Becoming Bad

chapter twenty-one

"Sure, Lina."

I stay on the call, listening to muffled sounds and the sound of an engine turning on, and somehow with Damien hearing me, I feel safe like someone is looking after me. I've been through life practically alone since no one knows about Tom and deep inside I feel I can count on my best friends, I just never said anything.

Stupid, I know and I feel my heart weight for the fact that if I've told anyone despite my fear of my dad what was truly happening, Sammy wouldn't be in this situation now.

The tears only get stronger as those thoughts cross my mind and I press my fingernails on my palms, uselessly trying to calm myself down. They draw blood but I don't feel it, not when my brother's screams get louder.

Breathe.

My lips tremble at the sight of a car parking down the street and a sigh of relief escapes from them at the exact moment.

Damien Stone leaves from a black matte SUV with the same morning's clothes and not a single smile on his face. He's as worried as I am and I probably scared the hell out of him with my unexpected call.

"What's happening, Adelina?" His voice tone is low when he reaches me, almost demanding and I have to look up so I don't start crying even harder in front of him.

"I need you to break the door. My brother is inside and-" My voice cracks at the end and I don't have the courage to finish the sentence but Damien seems to have understood since does exactly like I asked.

The sound is loud and the door falls back after his kick, taking every ounce of strength from the boy next to me and revealing the inside of my house. I run to Tom's bedroom where the screams are coming from, each step I take making my heart twist inside my chest, and I sense Damien doing the same behind me.

Breathe.

I go upstairs in seconds and when I open the door on my right side, I find Sammy seated at the corner, a huge bruise on the left side of his cheek and unstoppable tears leaving his eyes. Tom is gulping a bottle of a cheap whiskey on the other side of the room, seeming completely out of control and ready to do more than what just happened.

I can't breathe.

The scene breaks what was left of my heart and without letting this monster do anything else, I run to my brother's side, feeling another wave of tears stream down my cheek.

He lifts his face up and throw his weak arms at me that are shaking from fear and I have to contain a cry out from escaping my lips while I finally hug him tightly, hurt to see my brother in this fucking situation.

Sounds of fighting come from behind us but I don't let the boy in front of see anything, blocking his vision with my hand and lifting him up. I take us both of this suffocating room, heading straight to outside but not before catching a glance from Damien punching my dad on the floor.

It's a horrible sight but Tom deserves every single hit.

The cold wind that hits my brother and I as I finally get out our nightmare seems like a refreshing feeling of life and now that I have Sammy in my arms, I can finally stop trembling.

A window goes down on Damien's car and I take a glance of a familiar honey blonde hair before recognizing Kayla Stone. She gives me a sympathetic smile before opening its door and I lose no time in heading her way, murmuring on my brother's ear that everything will be okay.