*TRIGGER WARNING: ABUSE!!!*
It was a rainy Friday night and Griffin Campbell and his best friends Harper Dunn and Luke Bloom were all on FaceTime and playing Among us.
"Bro, I'm pretty sure yellow is following me." Harper said with a chuckle.
"Run!" Luke exclaimed.
"I'm trying dude." Harper said, biting her lip in concentration. "Shoot he was an impostor."
"I got you, Harp." Griffin assured.
"Thank you, please avenge my death." Harper laughed. Griffin called a meeting. Yellow got ejected.
"And you are avenged." Luke chuckled. The game ended. They joked and laughed together until a door slam was heard along with a huge crash downstairs.
"What was that?" Luke questioned. Griffin looked nervously towards his door.
"Just my dad." Griffin muttered.
"Sounds more like a rhino. He drunk again?" Luke asked.
"Probably." Griffin responded with a sigh. It had been a rough few months for Griffin Campbell. His parents had divorced and Sarah had moved back to Chicago with the twins. Meanwhile, Griffin was stuck at the Tremont with his now lousy, drunken dad.
"Are you gonna be okay? We can come pick you up if you need." Harper offered, worried. She hated when Ben was drunk. He treated his own son like shit. He would yell at him for nothing, scream in his face, and when he was really drunk, he sometimes hit him.
Harper and Luke both remembered the first time it had happened.
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It had been a week since his mom and siblings moved out and Griffin and Luke were watching Stranger Things on a rainy Friday evening. They laughed and ate snacks until suddenly, Griffin's bedroom door flew open to reveal an angry Ben Campbell.
"Dad? What's wrong?" Griffin asked. Ben tried to speak, but his words were slurred and he almost fell over when he tried to take a step into the room.
"Mr. Campbell?" Luke asked. Ben ignored Luke and marched straight up to his son. He got right in his face, and Griffin gulped as he could smell the beer and whiskey on his breath.
"YOU. YOU'RE THE REASON YOUR MOTHER LEFT ME YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!" Ben screamed in the teen boys face, shoving him onto the floor. Griffin inhaled sharply. Luke watched with horrified, wide eyes from the bed.
He sadly watched as Ben slapped him, punched him, kicked him for about five minutes straight. He listened as Ben yelled and screamed, and Griffin whimpered and cried. Eventually, Ben smacked Griffin's head against the bed frame and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Griffin, now sobbing, had his eyes shut tightly, and his head leaned back against the bed frame. Luke quickly got off the bed and knelt down beside him.
"Griff? Has he ever done that before?" Luke asked nervously. Griffin shook his head as he cried harder. Luke was not sure what to do now. Griffin's head was bleeding, not badly but it was, and bruises were already forming on his face and arms. He was sobbing uncontrollably and comfort was not really his forte. So he did the next best thing.
"I'm calling Harper, dude." Luke stated.
"No!" Griffin cried as Luke pulled out his phone.
"Why not, bro?" Luke asked calmly.
"Because I don't want her to see me like this." Griffin cried.
"She'll understand, dude. Right now, you need her, not me." Luke said. Griffin reluctantly nodded and Luke called her.
He explained everything and about 10 minutes later, here was Harper at the door. Luke let her in to Griffin's bedroom and she walked straight over to Griffin. Kneeling down beside him, she sighed.
"Oh, Griffin." She muttered. He sniffled, trying to stop the tears. That only made it hard for him to breath, so he gave up and let himself sob. Harper wrapped her arms around him and he buried his face into the crook of her neck. She rubbed his back gently with one hand, and stroked his hair with the other. About five minutes later, he settled down a little and Harper asked Luke to grab a first aid kit. He did and Harper immediately got to work.
She held an ice pack onto the back of Griffin's head and she cleaned out the wound on his forehead, gently putting a band aid on it. He iced his black eyes and the bruises on his arm. His entire body ached. He longed to call his mom, to cry to her, but he didn't want her to worry. He knew he'd be taken to Chicago, never to see his friends again. Harp and Luke helped him stand up and get onto the bed. He laid down, Luke covering him with a blanket. Harper sat next to him and Griffin laid his head on her lap. She played with his hair until he fell asleep, tears still shining in his eyes.
Luke and Harper exchanged a worried glance and sighed.
*********
Now here he was anxiously staring at the door.
"No, Harp, I'm fine. Thank you though." Griffin said, unsurely. Harper tilted her head.
"Dude, are you sure?" Luke asked. Griffin nodded.
They played for about five minutes and eventually they heard loud heavy footprints, stomping up the stairs.
"Dammit..." Griffin muttered.
"Griff, lock your bedroom door." Harper warned. He nodded and got up but he scurried back as he heard the doorknob twist. Ben stepped into the room. The smell of his drunkenness practically blew off him. Griffin winced and his breathing began to be shallow.
"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?" Ben yelled.
"H-Harper, a-and, uh, Luke." Griffin stuttered nervously.
"OFF THE PHONE. NOW." Ben yelled. Griffin nodded.
"I uh, gotta go, guys. Sorry." Griffin muttered.
"NOW!" Ben yelled.
"Wait, Griffi-" Harper was cut off as the teen boy quickly hung up the phone.
"Luke we have to go get him. Like, now." Harper offered.
"Let me grab my keys. I'll pick you up on the way. Meet me outside." Luke instructed. Harper nodded. They hung up.
"Thank God Luke can drive." She stated.
Harper pulled a sweatshirt over her crop top and slid into some crocs. She put her hair up out of her face and took her phone off the charger, waiting out by the front door.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Luke's beaten up, silver Subaru pull up. She climbed into the passenger seat, buckled her seatbelt, and they were off.
The ride to the Campbell's house was silent, both of them worrying about their friend. When they finally pulled up to the house, Luke began walking towards the front door. Harper stopped him.
"No, we're going straight to Griffin's room. Follow me." Harper said, leading him to a good climbing tree.
"How did you know this was here?" Luke asked.
"I know everything about the Tremont. Also, our parents didn't want Griffin and I to hang out for the longest time, and this was my way in." Harper shrugged. Luke nodded.
They climbed up the tree and made it to the room they were looking for. Luke tilted his head.
"I don't think that's Griffin's room. Pink isn't really his theme, Harp." Luke teased.
"Don't worry, nobody sleeps in this room. This was his little sister Zoey's room, but now she's in Chicago." Harper explained. Luke nodded. They climbed into the room and then snuck down the hall to Griffin's room.
Griffin was laying on his bed, crying, bruised, and broken. Luke grabbed the first aid kit and they immediately comforted him.
Once he settled down and was all patched up, Luke grabbed a duffel bag from Griff's closet. He filled it with clothes, a blanket, and a few other things he might need. They watched as Ben walked down the hall to his room, and they ran downstairs. Griffin left a note for Ben on the counter and they climbed into Luke's car.
"Griffin, you're gonna stay with me for a while. Okay?" Harper asked. Griffin nodded.
Luke dropped them off and did a secret handshake with Griffin before driving away. The two walked inside and Harper explained everything to Jess.
"You can stay here as long as you need, Griffin. You don't have to take the abuse." She reassured, giving him a loving hug.
Harper made up an air mattress for Griffin on her bedroom floor and they sat on her bed, just enjoying each other's presence.
"Thank you, Harp. I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you." Griffin admitted. Harper's head shot up.
"You don't mean-" Harper began.
"I do. I've loved you, more than a friend, since day one." Griffin assured. Harper was shocked. She smiled. Griffin looked down, but Harper lifted his chin up to look at her before smashing her lips onto his.
"I love you too, Griffin. And I'll always be here for you."
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this is a long one! hope you guys enjoyed! if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know! love you guys! <3 :)