She was always quiet during arguments. Even when her parents scolded her about the laundry or her homework, she remained straight-faced, like a statue that would crack with just a single touch. She was proud of this trait; she avoided saying the wrong things or escalating the argument. When her first boyfriend used her face as a punching bag, she still couldn’t muster the courage to speak. Her mind raced and screamed at her to open her mouth and say something, anything, but she refused. The front two strands of her straight, chocolate brown hair would cover her face, serving as protection from the fire and nails that expelled from his angry lips. She had a habit of picking at her nails when they would fight. Rather than looking him in the eyes, she would stare down at the floor, using her cuticles as a scratching post. On the outside, she was particularly anxious. Although her mouth was sewn shut most of the time, her mind was a different world of opinions, insults, and everything in between. What her opponent didn’t know was that behind her crystal blue eyes, she was a master at comebacks and cursing. Her mind would run rapidly, saying whatever came to it. The amount of “fuck you”s trapped in her throat was almost overwhelming for her, yet she refused to unleash them.Â
She was sitting on his bed, lost in her homework. When he arrived home, she could tell just by the way he slammed the front door that he was in a shitty mood. As he rummaged through the cabinets in the kitchen, her heart raced like a baby hare struggling to escape the gaze of a wolf. He stormed into the room, her heart unable to thud any harder, and immediately screamed about the lack of garbage bags. Once again, she was left speechless. He slapped her forcefully across the face, spewing insults like projectile vomit. As he wailed on her, the bitter taste of his words bombarded her tongue. After what seemed like hours, his words became sour, making it unbearable to keep tasting. With one more blow to her left eye, unable to stand the rotten flavor anymore, she mustered everything she had left in her. She released one long, hellish scream, causing the world to go quiet.