Page 2 of Goose

Earl didn’t let go of Bambi as she walked toward the house. Once they reached the door, he stumbled back inside.

Bambi looked back at Sawyer and shyly smiled. “I’m sorry, Sawyer. Daddy has been drinking again. He didn’t mean it.”

“Are you gonna be okay? I can stay outside until he passes out. He’s not going to hurt you is he, Bambi?”

Bambi nervously twisted her hands together. “It’s okay, Sawyer. Go home and I’ll see you tomorrow at school. Don’t forget we have that math test.”

Sawyer growled, “If you need me, please just call the house. I’ll come and help you. Silas and Levi will too.”

She smiled and tucked a loose strand of her golden blonde hair behind her ear. “Goodnight, Sawyer.”

With that, she closed the door behind her. Sawyer stood there for about five minutes before he headed home. His Mama would be worried and his Pop would not be happy if he was late for dinner.

He didn’t want to leave Bambi, but knew there was nothing he could do by himself. Earl was a big man and a nasty drunk. Sawyer planned to tell his twin brother, Silas, and their best friend, Levi, about this interaction.

Bambi needed somebody to protect her, and he planned on being that person. She was the prettiest girl at school, and Sawyer had this unexplainable need to protect her. She didn’t know it, but he planned to keep her safe for as long as he could.

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THE SCHOOL BELL RANG, and everybody rushed out of the building. Sawyer looked around and still didn’t see Bambi. She hadn’t been in school all day and he was getting worried. It wasn’t like her to ever miss school.

He hopped on his bicycle and rode toward her house. As he approached her trailer, he could see a broken window and the door wide open. Her Pop’s truck was gone, so he rushed inside.

Sawyer burst through to find the small living room and kitchen a disaster. Plates and cups were thrown everywhere, some in pieces where they were thrown against the wall. Beer cans and cigarette butts littered the floor.

He knew this wasn’t what it normally looked like. Bambi kept a tidy house just like her mama taught her. He also knew that her pop would never tolerate this mess. Something was wrong, and he planned to find out.

He carefully stepped over the broken glass in search of Bambi. Sawyer came across one door, busted off its hinges. He looked into the room to find furniture smashed and pictures hanging crooked on the wall. He turned and saw another closed door and carefully opened it.

Baby pink walls had bloody handprints strewn across the bottom half toward the bed. He stepped further into the room and saw a small lump curled up on the corner of a white and pink twin bed.

“Bambi? It’s me, Sawyer. I’m gonna take the blanket off, okay?”

“No! You need to leave. I’m fine. Please, Sawyer. Go home.”

Sawyer ignored her pleads and carefully pulled the blanket away from her body. In just a ratty, ripped t-shirt, Bambi was all curled up with dried tear streaks down her face.

She had dried blood on her face, arms, and legs. Fingerprint sized bruises were already starting to form on her legs and arms. Her hair looked like someone had pulled it and he could see cigarette burns on her arms.

Sawyer quickly pulled Bambi into him. “Bambi. Did your pop do this to you? We need to get you to the hospital.”

Bambi pulled back, shaking her head, and just stared at him. Sawyer could see the fear behind her baby blue eyes. More dried blood covered her face and her one eye was almost swollen shut. “You can’t take me there! I can’t go. Promise me you won’t tell anybody. I’m fine, Sawyer.”

He just shook his head. “Don’t go lying to me now. I can see you’re not okay. We gotta get you cleaned up. Come with me where it’s safe. We have extra rooms you can stay in and my Mama and Pop will take good care of you.”

Bambi just shook her head. “I can’t leave. If Daddy comes home and I’m not here, he’ll come looking. I can’t let your folks get caught up in this. He already hates them.”

“You can’t stay like this, Bambi. Let’s get you cleaned up, at least. Where’s your bathroom?”

She pointed to a door across from her room. Sawyer took her in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He started in the tub and turned to her. Blood ran down her thighs and his green eyes turned dark.

“Bambi. Did he touch you?”

“He... he used things around the house. Told me if I wanted to be a whore like my mother I needed to learn.”

Bambi started to cry, and Sawyer took her in his arms again. “Fuck. Fuck, Bambi. You are not a whore. Your mother wasn’t a whore either. She was coming around because my Pop offered her a job. My Mama was even helping her out. She was gonna leave your Pop.”

She looked up at him with her baby blue eyes. “She was gonna leave him?”

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