Ecstasy [h.s]

Chapter 54

TW: this chapter mentions topics of abuse and alcoholism.

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Grace's P.O.V

It was a beautiful night, the kind where the stars outshined the crescent moon, a night so starry, so peaceful and quiet. I had spent the whole day locked in my room, listening to music and writing in my journal.

It was merely a few weeks until school started again, I almost felt excited at the thought of going back, classes didn't drain the life out of me like most of my peers claimed I enjoyed going to school merely because it gave me an excuse not to come back home until the late hours of the day.

Clair de Lune played loudly in my room, it was the kind of night where I found myself enjoying classical music more than any other genre. It relaxed me, eased my soul, and gave me a chance to think more clearly.

I tap my pen obnoxiously over the blank pages of my journal, my eyes staring out the window and right into the moon until the light blinds my vision. The music slowly comes to an end, the gentle sound being replaced by the loud ringing of the doorbell.

My attention is immediately grabbed by the obnoxious sound, obviously not having expected anyone. I closed my journal, hiding it in my usual spot so my mother wouldn't find it. It's not that she necessarily went through my stuff, I don't think she could care less, it's that I had no trust in her.

I walk downstairs and straight into the hallway, the muffled sounds of a feminine and masculine voice ringing in my ears. I walk towards the front door, my mother's back blocking the view of the man on the other side of the door.

I don't recognize his voice I can't recall who the person on the other side of the door is until he notices my presence, pushing my mother away from the door.

"Dad," I yelled out in both shock and surprise. Out of everyone, he was the last person I expected to show up. "Hey," I yelled out the three-letter word, wondering how soon until that hello turned into a painful goodbye.

I saw my dad once or twice a year, sometimes even once in two years. Each time I saw him our time together was spent shortly, merely having lunch for an hour or two until he decided to leave again and disappear only to reappear a year later and re-open the wounds I'd been trying so hard to let heal.

"Grace," he yells back in the same tone. I smile enthusiastically, running into his cold embrace. "I missed you, sweetheart."

I smiled into his shoulder, not having the resilience to pull away from his unfamiliar embrace. "I missed you too."

"That's enough," my mother's dark voice interrupted us both, the venom in her voice was enough to make my father pull away. "You saw her, you can leave now."

"I'm staying over for dinner," my dad's voice comes out as venomous as hers, but in the midst of it all he manages to find my eyes and give me a small smile.

"You're not," my mother fires back, holding the door wider open for him.

"This is my house too, you can't kick me out just because you please so." His words are enough to send my mother into a chaotic spiral. I can see the clear fury rush through her dark eyes, but she hides it well this time.

She slams the door shut, the sound so loud it almost ricochets throughout the whole house, the action alone is so aggressive it sends the pictures hanging on the white wall shaking.

"Two hours is all you get," she spits out before walking towards the dining table.

"Dinner should be ready soon," I tell my dad as I stare at the large clock hanging above the brown doors.