Eva

Chapter 15

Astrid takes me back to her place. It seems like her parents didn't even notice she was gone, no questions asked and she didn't bother to say anything to them.

"I'm so glad you're okay," She states. "I'm just so sorr-"

"Astrid!" I put my hands on her shoulders. "Stop apologizing! It's not like you did it on purpose. I forgive you."

She sighs, "Okay but I can't believe Will asked you to go to lunch with him." She pauses, "you're obviously super pretty but, well, it's cause he's just Will."

I roll my eyes, I don't know. "Is that so??" I ask, playfully.

She returns the favor, "I'm sure. You're not planning to go with him, are you?"

I shrug my shoulders. All I want to do is go home and sleep some more but lunch sounds perfect right now. "It's a possibility."

"Eva," she rests her hand on me, "I don't trust him. Please don't be alone with him again."

"But his gesture today was funny, wasn't it?"

She raises her brow at me and answers sarcastically. "Yeah, ha-ha, so funny."

"What? I can't have friends?"

She hesitates, "You can but Will? He's not just friends with girls."

"I don't want to be his girlfriend-" but I get cut off.

"Exactly, he doesn't have girlfriends either. He has toys and he plays with them all the time."

Now it's my time to sigh. "Ash, I don't want to be any of those labels with him. He's different with me-" I get cut off again.

"Eva, you can't be this naive."

I gulp. "What?"

"I know he just wants to get into your pants. Don't do it."

"Okay, but I don't want to get into his pants. How about I just hang with him during the day and I'll text you updates?"

She stares at me, "I don't know if I'd want updates constantly but..."

"One before, during, and after I get home?" I say. "You have nothing to worry about. I don't fall for his good looks and charms." I smile at her. 

I'm happy to be out and socializing with others. I trust Astrid and her instincts but I like Will, as a friend and I have no reason for my trust to be broken by him.

- - - - -

As I walk through the front door of my house to get ready, I'm grabbed by the back of my head and this familiar feeling comes back.

I scream in pain when my head gets pulled back and I smell the alcohol on my father's breath, "Where have you been?" He slurs.

I don't answer him and wonder where Heather and the twins are.

"Where i-is H-Heather?" My voice gets out.

He answers me in a mocking tone, "She's not here to save you if that's what you're wondering."

My eyes fill with water and I blink harder.

"Have you been whoring yourself around?"

"W-what?"

He pulls my head back harder and yells, "You heard me! Have you been whoring around? Whoring with the Sterling's?" He laughs with malice. "I always knew it was a mistake to bring you here, having you. My life has been nothing but hell since you were born." He flungs my head forward when he finally lets me go.

I'm crying now and I feel so pathetic.

I yell in pain, in anger. "Why have me then! If you didn't want me, you should have left me where I was!"

He looks at me with his blood shot eyes, "What do the Sterling's say about me huh?"

"What?" I ask in mad confusion. "What the hell are you going on about?" I scream.

He laughs again, "Oh don't play dumb. I know they talk about me and you'll eat up any attention you get. You're my daughter, I know her."

"You don't know a thing about me." I say through my teeth.

He rolls the bottle in his hand and takes another sip, "Wrong. Did you forget who you're half of?" He chuckles in my face. I try to move past him as this conversation is nonsense, going nowhere.

"Going to whore yourself again?" I try to dodge him but instead get pushed down hitting a wall on my head, on the way down.

Great, another scar. 

I get up fast and try running to my safe haven.

"You're so fucking pathetic," He laughs and grabs a fistful of my hair again, pulling me back. I cry out in pain and if I don't get out of here fast, my life might just be on the line again.

I feel terrible but I need to get away. I kick and jab my arms into my father's weak points and hope he goes down.

He groans in pain and goes down. When he does, I take off running without a jacket and the only thing I have is my phone. Before I sprint onto the road, I hear him say, "You can't run forever Eva!"

When I get to the corner, I'm huffing and puffing, out of breath. Now I have to decide who to call.

I don't know who to call.

"Shit!" I scream. I'm worried he'll come out looking for me. I wonder if Heather knows he's still drinking. My thoughts are in a swirl and I need to recollect them.

I don't want to bother Astrid but I decided to call her anyway. The call keeps going straight to voicemail and I get a text after it ends.

[Astrid:] Sorry girly, family emergency. Sup?

I think about what to text her because I don't want to bring others into my issues.

[Astrid:] E?

[Me:] Just need a ride. Got into a fight with my dad.

I frown at what I'm going to send her. I know everyone has issues but mine doesn't matter as much anymore.

 A minute later, she sends me her last text.

[Astrid:] I'm sorry :( Tell me what happened when I see you! Day is with me, Alex will come. Here's his number.

[Me:] What? No!

[Me:] Ash!

[Me:] Hello!

She stops replying to me and I sigh, forcing myself to just wait.

.

.

.

Time to be real: 

I know this message will be a little off-putting but what's going on in the world right now seems so unreal. 

My heart breaks from what's going in Afghanistan. I'm a child of immigrants that fled from their home country due to war. It's truly so sad. I'll never understand what my parents went through or what others have to go through now just to be safe. However, I can empathize with them. 

I know there's many organizations that are aiding and helping many to seek refugee. PLEASE google and do your own research on how to help or donate!! EVERY AMOUNT AND EFFORT REALLY COUNTS.

Prayers for everyone affected by this, prayers for Afghanistan. It is beyond heartbreaking. </3