Cold Coffee and Stale Cigarettes *on hold*

Chapter 6

**too all those who already read chapter 6 (before 4/20/14) this is the complete version that I had to rewrite, after some issues with wattpad and it's save button.**

                Being home was the worst thing in the world. The house was dark when I arrived, as it usually was. An eerie emptiness seemed to press against my shoulders, forcing its way into my lungs. Flicking on the lights, I started the coffee maker, even though it was already past eight on a Thursday night. The smell of the medium roast filtered through the air, making its oppressive atmosphere lighten some. I glanced at the fridge, knowing that I should eat something. That's what healthy people did when they got home after a long day at school and regardless of lunch, I had hardly eaten anything all day. I didn't want to. The thought of food made my stomach roll uneasily, so I took out the milk and poured some into a mug to mix in with my coffee. The gallon of milk nearly slipped from my fingers as my cellphone shrieked and I shakily placed it on the counter, slipping my phone from my pocket to answer.

"Hello?"

"Why were you ditching?" My dad's voice held a stern, cold anger that reverberated through my ear. Guilt swept through my conscious.

"I don't know." 'Cause a guy asked me to. And it was worth it.

"Samantha Marie, don't you lie to me." I didn't speak. That was my best defense. "If I ever hear of you doing anything like that again, you are grounded. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." I mumbled.

"No phone, no books, nothing." Liar. You can't stop me. I pay for the phone myself.

"Ok." Silence for a moment.

"Tara and I won't be home until late." He added, his tone softer, not as condescending.

"Ok." You're never home when I am. Not anymore. I get a phone call. One fucking phone call.

"Love you." He hesitated.

"Yea." I muttered, hanging up, before throwing my phone against the counter. A dull ache thudded in my chest and I wrapped my arms around me, sinking to the floor as my lungs tightened and I sucked in a breath, squeezing my eyes close. Why was I so lonely? I hated the feeling of isolation clawing up my throat.

Tears burned in my eyes. You're never here for me when I need you dad. Not anymore. Don't you know I need you? I need someone to stop me from destroying myself. A knock at my door brought me from my suffocating thoughts and I stood shakily, a numb feeling crackling over my brain. My fingers robotically wrapped around the doorknob.

"Hey Sammy, you forgot your-" Dalton blinked, holding my black bag in his hands. "Are you ok?" I froze for a moment, feeling my cheeks flush. How could you be so careless? Smile.

"Yea, I'm fine." I let my lips snake up at the corners, not caring how believable it was as I took my bag from his grasp. "Thanks for bringing my bag back. I completely forgot." His dark eyes roamed my face and I quirked a brow, shifting uneasily. "What?" Don't ask, don't ask, don't ask.

"Nothing. See you later." He turned but paused. "Can I have your number? That way I don't have to stalk you at school if I want to hang out." He grinned crookedly, a type of smile I had never seen painted on his lips before.

"Yea, sure." I said, typing it into his phone when he handed it to me. He took it back, typing something for a moment, before my phone chirped in my pocket and he nodded to himself.

"Cool. See you at school."

"Yea." I agreed, re-entering my house as he slid into his old car. For a moment, I watched as he drove away, the tail lights of his car fading. My phone made another noise and I frowned, looking at the screen to see two new messages from an unknown number. Dalton? The first one read,