"So, what's the story?" Mason questioned from the passenger's seat, his head whipping back so he had a full view of Hailey and me in back.
She was still shaking with shock, her entire body trembling against mine. Mason's smile faded when he saw the state she was in and he leaned over to whisper something to Justin. A few minutes later the car pulled off to the side of the highway and Justin shifted his body to look back at me.
"You okay?" He asked, worried.
"I'm fine," I muttered, then gestured toward Hailey with her head against the window beside me, "I don't think I can say the same about her."
Mason climbed out of the car with a sigh, climbing into back beside me a few seconds later.
"Go sit in front." He said, his eyes on my sister over my shoulder. I nodded and stepped out of the car, shutting the back door behind me. Justin didn't say anything until I had my seatbelt on and we were driving again, his hand finding my on my lap.
"What happened? Why is she so freaked out?" I shook my head.
"We were driving, she was doing a good job. Then. . . I. . . I don't know. I must have said something that triggered memories about Mom or something because she lost control of the car." I let out a shaky breath, "It's my fault. I'm telling Dad it was my fault. I shouldn't have taken her to drive in the first place."
"Han, it's not your fault. I'm just glad you're both okay." He brushed his thumb over my knuckles, slowing the car as we took the ramp off the highway, his body relaxing against the seat again.
"Dad's going to kill us." I reached up and wiped at my damp cheeks, "That was Mom's car, that-"
"He'll be more concerned with you two being safe to care about a stupid car, Hannah." Justin assured me.
"No, no. You don't understand, Justin. That was the car Mom brought us home in, the car they came home from their honeymoon in. Hell, it's probably the car they conceived us in." He squeezed my hand, offering me a tight smile.
"I'll be there with you, if you need me to take the blame I will, babe. If you need me to pay for the car to be fixed, I will. I just want you happy." I laid my head back against the seat and nodded.
"You don't have to do that. It was my mistake, I'll take care of it." He let the conversation go, obviously not in the mood to fight me until I gave in. He kept his eyes on the road, his fingers tapping the wheel anxiously.
I let my eyes drift to the back, a small smile making it's way to my face at the scene. Mason had pried my sister from the window and held her tightly in his arms, hugging her against his chest. She was still shaken, her body still slightly trembling, but she seemed to have calmed down and appeared to be dozing off.
I had known what triggered in Hailey's head, I knew what I had said wrong. I was just too scared to say it again.
*
"I'm sick and tired of you thinking you can do whatever you want, Hannah! You're grounded." I threw my hands in the air in exasperation, but didn't fight my father. I deserved it.
"Mr. Jacobs-" Justin started.
"You don't even think about starting. You're the reason my daughter has been acting out, kid. She would never-"
"Don't throw the blame on me! With all do respect, sir, you're hard on both of them." Justin gestured toward me, then down the hall to Hailey's room. "Neither one of them has ever done something bad enough for you to treat them the way you do." My dad's eye and jaw twitched, and I swear he was seconds away from blowing a blood vessel.
"You have no right talking to me this way, Davidson! Talk how you want to your own parents, but around here we-"
"We what? Don't allow your kids to be happy? Don't allow them to have friends? Don't allow your daughters to have a boyfriend? Do you not understand that the more taboo you make something, the more they're going to want to do it?" My father's cheeks turned a deadly shade of red.
"You have thirty seconds to get out of my house." Dad whispered, glaring murderously at Justin beside me. He shot away from me and toward the door before I could say anything.
"Justin!" I shouted once my mind had wrapped around what was going on. Dad caught my arm, but I was able to tear it from his grip and run out the door after my boyfriend.
He was standing beside his car, his hand gripping the door handle without any sort of sign he would be opening it any time soon. It wasn't until I got closer that I saw the way his back was shaking, almost as if he were crying.
"Justin?" I reached out and grabbing his arm, "Hey, what's wrong?" He didn't turn to face me, he acted as if he hadn't heard a word I said.
"Baby?" I moved so I was in the small gap between him and the car, my eyes wide, "Justin, baby, what's going on? Are you crying?"
Even though I expected to find damp cheeks in a tears in his eyes, it still took me by surprise.
I had seen him cry only once before, the day his father had gotten drunk for the first time and beat him until he could barely breathe. He had cried for hours against my chest, had blamed himself for it all. But that had been freshman year, he had been younger then, not nearly as tall or built as he was now.
"Justin?" I was about to ask the same question again, then felt his arms circle around me and hug me against his chest.
I didn't say anything, didn't try to pry the information or what was bothering out of him. I already had a pretty good idea, and the last thing I wanted to do was make it worse.
So when Dad stepped out onto the porch, beckoning me back into the house with a warning look in his eyes, I climbed into Justin's car instead. Leaving my dad to stare after the car in a mixture of shock and hurt.
*
I ended up turning my phone off for the night when we reached a familiar small blue house surrounding by overgrown weeds.
The second the door opened, Sofia glanced back and forth between us.
"I swear you two idiots are trying to get me grounded for eternity." She shook her head, "At least warn me next time."
Then she turned her attention to Justin, the anger and disapproving look on her face fading within seconds. She gave me a quick look, obviously questioning what was wrong. I shrugged and looked down at the gravel under my shoes.
"Well, come on. Nana's sleeping in the guest room, so you two can sleep in Mom's." She led us down the hall and to a small room in back, revealing a queen size bed with a yellow comforter.
"I shouldn't have to say this, but I will." Sofia looked back and forth between us once more, "No sex on Mom's bed please." I saw a hint of a smile appear on Justin's face, but it never grew behind that.
Sofia hugged me, kissed Justin's cheek, then hurried off toward the room across the hall. I waited until she was gone to shut the door gently behind me and watch Justin fall onto the bed.
"Justin." I started, but he cut me off before I could continue.
"I can't do it anymore." He bowed his head, "I can't, Hannah."
"Can't do what?" I expected a break up, a shake of the head, an explosion of emotions. But only four words left his mouth.
"I can't live anymore." I had to blink a few times, shake my head, to comprehend what he was saying.
"Graduation is only in a few months, Justin. Then you can leave them, you-"
"You don't understand. It fucking hurts, Hannah. Every time I wake up and have to force myself out of bed for another day of bullshit. Another day of pretending and being beaten until I can't feel anything anymore." He shook his head, "It's come to a point where I can't, Han. I can't feel anything." I walked over and sat on his lap, my hand against his chest.
"Now your Dad hates me, everyone thinks I'm a cheating piece of shit, and you can't leave the house because of me." I took his face in my hands, forcing him to look down at me.
"That's a load of crap. I'm the one that took Hailey driving. I'm the one that lied to Dad. You were only standing up for us." He laughed, but for the first time, there was absolutely no emotion in it. No pain, bitterness, nothing.
"I can't, Han. I can't keep dragging you down with me." I searched his eyes for some sort of hint, a glimpse, of happiness. Of love or kindness. But they were dull, distant, as if he'd been kicked too many times.
I brought my hand to the side of his head and forced his lips down against mine, tears of my own starting to sting my eyes. He pulled back after a second and buried his face against my shoulder, holding me tightly against him.
In Sofia's mother's quiet room, on a hideous comforter, my boyfriend finally broke down. The guy that had been my back bone after Mom left, one of the strongest people I know, was falling apart in my arms. The worst thing about it was that I couldn't do anything. No matter how hard I tried to convince him I loved him, that I didn't believe he was a cheater, he wouldn't listen. He had reached a point where he blamed himself for everything. And the worst part? I didn't know if there was any way I could possibly help him.
***AN***
Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry for such a long wait on the update.
Do you agree with Justin? Do you think Mr. Jacobs is too hard on the girls?
Let us know what you thought!
~ChasingMadness24