Our indelible pasts|✔

twenty five - kiana

"DID HE SEE you?" Mrs Miller asks.

Confused, I look up from pouring her a glass of wine. "Who?"

"Your father."

I quickly put the bottle down, nearly breaking it in the process when I realise she's referring to the night she warned me about him being here.

"No, you told me just before I reached the gate, so I just turned around." I try my best not to convey any fear as I answer her.

"What did that man do to that sweet soul of yours?" She asks sombrely, and I hope she's not expecting an answer. She's not getting one.

I hand her the glass of wine, no words coming from me.

"I hope you were okay that night, you came back really late." Noticing my silence, Mrs Miller sweetly says before taking a sip of her wine, her voice sounding apologetic.

Forcing a smile on my face, I lie, "Yeah, I was okay."

I turn my back and start to wipe the kitchen surfaces, in an attempt to hide the obvious panic on my face as my mind forcefully takes me back to that night.

Just as I'm about to stop at the gate, I get a text. Picking my phone up, I see it's from Mrs Miller.

MRS MILLER: I've just seen your father at your door. I'll let you know when he's gone.

Instinctively, my breathing quickens as I look frantically outside and inside my car, as if he's right near me. Completely unaware of my actions, I begin to drive away. Fast. And as far away from him as possible. And about thirty minutes later, I'm not surprised to find myself outside of Wyatt's house.

With my breath still heavy, I notice how tight my grip is on the steering wheel and let go, analysing my now red and sore palms. I quickly get out of the car before I can change my mind, racing to Wyatt's front door.

After a few knocks, I hear him curse loudly as he approaches the door.

"What do you want?" He asks as he opens the door but when he finally looks up to see my face, the scowl on his face is quickly replaced with a huge grin. "If it isn't my favourite human! Come in, come in princess."

As I pass by him to enter his house, my nose scrunches up as it catches a whiff of what smells like burnt plastic.

Has he been smoking meth? Why can't I ever find this guy sober? He is so much harder to deal with when he's drunk or high.

"You've never come for product this late." I hear his voice from behind me as he shuts the door.

"Yeah, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"What you want? The usual?"

I shake my head walking to the couch he's always smoking from. "No. I can't wait for you to go roll them, unless you already have some rolled up. I need to get stoned right fucking now. You have anything ready?"

A laughing Wyatt makes his way to me. His movements are slow. "Whoa princess, these really are desperate times huh?"

"You have no idea."

Wyatt proceeds to pick up a joint from the table near the couch. "Try this."

I examine it before taking it in my hands. It's only then that I realise they're shaking.

Ignoring my frantic state, I ask Wyatt a question I already know the answer to. "What's this? Weed?"

A smirk grows on his face. "With something special in it."

"Meth?"

"How'd you know?" He laughs.

"I can literally smell it on you." I say. "And, I don't do meth, you know that."

"If these really are desperate times, I guarantee that this will help a lot." He smiles and I eye the joint again. "Trust me. Life's fucking great for me right fucking now because of it."

"Wyatt, I don't do meth." I shake my head. "It's fucking Meth for fuck's sake."

"Come on, just give it a try. Just a few hits, that's all." He persuades, pushing my hand closer to my lips. "I didn't put that much in it anyway."

I look between him and the joint, trying to decide if I should stand my ground or be stupid. Thing is, whatever I decide would be detrimental for me, so I choose the latter.

"Don't you think you made the right choice?" Wyatt asks me an hour later. He's on the couch right next to the one I'm on, but his voice sounds so distant.

The only thing I can focus on is how warm I feel inside.

A let out a low cackle as my eyes begin to shut close. "Why have I never done this before man? It's fucking crazy."

"I told you you'd like it." Wyatt says lowly as his now blurry figure approaches the couch I'm lying on.

"Darling, you look tired. Go get some rest, I think I will too." Mrs Miller snaps me out of my trance and I find that I am no longer wiping the surfaces, I'm just clenching hard at the cloth as I stand weakly, knees practically buckling. I shake my head, trying to shake off the feeling of that night. It doesn't work.