She sat down on a bench and shrugged, trying her best to ignore the pain in her back.
"Zay, I can explain but not right now okay? I need to go back to my father and apologise-"
"You are brainwashed. How can you apologise for walking out on an abusive psycho?"
"Do not. Call my father. A psycho. I deserved my punishment. A B in my family is failure. Failure is contempt. Contempt is disgrace. Disgrace deserves death. I'm lucky. If I were in his shoes I would have whipped my child till blood ran out of his eyes." Zay felt a chill run down his spine.
"You're lying. You would never-"
"You don't know me Zay."
"Yes I do! I found out your big secret. All that's left is your name and-"
"My 'big' secret? You're kidding. Zay, that wasn't my big secret. My father has been doing that to me for who knows how long. I'm used to it."
"You mean? Th-there's more?" She chuckled.
"Ah Zay. Can I just go home now? I will be punished justly but at least I will be in his good graces again." Zay just stared at her in disbelief.
"You are not going back to that house."
"Yes. I am. It is my duty as an obedient daughter to one, always obey father no matter what he tells me to do. Even if he tells me to jump into the depths of hell. Two, never question father. He is a genius. He is also my master. Whatever he orderd or does, to me or to mother must never be qurstioned. Thr-"
"CAN YOU PLEASE STOP TALKING LIKE A POSSESSED DEMON?!"
"I'm not a demon ya nasty! I'm just telling you the rules in my house. Now shuddup and take me back."
"No way! He'll kill you."
"It's what I deserve I guess. I just walked out on my father with a boy. Do you know how many strikes I'll get for that?"
"Enough to kill?"
"Possibly. Hopefully not though. If I die then he'll just take out his anger on my mom-"
"POSSIBLY?! YOU ARE NOT GOING BACK TO THAT HOUSE!"
"WHATCHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT HUH?! I'LL JUST CALL 911 AND TELL THEM YOU KIDNAPPED ME OR SOMETH... some..." She fell to the floor. He sighed, putting the chloroform bottle back into his pocket.
"What do you know ma? Something you gave me actually came in handy." He sighed and picked Zah up, struggling with her weight but balancing fairly quickly. He kept walking, ignoring strange looks from people and some starry eyed girls till he got to the apartment he shared with his mother.
He dropped her in his bed and scowled at himself when he sudden felt like crying.
Business partners.
Nothing more.
He left her there and got himself busy making her tea. His mother walked in with groceries minutes later. She dropped them on the table and bowed her head, breathing in. Her head shot up.
"Do you smell chocolate?"
"It's just tea mah."
"Tea? You? Made tea?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Uh... reasons?" He had no idea how he was going to tell his mom that there was a girl in his bed. He was about to stutter it out when Zah walked out of the room, wiping her eyes.
"I apologise for oversleeping fath-"
"AAH!" Her mother jumped back, knocking the tray down. She ignored the fact that she was bleeding or maybe she didn't know. Either way, she looked frightened, confused and angry. "Who is- who are you and what are you doing in my house?!"
"Honestly madam I have no clue."
"Zah! You weren't supposed to wake up yet. That loser gave you a serious rip off mah-"
"You know this girl Zay?" He chuckled nervously, answering his mother's suspicion. "You do."
"Um... mom, Zah. Zah, my mo-"
"Go to your room Zay."
"Wh-What about the mess?"
"Don't worry about that. We've got it covered." Zah didn't even notice the tension or the warning glances he shot her way. All she could think of was her father. The pain in her back had already began to sink in but she tried her best to ignore it, hoping the blood wouldn't pour out too much give her away.
"Sorry Mrs. Babinea-"
"Ms."
"Oh. Okay." She bent down to pick up the broken pieces of ceramics, not failing to notice the sneer Zay's mother had on her face.
"So. How much?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"How much did my son pay you?" She shot up immediately, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Pay me? For what?"
"Oh you know. Your services. To think. I thought my son could do better than a prostitute." Zah was speechless. Absolutely speechless. "And of all the prostitutes, you? Just look at you. You're a bloated whale. Or is that the kind of thing guys are into these days?" She shrugged coldly, fixing her stiff unflinching glare on Zah.
Zah could only stare in complete amazement. Zay walked over to Say wordlessly, not glancing at his mother once.
"You... You shouldn't have done that mom. You really shouldn't have."
"Why not? She'll charge you extra-"
"MO- she is not a prostitute. Just because I wear black and go partying doesn't mean I'm in that deep. Not yet, anyway." His mother scoffed.
"Whatever. Lie all you want- Isaiah. Isaiah! Are you listening?"
"Yes mother-"
"Look at me when I'm talking to you."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"You said I wasn't allowed to glare at you. I wasn't allowed to look at you with contempt. So I won't look at you at all. You're welcome." She gasped. He swallowed and dragged Zah into his room.
"I'm... I'm so sorry Za-"
"No Zay. I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't egged you on you wouldn't have followed me home in the first place. I was foolish and I deserve every last word your mother said to me. I'm too fat for your liking anyway. I'm surprised you're even friends with a bloated whale like me-"
"Wait a second."
"What?"
"You're... fat?"