Toxic ◈ D. Dixon

Chapter 4

This is why I left

Daryl and Avery sat for a while. Sat in silence, not wanting to move in fear that if they moved they wouldn't see each other again. "I have to get going" Avery whispered not wanting to disturb Daryl's peacefulness. "Want me to walk with you?" He asked, standing up and stretching his hand out to help her up as well. "Sure, I would like that" she smiled.

Daryl and Avery walked for a while in silence until they made it to the roads. "What are you doing in North Carolina?" He asked curiously. "I'm going to train to be a k-9 handler" I smiled. Daryl looked at her with wide eyes, a sad expression on his face. "You'll get deployed for that" he whispered. Avery nodded softly, "I'm getting a pay raise thought. And I get to request when I go on leave" she replied.

Daryl and Avery walked in silence until they came up to the small house. Her fathers truck was in the driveway. "Are you sure you want to go in there?" He asked. Avery nodded and took another step closer to the house, "go around the house? Meet me at my window?" She asked. Daryl nodded and walked around the house through the woods and Avery walked up to the door.

She debated if she should knock or not, but she decided not to and pushed the door open. When she stepped inside she heard a gasp. "Avery?" The voice said. She turned around to see her father. He had a mixture of relief, disappointment and happiness?

He took a step closer but a women stepped out of the bathroom causing Avery to looked at her weirdly. "Avery" he dad said again. She looked from the girl, to him then back to the girl.

Philip stood there stunned, his new girlfriend stood watching the two intently. "Philip who's this?" She asked stepping closer to him. Hurt rushed it's way onto Avery's face as she looked at her father. She knew that her father was a dick and didn't care about her, but hearing the women say who's this kinda hurt her even more.

"This is my daughter" he breathed out, talking steps closer to her. When he was close enough the opens his arms and wrapped his arms around his daughter. She didn't hug back, she just stood there. She couldn't remember the last time her father was even pleasant to her. He was only ever mean.

"Where have you been?" He asked her. He obviously could tell and knew she had joined the military but he never knew where she had gone. "I was in South Carolina" she said and lightly pushed her father away from her. "I'm leaving in two weeks, I'm getting stationed in North Carolina" she continued. Her father nodded and turned his back to her.

She quickly made her was down the hall and to her room where she quickly closed the door and noticed that Daryl had already made his way into her room. He was sat on the edge of the bed looking around the room. It had been a while since he had been there. Almost two years in fact.

"He was being nice" she said taking a seat next to Daryl and laying back. Daryl looked at her shocked, "really?" He asked in a whisper. He didn't want to risk Philip hearing them. Philip hated the Dixon's, no matter what. There was only once when Philip had caught them hanging out, it didn't end well for Avery.

Daryl and Avery walked slowly back to her house, her sister was at the babysitters and her dad was probably at the bar. They walked in silence for a while until tired on the gravel road could be heard.

They stepped off the road since it was dark and they didn't really feel like getting hit today. It caught them off guard when the vehicle slammed on their breaks in front of them and Philip jumped out of the truck. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Philip screamed while grabbing Avery by the arm. Avery didn't have time to answer before he slapped her across the face. "I don't want to see you anywhere near this piece of shit Dixon ever again! Do you hear me! So help me god, I will not hesitate to tell your father if I ever catch you near her again" Philip sneered with his finger in his face.

He held onto Avery's arm with a tight grasp, surely it was going to leave a bruise later on. He opened the passenger door and shoved her inside. He quickly jogged to the drivers side before driving off. "How many time do I have to tell you! Stay away from the fucking Dixon's" he yelled. Avery stayed quite, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

As soon as they pulled in the driveway Avery got out of the truck quickly and made her way into the house. She was silently hoping he would somehow forget what had happened and let her go. Of course he didn't, as soon as she went to go reach for the door handle she was drug back by the color of her shirt. It choked her slightly.

"You, disgusting whore" her father yelled and shoved her against the hallway wall. He walked away momentarily until he came back. Avery had started to get up but he shoved her back down. "Do you not listen! I told you to stay away from that damn boy!" He screamed, inches from her face.

Avery shuttered at the thought. Daryl placed his hand on her leg, "hey, it's okay." She smiled up at Daryl, "you better get going before Merle flips his shit" she chuckled. Daryl nodded and stoop up, leaving Avery to herself.

She pulled off her uniform, replacing it with swears and a USMC shirt. She could hear her sister come through the front door so she got up off her bed and made her way to the living room where the voices came from.

"Avery!" Her sister yelled excitedly and tackled her into a hug. She turned around to see her father kissing the women from before and closing the front door behind him. Avery sighed heavily, allowing her sister to take a step away from her and make her way into her room.

Philip turned to look at his eldest daughter, a glint of anger in his eyes. "You bitch" he sneered. He was beyond pissed that his punching bag had left him. And he wasn't thrilled that she was leaving again. He took steps closer to her, closing the distance and collided his hand with her cheek. "That's for fucking leaving you dumb piece of shit"

Avery clutched her cheek tightly, looking up at her father. Nothing has changed, she thought maybe he had changed. It was clear to her he hadn't.

"What else was I supposed to do, sit around and be your punching bag!"