The Treehouse - Chapter 8

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Brie screamed. Jesse shook with fear, dropping the powder to the floor. "That stuff can kill you!"

"What do you want me to do?" Jesse shot back. "I started for obvious reasons, need I list them?"

"I don't care, you can't continue, I don't want you to die!" Brie began tearing.

"Well I don't want a kid!" he roared. Jesse stood up and took two large strides to put his face inches away from Brianne's. His rage was welling up and bulging out his eyes, scaring Brie silly. Jesse rolled his hand into a fist and began beating Brie. He hit her anywhere he could, but most strikes landed on the thin layer between his hand and his child. By now, Brianne was crying hysterically, screaming at Jesse to try to get him to stop. She managed to escape when a punch missed her, and she ran away as fast as her body would allow.

Chris lived closer to Jesse than Brie did, so she went there instead of going home. Chris was parking the car as he noticed Brianne blindly running toward him. She sprinted right into his arms, almost knocking him over. He hugged her, confused, but deciding not to inquire until she was ready to talk. Inside on a chair in the living room a few minutes later, Brianne was still shaking as she recalled what had happened.

"I can't believe he's be such an asshole!" Chris commented, wide-eyed. "Especially to you, I mean, you're definitely not a girl that deserves that." Brianne got up and plopped down on the couch next to him. She leaned on him, wrapping her arms around his stomach. Chris looked down at her arms, which were turned just enough so he could make out little cuts and scars…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Victoria was mindlessly walking around her house. She had just called Chris and actually conversed with him; but not in the way she had intended at all. When he had picked up, Chris completely told her off. Vickie never thought he was capable of such a thing.

Basically, Chris had told Victoria to stop bothering him at all costs. He told her about how he knew she was the one threatening Brianne. He also told her about how he knew he was the only guy who didn't like her; and he was mighty proud of it.

After hanging up, Victoria was totally and completely speechless. There was nothing she could say, and nothing needed to be said. She had just been told by the man himself that she had shot every chance she had with him. It finally got through her head that Chris was not only the one guy she could not seduce, but the one guy she would never be able to seduce.

Chris made it clear that he never wanted to speak to Vickie again. She saw the light and decided to lay off, finally realizing it wasn't worth her time. Victoria faded into the background after that, out of Chris's life, which was becoming more full of Brianne than ever…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Brie, can I ask you something?" Chris and Brianne were resting in the treehouse, the evening of Chris's birthday, when he remembered something. Chris hadn't let Brie out of his sight since Jesse attacked a couple days ago, but he had forgotten about something else until then.

"You just did," Brianne smiled. Chris rolled his eyes. "I know what you meant," she assured him. "Go ahead, ask away."

"You know how you sat on the couch with me after you told me about Jesse?" Chris asked. Brianne nodded, her eyes urging him to continue. "I noticed something…" Chris took Brie's left arm and pushed the long sleeve of her yellow shirt down to reveal the cuts.

"Is this what I think it is?" he whispered. Brianne looked at the ground, fighting the tears that were screaming in her eyes. She nodded hesitantly, her arm still in Chris's grasp. He comfortingly stroked her forearm as she rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"Why?" Chris pressed softly. Brie lifted her head to stare into his eyes. She had calmed herself before bawling her eyes out, refusing to let the tears take control.

"I'm sick of crying about everything," she responded. "There had to be some other way of letting the pain out, and cutting seemed to work…" Chris shook his head in disgust.

"You can't do this anymore. I'm not going to let you," he stated firmly.

"Well what do you propose I do then, huh? I have shed way too many tears, and I refuse to cry anymore."

"It's okay to cry," Chris reminded her, brushing her hair behind her right ear with his fingertips. "Tears don't harm you, but knives do." He sighed heavily, glanced away, and looked back at Brianne's downcast face. "Is there another reason you're doing this?" he questioned, sensing her discomfort.

"I'm failing all of my classes. I can't learn anymore, Chris. I'm too preoccupied. Jesse ruined my life." Brie paused to frown at her shoe. "And I can't dance anymore." Chris hugged Brianne, pressing his cheek to her head. He knew all about how much the world of dance meant to Brianne, and he hated to see that she couldn't do what she loved. Ever since they had started high school, Brianne had developed plans to go to Julliard for college and maybe become a world-famous professional dancer.

"It's only temporary," Chris soothed. "Pretty soon you won't have a baby bouncing around with you. You'll get back to dance classes soon." Brie smiled a little, her head resting on Chris's shoulder again. She imagined the feel of her pointe shoes back on her feet, the itchy costume, and the loving crown watching her in wonder as she danced across the stage for them. Chris hoped what he said would be true… he had serious doubts in his words.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"These are still too small!" Brianne tossed aside another pair of pants. She was in a dressing room in a mall store, trying to find clothes that would fit with her rounding stomach. It was early October, seven months into her pregnancy. The summer had flown by, but Brie hadn't returned to school in September. She decided it wasn't worth it if she wasn't even getting good grades.

"Try these," Noelle suggested, throwing a pair of navy blue sweatpants over the door. Elle was being a stupendous friend, always on the lookout for problems she could help Brie with. Brianne slipped into the soft legholes and looked into the mirror.

"Now that's more like it," she thought aloud. "Alright, we're done here, let's go." After buying the pants, Brie and Elle turned to leave the store. Just as she was doing so, Brianne slammed into another pregnant teen.

"I am so sorry about that," she apologized. When her eyes met the other girl's, Brie's jaw hit the floor.