Beauty and the Beat

Beauty and the Beat (34)

The drive back to my house was silent. Though it was my car, Bennett drove. The last thing I was able to do right then was drive. I could barely even see through my clouded vision.

I was curled up in a ball, looking out the window as the buildings and trees passed us by. They all looked like blurry blobs to me. The drive wasn’t too long, but it felt like an eternity.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bennett asked when he pulled into my driveway.

I didn’t really know the answer to that, but I said anyway, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Bennett didn’t look like he believed me, and I didn’t blame him. I didn’t even believe myself. My nose was stuffed and my eye sight was blurry, and all I wanted to do was just keep crying. Just the thought of Ethan ripped my heart into pieces. What was I supposed to tell my parents? I’d never be allowed to leave the house ever again if they knew I’d gone to see Ethan.

After Bennett said goodbye, he made his way over to Maxxon’s house to ask him for a ride home. I slowly made my way up the path to my front door, trying my hardest to think of something to say to my parents. Could I lie and say I had some sort of allergic reaction to something? I’m not sure how well that would work. I’d never been allergic to anything ever.

I continued up to my porch but stopped, however, when I heard screaming and shouting. I was almost tempted to turn around and go back to my car, though I knew that wouldn’t have been a good idea.

“I can’t believe you!” my mother shouted. “Can’t you agree with me on something for once?”

“How am I supposed to agree with you on something like this?” my father shouted back. “Sadie already said that what she did was wrong and she’s no longer seeing Ethan! Why are you continuing to act this way?”

“She had an affair with a teacher!”

“A teacher she knew all her life! Someone we’ve known since he was a child!”

My mother sounded fed up. “I shouldn’t even be surprised that you don’t agree with me!”

“I don’t agree with you because you’re crazy!”

I opened the door silently, slipping into the house as quietly as I could. I nearly tripped over the welcome mat, but this didn’t grab their attentions. I held my breath and the yelling continued.

“Why don’t you just leave if you don’t agree with me, then?” my mother screamed.

My father slammed his fist against the counter. “Maybe I will!”

“Good! I’ll help pack your bags!”

“Really? Finally, you’ll be doing something productive!”

“I can’t believe I even married you!”

“Funny! I was just thinking the exact same thing!”

I made my presence known then, as much as I really didn’t want to. I shut the door behind me and my parents turned in shock, obviously not meaning for me to hear this argument between them. But it was too late.

“Where have you been?” my mother demanded.

She didn’t notice my red face or my puffy eyes. I didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. “Out,” I answered.

This only seemed to make my mother angrier, since this was not the answer she had wanted from me. “Out where?”

“Stop pestering her,” my father snapped. “She’s eighteen years old. She can go out during the daytime on a weekend without you breathing down her neck.”