THALIA

5. Sleepover

• THALIA •

I open my eyes slowly, adjusting to the light beaming through the closed shutters.

I take in my surroundings, memories of last night resurfacing.

I'm scared to admit it, but hanging out with a friend felt blooming amazing. Like someone chose me. Maybe only because she had a little blackmail on me, but she still made a choice to approach me nonetheless.

I prop myslef up on my elbows, looking behind me and seeing Nadine fast asleep.

I get up off of her sofa, trying to smooth out the massive indent I made. I go over to her and lightly tap her shoulder. "Nadine," I whisper.

She doesn't wake up, so I shake her shoulders instead. "Nadineeee," I say, tone increased by a few notches.

She wakes up, her eyelashes batting. "Hi," she whispers, voice a little croaky.

"Morning," I say back, still whispering.

She smiles, "did we just have a sleepover?"

I nod my head, matching her energy, "yeah, kinda." I laugh.

"I love that."

"Yeah, me too D." Me using her nickname causes her to look slightly taken back, but she soon smiles brightly. Her smiling makes me smile.

Nadine soon gets out of bed, or the sofa shall I say. We make our way into her kitchen, she tells me to take a seat on the stool as she cooks pancakes. I don't complain, I'm shattered and I love pancakes.

I love how she's cooking pancakes at 8 in the morning, wearing leather.

"Want a drink?" Nadine asks, back to me with the fridge open.

"You have any OJ?" I ask, trying to see what's in the fridge behind her back.

"Yep, one orange juice coming right up, m'lady."

She pours me a cup and herself one, but instead filled with apple juice.

She starts to make the pancake batter. I try to offer to help but she told me to sit my ass back down, three times.

"I feel like I don't know anything about you." I tell her.

"Ask away."

"Parents?"

She sighs, "I have a Dad, always only ever been that way. Kinda sucked getting my first peirod and feeling like I had no one to talk to. Or my first crush, or on sports day when everyone's mums were cheering them on. I'm grateful for my Dad though, even if he is a major workaholic."

"Your Dad like your fiancée?"

"Yeah, I hope not juts Bennu's money though."

I shake my head, even though she can't see me right now. "That would be shitty."

"Utterly." She agrees.

"How'd you meet Bennu?" I question, resting my elbows on the countertop and leaning my face on the palms of my hands.

"I was working in Harrods, I was 19, he was 21. Came up to me for help saying he didn't know what to buy his youngest brothers birthday. I gave him some help and then he turned up at the end of my shift the next day, asking me to go on a date with him."

"Aw, that's fucking sweet."

She tucks a strand of hair behind her jewellers ear. "Never been able to forget that day, October 15th. Your birthday. You would've been-"

"14." I shudder at the memory of my fourteenth birthday. 

Flashback

"Happy birthday to Nathalia's, Happy birthday to you!" Everyone finishes the song off.

I smile at the chocolate cake in front of me, blowing out the candles.

"I'll go cut the cake." Susie, my new foster mum, says, taking the cake to the kitchen along.

Marcus sits beside me, my new foster Dad, but he's giving me a weird impression.

"What'd you wish for?" He asks, his body angled towards me.

I shrug, mumbling "I can't say."

"I got you a present."

My head perks up at that, "yeah?"

"It's upstairs, though. Follow me."

I follow Marcus up to his and Susie's room. Feeling slightly odd.

He stars to unbuckle his jeans.

"What are you doing?!" I panic, my breaths becoming erratic.

"Giving you your gift. You have to swallow it."

I go to scream but Marcus cover my mouth with his sweaty palm. "Ungrateful bitch."

Flashback over

"Thalia, what happened?!" An alarmed Nadine shakes me, having abandoned the pancakes.

"Nothing." I mutter.

"Fuck off, that weren't nothing." Nadine states, rubbing my back in circle motions.

I can't help but crumble in front of her.

I tell her everything.

I'll probably regret it tomorrow.

But for now, I'm so fucking exhausted of living.

__________________________________

• the next morning : 5:30am •

"Open the fucking door, Thalia!" Someone screams from behind the door.

I groan into my thin pillow, "fuck off."

The pounding intensifies, they're gonna break the half of my door that's still intact.

"I told you not to put another lock on your door. Yet you did anyways, you brat."

I stare up at the ceiling, hoping whoever's behind the door retreats.

"Let. Me. In. Bitch! It's important!" The man screams, I think it's Jimmy. He obviously woke up in a bad mood. That's his bipolar speaking.

I cover my ears with my pillow, praying he fucks off.

"Fine, want to play games, Nathalia. We will fucking play." I hear Jimmy footsteps retreat and I let out a sigh of relief.

I zone out, thinking about yesterday when a chainsaw breaks though the door.

I scream In surprise, my heartbeats quickening.

I back up into the wall whilst still sat in bed. I should've just let the bastard in.

The chainsaw eventually cuts a massive hole in my door, a seething Jimmy steps through. He tilts his neck to the side, it cracking. He then cracks a few knuckles before stomping toward me.

Jimmys never hurt me, like that. But I'm having doubts right now.

He stops in front of me, a black bag in his hand which I didn't even notice was there before. He chucks it at me, it hits me right in the face.

"Put those on. You've got a potential mummy and daddy coming to visit you. These people are the real deal, T. You better not disappoint." With that, he storms out the room, slamming the door with a missing middle.