In the Open

"I have nowhere else to go."

"Mom?" I say as I scramble out of Nick's hold, jumping up off the floor. "Um...What are you guys doing here?" I fiddle with my fingers, trying to ignore mom's burning glare and dad's seething eyes behind her.

"Get out."

Dad points to the door they just came through, with nothing but malice in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go. Sorry for the mess," Nick says with a slightly apologetic tone. He looks at me for a second before he starts walking toward the living room.

"You too," Dad says, making me look at him with astonished eyes.

"What?" I breathe out, not believing what I'm hearing.

"You have about ten minutes to pack your shit and get the hell out of my house. You have disgraced this family enough." His words are laced with hate, and I can't help the tears that spring to my eyes.

"You can't mean that dad. I'm your daughter," I try reasoning, keeping my tears at bay.

"You're a no-good whore. You better be out in ten minutes," my mom sneers at me. I close my eyes, hoping that this is all a dream and it won't be happening when I open them.

When I do however, I see my mother and father's retreating figures walking to their room, not uttering another word.

"Nadine..." Nick says, in a tone laced with pity.

"Don't." I demand, my voice devoid of emotion.

I brush passed him and head upstairs, grabbing a suitcase from my closet.

I can feel him behind me though, probably standing in my doorway.

My shoulders shake slightly as a few tears escape my eyes, but I try my best to conceal them.

I quickly begin shoving things into my suitcase. I grab a few things from each drawer, I get my toiletries, and some shoes. I grab my phone charger, backpack, and textbooks from my nightstand. With a deep breath, I begin to take everything downstairs.

My mom and dad are sitting on the couch, just watching TV. As if this is a regular day. As if they didn't just call me a whore and kick me out of the house.

I speak up, though my voice is timid. "We weren't doing anything. He just came over for breakfast and a study session."

The lie easily rolls off, but it's not a big one. He did come over for breakfast.

"I don't want to hear your lies anymore. Take what you need and get out. Don't try coming back either." Dad says, in a voice that screams finality. They both continue watching TV.

"I have no money. I don't have anywhere to go. Please dad...mom?" My voice cracks, and my lip begins to quiver.

"I'm sure you can make money one way, sluts usually do that."

My mom's voice is so harsh. Each word is like a dagger piercing my heart.

I unlock the door.

"What did I ever do to you? Huh? What did I do?" I defeatedly ask, needing to know the answer.

With that, they both turn to look at me.

Mom opens her mouth, looks at me straight in the eyes, and says, "You were born."

I quickly open the door and rush down the steps with all my belongings. Nick is walking quickly beside me, trying to keep up the pace.

I get to the end of my driveway before I stop. Everything falls out of my arms, hitting the ground with a thud. I fall along with them, sinking to my knees as I finally let the tears out.

My shoulders shake, and I rock back and forth as I try not to let out gut-wrenching sobs. I feel arms around me.

Nick pulls my shaking body into his arms, cradling me against his warm, steady body. He just holds me and let's me break down in his embrace.

"Shhh, it'll be okay. It'll all be okay."

He brushes the hair from my face, and rubs my arm in a comforting way.

We stay there for what feels like hours, until my sobs turn into hiccups and sniffles. My eyes are puffy and my throat is raw. I'm sure the neighbors have heard the commotion.

"Come on," Nick coaxes my stiff body off of the ground, and he leads me to his car. Opening the passenger door, he helps me in before gently shutting it.

I lean my head on the window, too tired to move. I watch as Nick gathers my forgotten objects off the ground and loads them into the trunk. I don't say anything or move my head when he gets in and starts driving.

"So, um...where do you want me to take you?" He asks lowly after we've been driving for a little while.

"I don't care."

I see him nod his head in my peripheral. We continue driving for at least forty five minutes, -into the middle of nowhere- before he pulls in to a vacant driveway.

I see a large, worn down building in front of us. It is surrounded by overgrown weeds, but the grass and trees are a magnificent shade of green, contrasting greatly with the dull house.

I open the car door and follow Nick, gathering up some of my things while he gets the rest. We walk up to the building, and Nick retrieves a key from his pocket, opening the door with a squeak.

The outside does not do it justice. White Christmas lights border the walls, illuminating the place with subtle brightness. There is a grand staircase and a rustic chandelier handing from the ceiling. All of the walls are a rich black, but the floors are glinting white tile.

As we walk further into the house, I can see a big black sofa, with cute little pillows set up neatly. There's a glass coffee table that sits atop a black rug, and there's also a widescreen tv with gaming consoles. Nick starts walking up the stairs, and I follow behind him, gaping at everything as I pass.

It's beautiful.

"What is this?" I ask him, cringing from the hoarseness of my voice.

"Uh...," he drawls, scratching the back of his head, "it's my place."

"Okay," I say, not letting any surprise show on my face. The exterior made the house look so old, I definitely was not expecting this.

"I'll give you a tour later. That is, if you want to stay here," he states, but it comes out sounding more like a question.

"I have nowhere else to go."

He just nods and walks on, opening the first door we come across when we reach the top of the stairs. He steps aside, gesturing me in.

The bed is solid black, with matching pillows and blankets, and there is a large black bookshelf that I immediately want to fill. Everything is black. The wall, the carpet, the sofa....

"You can stay here if you want. I'm the room right next to yours and we have a conjoined bathroom. You can choose a different one, but the others have really small beds and little dresser space."

"No, this is perfect. Thank you."

I turn to look at him and I see he is already looking at me. This time, I break first.

I look at my feet and cross my arms.

"I'll leave you to unpack," he says, already turning around and walking down the stairs.

I stand there for several minutes, lost in my thoughts.

This is really happening.

With that in mind, I begin to unpack my things, all the while holding back another onset of tears that are begging to come loose.