You Can't Break Her

Chapter eighteen : part eight | May

May 2008
Bayhollow, Ontario

The store was silent, only clicks of the mop head as it flowed back and forth on the tile floor. The two girls I had closed with offered to drive me home, I called Damien's house but his mother said he was out with his daughter and her mother.

"You don't have to pick me up, I'll get a drive home from some friends," I said before hanging up. I ran over to the door as one girl set the alarm and we waited for the three beeps, opened the door and escaped into the cool night air.

"Where's Damien?" one girl asked me as we got into the Honda Civic she had parked at the side of the restaurant.

I sighed. "Out."

Their smiles were obvious. "Good, that means you can come out with us."

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. I'm not much of a party girl, I've done it all once and that's enough for me." Plus I didn't want to fight.

They looked at one another and laughed. "You can do it all again, come on just come to this party. It'll be fun."

The other girl turned to face me. "Plus Damien's busy anyway, you'll just be bored if you don't come."

They pulled up at the drivers home and got out to get changed for the party. "Look I can even lend you a dress to wear." She pulled a rack out of clothes from her walk-in closet and showed me a fitted black dress, one that would never fit me in a million years.

"Thank you for the offer, believe me I appreciate it. I don't want to start an argument with Damien." From what they had witnessed he was an innocent punk with attitude. They had yet to see his less friendly side.

"Okay, but the offer is always open to you. If we ever go to another party, you have to be there."

Her persistence made me smile, as I always would when someone tried to be friends with me. "I'll take you up on it next time for sure."

They finished getting ready and drove across town to drop me off. We pulled into the driveway and I could see Damien pacing the backyard like something was wrong.

The girls saw him too and recognized the crossed arms and scowl on his face. "You don't have to get out here, Ama." The driver looked back at me with a serious expression. "Do you know why he's so upset?"

I rolled my eyes and rubbed my temples. "No, I'm sure it's some stupid reason." I opened the car door and stepped one foot outside. "This is why I can't go out and party with you. This is the kind of fight I don't want to have but I'm getting it anyway." I pulled myself up off the seat and walked over to the gate where he was stomping back and forth in a rage.

"Where have you been?" He bellowed from behind the fence. "You could have at least called. I didn't know where you were. My mom said you were getting a drive home and it's been an hour and a half since she heard from you."

The girls unbuckled themselves and stored out to hear his ramblings. "She's allowed to do whatever she wants Damien. Don't be suck a nag." They called to him in my defence.

"Shut the fuck up. This is none of your business. You don't even know me." He snapped in their direction without any eye contact.

They looked at me for some sign that I would tell him to shove it and run away but I was in so deep, I couldn't breathe, so escape was definitely not an option. "Thank you ladies I'll take it from here." I put my hand up to halt the screaming match I could see coming soon.

"Are you sure?" The driver asked once more. "You can come with us and you'll never have to deal with his abusive ass again."

The promise off freedom was lovely, especially from girls that I had known for such a short time. "Thanks for asking, I think I'll stay and work this out."

Their eyes seemed to plead with me to get back in the vehicle but I knew Damien was the kind of asshole who would harass me until I returned.

"You could have called to say you would be late." He slammed the gate shut behind us. "What the fuck took you so long?" He stepped closer to me and I flinched. "Were you visiting your boyfriend?"

I back away from him and sat on the swinging deck chair. "Shut up. The girl who drove me home wanted to get changed at her house. I didn't know." I pulled a pre-rolled joint from my smoke pack and lit it. "It looks really nice when you scream at me in front of my friends like that." I handed him the doobie and lit a smoke.

"If you did what you said you were going to, I wouldn't be so upset."