Olivia quietly turned the key in the lock and apprehensively opened the front door.  The living room was shrouded in darkness.  “Maybe she’s sleeping after all,” Olivia whispered.  They started down the hall to Olivia’s room when all of a sudden the lamp was turned on.  They turned around in shock to find a disgruntled Serena Benson struggling to get up from the couch.  The almost empty bottle of vodka fell onto the carpet and hit the leg of the coffee table with a loud clank.

 

“I thought I told you not to bring her in this house again,” Serena growled, staggering over to them, her eyes bloodshot.

 

“Don’t start, Mom,” Olivia warned.

 

“With all due respect, Ms. Benson…” Alex began.

 

Serena angrily turned to her.  “Shut up!  You ruined my daughter!” she screamed.

 

“No one’s been ruined, Mom!” Olivia yelled back.  “Alex hasn’t done anything wrong!”

 

“Shut up!” Serena yelled, slapping Olivia as hard as she could across the face. 

 

“Don’t you hit her!” Alex screamed, her heart breaking for Olivia.

 

For a few seconds, Olivia stood there in shock before hot tears spilled down her cheeks.  “Did you have to do that in front of Alex?” she asked, her voice breaking.

 

“I’ll knock the living hell out of you in front of her!  That’ll teach you to bring your little friend over after I’ve told you not to,” she snarled.

 

Alex placed a hand comfortingly on Olivia’s back and glared at Serena.  “What kind of mother would slap her own daughter?  You’re a monster!”  She lovingly wiped the tears from Olivia’s flushed cheeks.

 

Serena pointed her finger at Alex’s face and said, “Don’t you dare tell me how to raise my own daughter.  Get out of my house.”

 

“Stop it, Mom!”

 

“Go to your room!” Serena yelled.  “You’re not to leave until tomorrow morning for school.”

 

“Fuck that!” Olivia retorted.  “I’m getting the hell outta here right now.”  She turned around to leave when her mother grabbed her by the hair.  “Let go, Mom!” Olivia screamed, reaching behind her and clawing at her mother’s hands.

 

“You let go of her right now!” Alex yelled, trying to pry Serena’s fingers away.

 

Serena let go of Olivia’s hair.  Olivia fell to the floor.  Serena menacingly started walking towards Alex, who began taking steps backwards.  “If you ever put your filthy hands on me again, I will rip every strand of your hair out, you little dyke!”

 

Alex’s mouth dropped open.  “Ms. Benson!”

 

Olivia quickly scrambled to her feet and got between Serena and Alex.  “Leave her alone, Mom!”

 

Her mother ignored her.  She leaned to the side to address Alex.  “Leaving your dirty underwear in my daughter’s bed.  I guess it’s true what they say, huh?  Young, dumb, and full of cum!”

 

“Mom, stop it!” Olivia screamed.  “Don’t fucking say another word!”

 

Serena reached for Alex but Olivia blocked her arm.  “Move out of my way!” Serena growled.

 

“I’ll die before I let you hurt her!” Olivia shouted, pushing her mother back roughly.  Serena would have fallen on the floor if she hadn’t stumbled into the back of the couch.  Olivia grabbed Alex’s hand, ran to her room, and locked the door behind them.

 

Alex grabbed a duffle bag and Olivia frantically began shoving items in it while Serena banged on the door.  “Open up this damn door!” she demanded.

 

“We’ll go out the window,” Olivia whispered. 

 

Alex nodded and struggled to zip up the overstuffed bag.  “You got everything, baby?”

 

“Yeah, I think so,” Olivia responded.  She put the bag on her shoulder while Alex went to the window and opened it.  They could still hear Serena’s maniacal screaming as they hurried to the car.

 

They had been driving for several minutes and Olivia hadn’t said a word.  Alex cautiously placed a hand on her thigh.  “Say something, sweetie.”

 

Olivia kept her eyes straight ahead.  “There’s nothing to say.”

 

“Baby…”

 

Olivia held up a hand.  “Alex, I don’t wanna talk about it, ok?”

 

Alex sighed.  After the ordeal they’d just been through, she knew it was best to leave Olivia alone to lick her wounds—at least for the time being.  She in no way wanted to exacerbate the pain, anger, or humiliation she knew Olivia felt.  However, she also knew that they should talk about it relatively soon so it would not build up inside Olivia and cause her to explode at a later point.  She decided the best time to broach the subject again would be after they were back to safety at her own house.

 

When they arrived, Olivia wordlessly preceded Alex up the stairs, threw her bag down on the floor, and lay down on her side on the bed.  Alex walked in behind her, softly closed the door, and then lay down beside Olivia.  “I love you, sweetie.”

 

Olivia didn’t respond.  Trying not to sigh, Alex continued, “Is there anything I can get for you?”  Olivia shook her head.  “Would you like for me to give you a massage?  Rub your stomach?  That always makes you feel better.”

 

Olivia shook her head again.  She was trying hard not to start crying again.  “No, that’s all right,” she said almost inaudibly.

 

“Well, I’ll just hold you then,” Alex responded.  She cuddled up to Olivia’s back and wrapped her arms around her.

 

After about 20 minutes, Olivia said, “I’ll be ok, Alex.  You can let me go now.”

 

“Liv, you don’t have to play the whole macho part.  Just cry.  Let your guard down.  I don’t expect you to always be the strong one.”

 

Olivia quickly sat up and turned to face Alex.  “My mom pulled one of her drunken tirades and hit me right in front of the girl I love!  Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?”

 

“Sweetie, you have nothing to be embarrassed about!  This isn’t your fault!  She basically called me a cum-filled dyke and threatened to rip my hair out, but I’m not gonna beat myself up about it!”

 

“And do you have any idea how hard it was for me to hear her say those horrible things to you?  I wanted to sink into the ground!  I promised to protect you and I couldn’t even shut her up and protect you from her psychological abuse!”

 

“Liv, you did protect me.  You got me out of there, you stopped her from hurting me.  You’re the bravest person I know!”

 

Olivia smiled weakly.  “Yeah, well I didn’t feel so brave.  I was terrified she’d hit me again.  And I was even more scared that you would think I was weak for letting it happen.”

 

Alex stroked her face.  “Sweetie, no!  I could never think that!  Drunks are unpredictable.  You had no clue what she would do.”

 

“I didn’t ever want you to be exposed to that, Alex.  You come from a good, clean, sober family.  I’m sorry you had to witness just how dysfunctional the latter rungs of society are.”

 

“I’m not.  I’m glad I could be there with you.  No one deserves to go through that alone.  And don’t you dare insult yourself that way.  In no way are you from a ‘latter rung’ of society.  You’re complete royalty in my book.  It’s not your fault the stork dropped you off at the wrong house by accident.”

 

Olivia pulled Alex to her and kissed her on the forehead.  Her sincere, comforting words made her soul soar.  Smiling brightly, she said, “Oh, sweetie.  You always know how to lift me up.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.”  Her eyes began tearing up again.

 

“Go ahead and cry, sweetie.  Let it all out.”

 

Olivia broke down in tears.  Alex pulled her into her lap and rocked her softly.  “It’ll be ok, sweetie.  It’ll be ok,” she assured her, rubbing her hand over her hair softly.

 

Olivia was glad to have the love and support of Alex, and Alex was glad that Olivia had completely opened up to her and let her emotions through.  She rubbed her stomach for several minutes until her tears started to dry up.

 

“Thanks for sticking up for me in front of my mom like that.  It really means a lot to me,” Olivia said gratefully, sniffling and adding the tissue in her hand to the small pile in front of her.

 

“No problem, sweetie.  I just want you to be happy—and safe.”

 

Olivia smiled and brushed her face.  “As long as I’m with you, I will be.”