text: Rimsha Sohail Too Bad 
   
   
     
   Prologue: 
  "Yeah Yeah"said Claire to her dad. She was soooo bored of getting a lecture from her father all the time. Just because she said a few bad words, her father gives her hell for it. "Now listen to me young lady, you need to be responsible for your choice of words. If you carry on like this-" "Yeah dad. I get it can i go now?"  said Claire with attitude. "No you can't" said her dad. "Just because you want me to listen to you, i won't david!! I don't wanna be like you or your poxy little girlfriend!!!" Shouted Claire in a fit of rage.  
  Suddenly, she wished she hadn't said that. Her father's face had turned into a crimson red, from a beige colour. She leapt back, scared of her father for the first time. She knew that her father didn't like her calling his girlfriend names, because she was a handi. Suddenly, she was twitching on the ground, begging her dad to take mercy for her......... 
  Regret: 
  Claire was an average sized girl, with blonde hair and hazel blue eyes. She occasionally wore some make up, to give her face that little glow. Her face was pale under the moonlight, but if you had the right luminous light, then her face would look better. In this state, she would look  like a person who had gotten beaten up by some bouncer, and cried over it. That was how it felt like to Claire. She was already a weak girl, and her father had made her even more flaccid. 
  Later on that night, Claire was weeping her eyes out. She was so terrified of her father. He had hit her!!! HIT HER!!! She just couldn't believe it. Just because of his girlfriend, she got punished. The problem was that David's girlfriend, Amy was a beautiful woman. Literally. She was so pretty, the first time her saw her, he was put under a spell. Eventually, she started liking him,  as he did.  
  One day, she moved in with her father and herself, and took over the complete house. Ever since that day, her life had been a misery. Then one day, Claire's father and Amy had met up with an accident, and it had all been her father fault. Amy's face got ruined and ended up in a wheel chair. Her father had never forgiven himself, from that and had warned Claire to speak of anything bad about her again. 
  Claire stiffened a yawn, and instantly became aware of the bruising on her face, head and rest of her body. Claire felt a warm patch of wet, near her face. She reached for her mirror and gazed at her reflection in horror. Blood covered all of her chin and mouth. She wiped off the blood, with her sleeve, and dried  her hands.  
  She remembered those 5 painfull minutes of torture. She remembered that her father had picked off his shoe to slap and hit her. Later, when he was content of using the rock hard shoe, he put back on his shoe and began kicking her. That was the worst of all, from the unbearable torment. Unexpectedly, her eyes drifted to a close and she was floating, under sleep. 
  Morning: 
  Claire awoke at the sound of a pound at the door. She sat dazed, startled at the knock at her door, wondering who would knock so early in the morning. She peeked to her right, staring at the alarm clock. It was 6.00 am. She didn't wake up for school until seven.  Suddenly she recalled the episode of last night. She had got beaten badly by her dad. 
  "Can I come in please, Claire?"asked her father. 
  NO NO NO!!! Claire thought in her mind. He probably wanted a scar to last on her body, if he wanted to come in. Wasn't he sorry for her, getting beaten up by her dad, on the floor, defenceless? If he had some shame or regret, he wouldn't face her in the face. He had the guts to actually knock at the door, wanting to come in. 
  The door creaked open. Claire shut her eyes, pretending to sleep. She started breathing heavily, wanting to put on a good show. 
   "I know your awake Claire. You don't need to pretend to sleep." Whispered her father. 
  She sat up, disappointed of her actress skills. "Yeah I'm awake. You caught me". She tried to sound surprised, but her voice sounded the inside of a grave. 
   "I-I I'm so sorry Claire. I was out of order last night. When you spoke of my dear Amy like that, I just lost control.Now you know what the consequences are to answer back and be rude to me", explained her father. 
   "Do you think its ok to batter your daughter, black and blue? Have you even looked at the state of my body?"Asked Claire, furious. 
   "No I haven't Claire, why is it something to look at? I hope you have not blabbed to anyone about last night. If you do, you will wish you hadn't!" Screamed her father. 
  She was so angry with her father, because he tells her what to do AND abuses her. It was so unfair. 
  "No dad, i haven't told anyone about the atrocities you do to me. You're safe for now." Whispered Claire. 
  "What do you mean safe for now?" Said Claire's father. 
   " I mean that you're safe forever, OK dad?" replied Claire. 
   "Yes, yes good. Now, you better get ready for school, otherwise you'll have to walk the whole way, without any school bus." Came a sudden voice. It was David, Claire's father, walked out of the room with a loud bang from the door. 
  As soon as David was out of the room, Claire leaped up from the bed, and searched for her uniform. She peered over her shoulder and say that the time was nearly 7.00 am. Her father had took a whole hour for this stupid lecture. She put on her clothes, and reached for her bag of Toiletries. 
  She was all ready for school, so she left her bedroom. Claire thought that her father would waste more time, over breakfast and she'd have to bare that. With a rumbling stomach, she shut the door, and sighed into the brightness of the sun.   
  The Bus Station: 
  When Claire stepped out of the front door, she was thinking again of the abuse that occurred last night. She knew that when her father started something, he never stopped doing it, unless it made him feel stupid. She knew what her father would say, if she asked him if he was going to do it again. He'd say something like this: "I'm sorry poppet, for what I did to you. It was just a one off, and it will NEVER happen again. I can understand the pain you went through, but it was the only way for you to see sense. I feel invincible, controlled when I hit you, that's why you need to learn your place." Says her father, probably. 
  She realised that while she was thinking of her fathers explanation, the bus had come to the bus station, and waiting for her arrival. The bus driver Mark, who was short, and bald, with tattoos and piercings all over his face was waiting for her, like everyday. 
  "Good morning Claire. How are you today?" asked Mark. 
  Was she meant to tell the truth, that happed to her, or should she lie for her father's sake? She decided to lie, because if she went home after school, her father would find out about it and beat her more. 
  "Er, I-I'm fine thanks Mark. I had a great night last night. What about you?" 
   I'm great Claire, I went over to see my ma over in London. You know, you should see the Big Ben, its a great site, with lots of attract"-- His face was creased in pain and misunderstanding. "What happened to your face Claire?" His voice was raised in anxiety and worry. You could tell by his expression that he was shocked. Mark had never seen Claire so badly hit, ever in his life! He'd seen a few cuts and bruises on Claire, after falling over, but never had seen her with great purple bruises along the left side of her face. 
  "Err... I .... eeer...... oh yeah, i got battered up by er..... by some girl. I was calling her names and she flipped and got her friends on me and she threatned never to do it aga---" she was just about to finish her made up story when Mark cut in. 
  "I'm sorry Claire, but I'm not convinced that a girl did that to you. Also, I know that David has got anger management. I'm not accusing him of anything, but tell me Claire, did he do this to you?" 
  Claire could already see the fire starting to burn in his eyes. Mark, who was a bus driver, he was extremely protective of Claire. He thought her as her daughter. Suddenly, she vaguley remembered the hostile look in her dad's eyes, after he told her not to tell anyone of the "preformance" that happened the previous night before. She had to speak now, otherwise she never would. She squared her shoulders, and she knew it that she was determined to give her father the punishment he deserved. 
  " Ahhh, well, the thing is that. . . yeah, I did get beaten up by my dad. He flipped out in a fit of rage, and that's where it lost control. He can be sometimes a bit brutal, but otherw--" she was about to speak out to tell the whole bit, when suddenly a horn sounded behind her, stopping her blurting out the truth. She recognised that sound. 
  It was her father's car.   
   
   
   Publication Date: May 21st 2010 https://www.bookrix.com/-rimsha.786