But before I could even take a step, Charlie's boot slammed into my side, knocking me back to the floor.
"Charlie! She hit me last night!" I showed him my cheeks. "And now, didn't you hear her call me a pig?"
I was desperate for him to see that I was the victim. I wanted my brother to side with me just for once.
But he looked down at me. "Was she wrong, though?" he shot back casually.
I thought the world stopped for a second. When it finally registered in my head, I wondered, what's the point of being alive?
I looked into my brother's eyes, and the answer wasn't there.
Maybe he realized I expected him to be a brother to me, so he said, "Look, Ginny's my sister. You? You just bring me shame, so don't tell anyone I'm your brother when we're out."
Then Ginny strutted past, her dirty shoes dragging over my white dress, leaving filthy smudges behind. I lay there, helpless, listening to the sound of their laughter fading down the hall.
I didn't know what I was feeling. Maybe everything. Maybe hell. But maybe trapped was the most accurate term. I was trapped between the desperate need for my family to care and that nightmare I constantly willed myself to wake up from.