First Time

75

Emily

"Give it here!" dad demands.

I shake my head and take a couple of steps back. Dad carefully steps forward like a predator about to attack its prey.

"Emily, hand over the phone now!" he threatens with a finger pointing at the buzzing phone.

Feeling backed in a corner, adrenaline kicks in and I do the most ridiculous thing. I answer the phone and it accidentally goes on loudspeaker.

"Emily, what's going on? Are you ok? I can hear shouting," Aiden's concerned voice comes out of the phone.

"Give me the phone Emily!" dad barks and is now charging towards me.

"Wait, is the boy here? Outside our home?" mum gasps.

I dash in the opposite direction to dad, and he pursues me around the room, demanding I hand over the phone.

"Aiden, please...I can't..." I sob whilst trying to catch my breath.

"What's going on? Come outside," he says reassuringly.

"No! No, you won't go outside!" mum yells catching me by the living room door.

They both struggle with me, all of us yelling over each other. Dad tries to snatch the phone; mum is trying to stop me from leaving and all I want to do is escape to Aiden's arms.

"Emily? Emily?" I can hear him shout worriedly over the phone, "I'm gonna come inside!"

Finally, the phone falls on the floor as I am freed. From the force of the struggle, mum has snatched the necklace from my neck. For a split second, I watch as she looks at the picture inside the locket with horror. Then I run.

I haul the front door open, and Aiden is standing in the doorway. Instinctively, he pulls me into his arms. As my parents appear in the hallway, he steps in front of me protectively, pushing me out onto the driveway.

"You!" he says to my mum in realisation.

"Get away from my daughter!" she tells him sternly.

They know each other?

"What did you do to her?" Aiden asks.

"Excuse me?" mum scoffs with disdain.

Then, in the blink of an eye, dad has lunged at Aiden and they become embroiled in a brawl.

"You bastard! How dare you show your filthy self in my house! How could you put your dirty paws on my daughter!" dad growls as he attempts to punch Aiden who blocks his every move.

This is the first time I've ever heard my dad swear and it's so strange.

"Emily get inside!" my mum orders as the two men continue to fight like beasts.

"I don't wanna hit you but if you fucking start, I will fuck you up!" Aiden threatens as he tries to fend off the punches.

"Emily! Get inside! Now!" mum screams.

Mum tries to sidestep the scuffle to get to me, but she can't.

"Aiden, please...stop," I beg him knowing that if he hits my dad, it will make the situation so much worse.

"You bloody bastard!" dad grunts as he struggles with the clearly stronger, younger man.

With weak limbs, I just about manage to stay standing up, watching this nightmare continue to unfold.

It's clear that Aiden's strength is no match for dad, but he refuses to back down.

"You raped my daughter!"