and left no room for doubt as to the truth of her story, but it was clear that his mother wasn’t willing to interfere with someone else’s parenting. There was no point in asking her if Allison could stay with them longer, but she at least granted him permission to skip school for the day.

In the afternoon they decided to go to Allison’s house so she could get a change of clothes, despite the possibility that Mr. Cross might be there when they arrived. He wasn’t, but the house was in more disarray than normal, with food left out on the counter, dirty dishes, and a broken drinking glass on the kitchen floor. Ben helped her clean up before they went to her room.

“You should go,” Allison said. “There’s no point in me leaving.”

Allison was hesitant, but Ben managed to convince her. Only after she had gone was he free to question the soundness of his idea. Who did he think he was, an ambassador? What if Mr. Cross started beating the crap out of him? He could get killed!

The sound of the front door opening caused his stomach to churn. He should have at least left the house with Allison and returned to ring the doorbell. Now it looked like he was a burglar.

Ben left her room and walked to the head of the stairs. Mr. Cross was already looking upward, an expression of hope on his face that turned dark when he didn’t see his daughter.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he challenged.

“Allison and I came back to get her a change of clothes. She’s not here,” Ben added when Mr. Cross started up the stairs with a determined look on his face, “but she told me everything.”

Mr. Cross stopped, and for the briefest moment, there was shame in his eyes. It marked the end of Ben’s fear of the man. Ben walked down the stairs until he was face to face with Allison’s father.

“She told me everything, but she would never tell the police,” Ben continued. “I would though, and I won’t hesitate to if you ever lay a hand on her again.”

“You little brat.” Mr. Cross’s hand snatched out and grabbed Ben by the shirt.

Ben didn’t even flinch.

“Go ahead and hit me,” he suggested. “I’ll go to the police today, and you’ll never harm anyone again. Not me and not Allison.”

“They’d never believe you,”

“Get out of my house, you little punk!”

“No. Not before I’ve had my say. Allison loves you, Mr. Cross. She would do anything to make you happy. I think you love her, too, but the way you try to protect her is doing more harm than good. You need to let her go. One more year and she’s going to be living on her own in a different city. You won’t be able to control her then. You can’t treat her like a bird in a cage. If you do, she’ll never come back to you once she’s free. She’ll be out of your life forever.”

Much to Ben’s amazement, Allison’s father seemed to be listening. The anger had drained from Mr. Cross face and he looked like he was about to cry. Ben had obviously hit upon his worst fears.

“I’m sorry you lost your wife, and I can’t even begin to imagine how much that must hurt, but you still have your daughter. She might be the only person left in the world who still loves you. If you destroy that, who will you be? What will be left of you then?”

Mr. Cross’s face crumpled as his tears began to flow.

Ben made his way to the front door, ignoring the sobbing behind him. “She’ll be home in a few hours,” he said. “Don’t screw it up.”