“Dave, please he isn’t worth you getting thrown into jail over.” I said as I clung to Dave’s arm trying not to cry. My brother looked at me then at the guy who’s shirt front he was holding, his face a mask of pure anger. Looking from me to the guy Dave let him go “Get out of here and if I see you near my sister ever again I will beat you to a pulp.” He growled. Frank knew that he was kidding he nodded and nearly fell trying to get out of the house we heard the front door slam then a few seconds later we heard his Mustang tearing out down the street. Dave still trembling with anger put his arm around me and led me to the couch, I was still trying not to cry, but it wasn’t working. We sat down and I hid my face in his shirt and started to sob, he just patted my back and let me cry I knew he was wishing that he would have beat the crap out of Frank when he had a chance. When I had finally calmed down he lifted my chin “Now tell me exactly what happened Tig” he said quietly, his tone brooked no argument and I knew he wanted the whole truth. So I started at the beginning. First let me explain a few things, my name is Tiger Mercy, don’t ask how I got such a name but I did and I think it suits. And my brother is Gregory Dave, and we are orphans, well I’m the orphan Dave is twenty-five and I’m not sure if anyone would consider him an orphan but that’s what we are. I’m seventeen, and I wish I could turn back the clock and go back to being a kid. But that’s another story for another time. Our mom died not long after I was born, I don’t know why or how, all I was told was that she gone to heaven, oh I’ve heard whispers about what had happened to her and Dave doesn’t know that I know that she killed herself, but I prefer to let Dave think that I don’t know. Because I was so young when she died I don’t remember my mom, I’ve seen pictures of her she was beautiful, she was Indian, she grew up in India, then feel in love with my dad they married and moved from India to Georgia. Now I remember my dad, he died about five years ago, he was at a construction site, and some kind of machine malfunctioned and something broke, and…well he died. And ever since my big brother Dave has been raising me. He was in collage until the accident, had to quiet and work full time to take care of us, and I love him for it, sometimes he can be very overprotective of me when I bring a boy home, but he has also saved me a lot of heartache. And that brings me back to the story. Dave had come home early from work to find me in a corner crying and Frank on the couch laughing, it didn’t take too much detective work for him to realize that Frank had hurt me somehow. And that’s how I ended up telling him the story I’m about to tell you. And I guess I should tell you that I’m only half Indian, dad was German, and very light, which makes for a very interesting combination between Dave and me. He had blonde hair green eyes and a fair complexion, now me, I’ve got rich dark brown hair with vivid green eyes, I have my mothers delicate Indian features and my dad’s green eyes, I have my moms skin color too, the color of coffee with more cream than coffee, I get darker when I get in the sun. And not to sound vain but I’m very pretty, I would be stupid not to realize that. Although sometimes I wish I could be a bit plainer. But back to my story, so the beginning right. I guess I’ll start that morning with Dave and me eating breakfast. So we were sitting at the kitchen table like we do every Saturday eating cereal, telling each other what we were going to be doing that day. Dave had a business meeting at the car palace, and I was going to spend the day with my boyfriend Frank. So after making sure he told me three times that I was too be home by midnight, and that if I needed anything he was only a phone call away. He left, and I cleaned up the breakfast dishes, I was just finishing up when Frank came in. “Hey babe” I paused for a second then pulled the plug on the water in the sink, he leaned in to kiss me and I turned my head so all he got was cheek. “How many times am I going to have to tell you that I hate being called ‘babe’ makes me think of that stupid pig movie” He rolled his eyes, he had heard this speech before, I should have taken that as a sign that the day was going to be a disaster, but I shrugged it off, and put the dishes up while he grabbed himself a drink. “I’ve got us some plans made today ba…Tig “ he said his head in the refrigerator. “Oh?” I asked as I moved toward my room to get my bag. My bag contains any and everything that I might need, an extra set of regular clothes, a party outfit, toothbrush toothpaste makeup, hairbrush, feminine products ect. Anything I could need throughout the day you never know what might happen, in the summer I had a bathing suit, in the winter I had an extra jacket. So as I was grabbing my bag Frank had followed me, I tensed hoping he wouldn’t follow me into the room, I would have to make him leave, I didn’t allow anyone into my sanctuary. He stopped at the door, at least he remembered that “Yeah, I thought we would see an early movie, then go to the Sack buster, to get some lunch, then go up to Vina’s she is having a pool party.” The name instantly grated on my nerves, Vina was a boyfriend stealing ‘ho, and right now her eyes were on Frank. And of course he didn’t notice that I had gritted my teeth “Cool “ I said lamely. I grabbed my bag and slipped my cell phone into my pocket and followed Frank to the foyer. I made sure that all the lights were off, you know the regular leave your house routine stuff, and then locked the door, and we hoped into his electric blue Mustang. For some reason things were unusually quiet on the way to the theater, it was awkward, and I wondered if I had done something to make Frank mad. Not understanding why the silence was so awkward, I said nothing and watched the suburban part of town fly by, the fifteen-minute ride seemed to take fifteen hours. Finally we parked. Frank visibly brightened as we walked into the theater, We decided on two movies one that he wanted to see and one that I wanted to see, his was a Western comedy, mine a romantic drama, we watched mine first. Things went from ok to bad in an instant; we sat in the back because sitting close to that big screen made my head hurt. Up front there was a couple like us soon after the opening credits though they started making out big time, I truly thought the dude was going to suck her face off. Between watching the movie and the suck face couple, I hadn’t noticed that Frank had been moving his hand farther and farther up my leg. Well I noticed when he squeezed my thigh, I froze, he only did it once, and he had never done anything like this before, I hoped he wasn’t getting ideas from the couple down in the front. When he didn’t do anything else for a few minutes I went back to watching the movie now completely ignoring the suck face couple. Then at a really intense moment in the movie Frank put his hand up my shirt, I stood up so fast I almost split orange soda all over him, “I uh have to go to the restroom” I didn’t lie, I did need to go, but I could have waited, I needed to get away from him, I was shocked, I had thought he respected me enough not to pull a stunt like that on me, he knew what I thought of crap like that. Making it to the bathroom I leaned against the wall taking deep breaths. Feeling like I had been in there forever I went to the sink and splashed cool water on my heated face. Thankfully no one had come in the bathroom while I was in there. Not completely ready but knowing I couldn’t stall any longer. The movie was almost over by the time I went back in there, I sat by Frank again, fully on alert now, he didn’t try anything else, but I was no longer interested in the movie. Finally it was over, the lights came up, and we moved to the room that was showing the western. We had to wait a bit and while we waited Frank made an awkward halfhearted apology, I accepted it, and we acted like it had never happened. I was tense through the whole film, but Frank seemed to have forgotten what he had done, because he laughed through the whole thing. I just couldn’t wait to get out of that dark theater. We had been to the movies before, but he respected my space. When the movie was over and we got to the car we discussed where we were going to eat, knowing that I could probably pick anywhere I wanted to go and he would say yes I chose the Golden isle, Chinese place I loved, Frank hated Chinese but he nodded and that was where we went. The car ride was uncomfortable at best, and lunch was silent, Frank looked angry, the only time he talked was to the waitress. I knew we would have to discuss what he did sooner or later; it was like a pink elephant in the room. So after the most uncomfortable time at the restaurant, it was about three ‘o clock. We reached the car and he turned to me, I thought he was going to apologize again, I was wrong. “You still want to go to that party at Vina’s? “ he asked he seemed like he was almost anxious for to say no. I thought about it for a while, I had known about the party, because some of my girls were going to it, so I decided to go, maybe I would have a little fun. So I said, “Yea lets go.” I got in the car and by the time we arrived the party was in full swing. We separated almost as soon as we walked through the door, I found my friends he found his. Ignoring the looks my friends gave me, and they shrugging it off, I changed into a soft yellow one piece, and I from as far as I could see I was the only girl in a one piece, but I didn’t care my bathing suit was pretty and I didn’t want to flaunt what I have. After we swam awhile my girls and I laid out in the sun, and while they talked boys, I sipped the lemonade and stayed out of the conversation. As it grew dark everyone started gravitating towards their girlfriend or boyfriend I did the same. But when I couldn’t find him out side, I went inside looking for him. I looked every where on the main level then the bedrooms, I was relieved I hadn’t found him on the top level although I found quiet a few couples making out. Finally I went down in the basement, I heard moans and almost turned back but I really needed to talk to Frank so I continued down the steps. The lights were out, I didn’t say anything I didn’t want to disturb the happy couple that were grunting like cavemen. I moved my hand along the wall for the light switch and when I found it I wish I hadn’t, there on the pool table was Frank with Vina in his lap, her skirt was up around her thighs and her bathing suit bottoms on the floor, his pants were down around his ankle. When they saw me Frank stuttered and Vina laughed, she turned Frank’s horrified face to hers and kissed him, with me standing there, I felt sick, I stumbled up the stairs, but not in time to hear them both maoning each others names. I ran to the nearest bath room and threw up. I sat on the floor with my back against the door sobbing. I couldn’t believe that he had done that to me, I had thought he loved me. Bu apparently I was wrong, I checked my watch it was 7:42, the party wouldn’t be over for another few hours. Washing my face trying to erase the fact that I had been crying, I left the bathroom. The house was full of kissing couples, some where doing more than kissing, I wished I had never come. I felt light headed. I walked into the kitchen and was going to get some more lemonade when I saw that some guy was pouring vodka in a new pitcher of lemonade. I realized that that was why I was lightheaded I was tipsy. I went outside to get air, I couldn’t breathe in the house. I was surprised to see Frank there, he was smoking, I hadn’t even known he smoked “Take me home” he sighed and finished his cigerate. Then we left, the air in the car was riddle with tension. He pulled over and turned to me, about a mile away from my house. “Tig, I’m sorry, I needed to release, you wouldn’t let me touch you, and you drive me wild.” He was trying to explain I laughed through my tears he grew angry “If you would have just let me teach you a few things then I wouldn’t have had to go somewhere else. We’ve been together almost two years, and you wont let me do more than kiss, you, I deserve to sleep with you.” That made me angry “I told you before we ever got really serious that I was saving myself for marriage, that’s the way I believe.” His eyes narrowed and I scooted closer to the door afraid of the look in his eyes. “Yes I’ve heard it all before, but I thought that if I waited long enough I would be able to change your mind” that hurt, I had thought that he loved me, I started crying again “take me home, just take me home I don’t want to ever see you again.” He cranked the car and drove to myself I got out and ran to the door, unlocking it I didn’t hear him come up behind me, he pushed the door open and came in with me. “Get out!” I yelled, “Tig, lets talk about this please” he begged I shook my head and told him to leave again, but he didn’t, I went into the living room and turning I pointed to the door “Get out!!” I screamed. He laughed then. “No.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me to him and kissed me hard I squirmed until her let me go, I slapped him, and he pushed me. That’s how I came to be in the corner. He knew Dave wouldn’t be home for another hour or so, so he sat on the couch and started laughing “You are the stupidest girl, I have ever met!
