Another one bites the dust

Chapter 5

        Five days... It's been five days since I've seen Jake. Not that it was a bad or good thing, but I needed to get his blanket back! I felt horrible for keeping it for so long, but I couldn't think of anyway to get a hold of him. If I tried social media, his fans might think we're dating. At the same time I really enjoyed his blanket, and my mom noticed it one day.

        "Where did you get the blanket?" She asked when she came back from work one day. 

        "My friend Jake." I smiled up at her.

        "The one that carried you in Saturday?" I nodded turning back to the tv. 

        "I'd like to meet him next time before he sweeps you off your feet." She rolled her eyes before going into the kitchen. I laughed softly realizing how weird that sounded.

        "Meet who?" My step-dad that made us all call him dad walked in. Honestly all I wanted was to get out of here because of him. He had made my life a living (pardon my language,) hell.

        "A friend." I sighed softly getting up with the blanket. My step-dad attempted to get me to listen to him, but I refused. It wasn't like he actually cared anyways. My mom didn't either since she met him. In reality I missed my dad, step-mom, and baby twin half siblings. Yeah I loved my older twin brothers, but I missed my younger half twins. Plus one was a little girl, and I didn't have many females growing up either. Another issue my family faced was seeing my dad. My mom hated him so much my brothers and I never got to see him. My real dad lived in Florida with his family, and would always ask to see us. Once he sent us plane tickets, but my mom put those through the shredder. Anyways I knew once I finally turned eighteen which is next year, I'd be able to move down there to see him. It wouldn't be long until I turned seventeen though, and I still had to save up. I wrapped the blanket tighter around me when I entered my room, and collapsed onto my bed. What was I going to do today? I didn't work today, and Baylor was out with his friends. It was times like these when I wished my friends weren't in other places, and people in my state actually liked me. 

        "I'm going out with your brothers shopping!" My mom yelled up the stairs. I let out a groan in response knowing she had left me at home with my step-dad on purpose. No mom, I did not want to bond with him. 

        Instead I ended up somehow on the lake, in a boat, and about to fish. Of course I had done this many times, but my mom's husband had not. Before she met him, he was a complete city boy, which I could be, but I preferred the country or beach more. He grunted while trying to figure out how to pick up a worm while I already had one on the hook and in the water. He let out a few more grumbles before finally getting his hook in the water.

        "Your mom's worried about you." I shrugged not wanting to talk to him. "She doesn't like you being carried home, I know you were out partying and being a teen." I began to just nod my head and not listen to him. It had already been an emotional roller coaster with him moving into my life, I didn't want to have some weird pep talk about Jake, Luke, or any of the people I had met. 

        "Do you understand?" 

        "No," I answered honestly with a shrug. "Listen, you're not my dad, you will never be my dad, please stop acting like him." I could tell this made him angry. 

        "We're going home." He snarled through clenched teeth. I shrugged reeling the hook back in and allowed him to drive us back to the dock. 

        "Your dad left you for a reason-" He started when I stopped him.

        "Yeah it's called my mom, he didn't leave me, he actually wants me unlike you guys." I snapped. This wasn't the first time we had gone over this. It felt like I was always having this conversation actually. Every time I tried to be quiet, just to get through it, but I couldn't. 

        "Don't you dare say that." He threatened. I shrugged getting in the car that wasn't too far away, not really wanting to be grounded. He drove with his fists clenched to the wheel, his knuckles white as snow. The entire car ride was filled with awkward/tension silence. When he pulled into the drive a car was waiting for us, but not just anybody's car, Jake's car. I grinned hopping out quickly, ignoring my step-dads annoying calls. Before I reached the door though, my step-dad yanked me back and slapped me right across the face. I fell to the ground, my hand flying up to the stinging on my face.

        "You will listen to me." He growled. I looked up into his brown eyes with hatred before getting up, never taking my left hand off my face.

        "Never." I snapped storming inside forgetting anyone else was home. I slammed the door from behind me and ran up the stairs with tears pouring down my face. Why couldn't he just be a cool step-dad like everyone else's? My step-mom was cool. I walked into my bathroom and looked to see a large red hand print on my cheek. Someone knocking at my door made me jump lightly. 

        "Rach?" My mom asked opening my door. I could hear her walk into my room.

        "Just a sec." My voice shook slightly making me mentally slap myself. I put a towel under the cold water, then to my face to see if I could get the redness to go down. 

        "You have company." She said sweetly leaning on my door. 

        "Just a second." I repeated this time a little stronger. She opened the door to see me with a towel on my face. 

        "Did you hurt yourself." I contemplated on telling her, then thought of what I'd have to go through. All the court cases, leaving my mom, and leaving Baylor. I just nodded and I knew she didn't buy it. 

        "Hey." Luke stuck his head through the door along with my mom. 

        "Hi," I smiled walking out with the towel still pressed to my face. When I walked out Jake sat on my bed with a smile. "Blanket." I pointed to the nicely folded blanket on my bed. 

        "Thank you." He stood and walked over to me.

        "Let me see if I can help," I stood back making my mom sigh and leave the room disappointingly.  He gave me a confused look and stepped forward. "At least let me see it." I took the towel away with a sigh. "Well it's just really red." I thanked the lord the hand print now looked like a giant red spot on my face. 

        "What did you do anyways?" Luke asked crossing his arms.

        "I fell." I said quickly. Jake raised an eyebrow seeing right through me. I looked away awkwardly and diverted my attention out the window to my step-dad who was pacing. I clenched my jaw and could feel anger boil up within me. 

        "I don't like him." I admitted.

        "Why's that?" Jake stood next to me to see out the window along with Luke. 

        "He's not as nice as he looks, trust me."