Heart of Steel

Heart of Steel Chapter 6

Heart of Steel

Chapter 6

Xander's POV.

I walked away from the oak tree with my bag and guitar, smiling a little to myself. Charlie Lo had just introduced herself to me and didn't run away scared when i showed her my bashed and broken face.

I don't know why i expected her too but i just thought that i would look like a scary teenage boy that must always get in fights. That's the story i was sticking with if anyone asked. I was in a fight with a boy after he insulted my sister. Yeah, that should work.

There is no way in the world that i am telling anyone that it was actually my father who did this. He raged at me when i talked back that night, yelling at my sister as well for knowing that i had a job. She didn't though, she thought i went out those nights to Chase's house.

Of course, when i yelled that at him he got even angrier, and hit me in the face. First hard in one eye then in the other. When Scarlett screamed he threw a punch to my jaw and that sent me down on the floor spitting blood.

I hated this.

I hated my life every time that happened.

I hated having to tell everyone that i 'got in a fight again'.

I hated that everyone started to get scared of me, like if they said something bad i would rage at them myself.

The week after every rage i would be fine again. My bruises would have cleared up and i would be fine in front of everyone. Of course cakeyourface took it as an oppurtunity to take pity on me and try and make me fall in love with her for her TLC.

I sat at the back of class today. My face was worse then usual. Sometimes i would have just a couple of bruises but it would heal in a day or two. I didn't want everyone to start getting scared of me again.

It hadn't happened for about a month and i thought maybe he was done. I was wrong.

He tends to make it worse if he hadn't have done it for a while beforehand. We're all scared of him. Well mainly me and Scar. As i said, Mum sometimes joins him but she never hits us. Just yells curses at us and all her regrets of ever having us.

It was nice to talk to Charlie today. She was the first person who had talked to me and not been scared of my bruises. Well, except for cakeyourface, but thats beside the point.

I didn't want to give her my guitar at first and i just wanted her to go away but when she said she was sorry for invading my privacy and that she was going to go i realised that the unjudgemental company was nice from her.

She played beautfully. I had no idea what the song was but i noted it in my head to find out.

I couldn't help but think that she was...quite good looking. In a nice and simple way. She had blondish brownish hair and hazel eyes with a ring of dark dark brown around them.

I had seen her enter my maths class in the morning but paid no attention, too worried that the 'new girl's' first impression of me would be a fighter. She seemed to accept it anyway.

It was time for my next class, science. Personally, i didn't think that one class could go for so long but the teacher's drone--on voice proved me wrong.

The next class was English. I had that with Chase. I sighed, he was the only one that knew about my father and his 'temper tantrums' and when i had first told him he told me that his dad had the same problem. Chase is lucky. His father went through the torture of his own father just like me, so he knew what it was like and didn't want his own kids to have the same childhood. He was the best dad to Chase, and kind of seemed like a second father to me aswell.