"She walked through her life tired from the mighty wings upon her back"
- Atticus
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"UGH, ELLA. WHAT TIME IS IT?"
My eyes feel strangely heavy as I try to open them in the darkness of my best friend's room. A night of drinking really has its consequences. Along with my tiredness, there's a headache that almost makes me scream every time I move. Remember to breathe, Adelina. You know how to.
"Don't know and don't care." Bella's voice is as tired as mine, coming from next to me. Her bed was big enough for both of us, which made our sleepovers much funnier.
"Can you see? Pretty please."
She thinks about it for a couple of minutes before opening her eyes to give me a deadly stare. I chuckle, my head aching in the process. Bella can't say no to me.
"Just because you are my bestie."
I can't help but smile while she grabs her phone, the bright screen lighting almost the whole room.
"Nine o'clock."
As Ella finishes her sentence, my heartbeat speeds up and somehow my body completely forgets the pounding headache that I have. I'm up in a matter of seconds, already searching for my bag. I was supposed to be home early for breakfast. Around seven or eight am.
"Why are you up so fast? It's a Saturday." The sleepiness in her voice is clear and I just wish I could stay a little longer here at my friend's house. It's all too calm and happy, something I'll never experience.
But never, in a million years, will I be jealous of Bella for having something I don't, especially caring parents. She deserves every part of it. Her brother killed himself and I can't imagine the pain of losing someone to that way.
"I have some things to do at home." Another lie to my list. I have done it so many times that now I don't feel anything, just numbness.
My life is a web of lies, how can I escape it if I'm intertwined with it?
Every minute that passes by is another hit from my father. That's all I think as I put on the clothes I brought and go closer to Bella. But my best friend needs me, so another bruise won't make a huge difference.
She has her eyes closed but as I sit on the edge of the bed, she opens one of them and gives me a smile, which I return.
I love this girl so much. She is the sister I never had.
"It's us against the world, Ella," I whisper in her ear. There are tears forming in her eyes and I can't help, but give her a sad smile.
"I will never, in a million years, leave you, alright?" She nods as I carefully kiss her on the cheek. Now that I made sure my best friend will be okay, I waste no time in leaving. But not before turning around and showing her my tongue in a silly way. Bella instantly laughs and returns what I did.
I go straight to May's room to wake up Sammy with both of our bags on my back. That little boy always forgets it somewhere.
I delicately open the door to find my brother's sleeping form next to May in a pile of pillows, which looks like a fort.
Gosh, they are so cute.
My feet move silently on the floor as I enter the room. When I reach my brother, I kneel next to him and murmur his nickname while I caress his chestnut brown curls.
"Morning, Sammy." He smiles at me while placing both of his arms around my neck so I can pick him up. My brother knows by heart what he needs to do when I say something in his ear. I wish I could leave him here to sleep until late and spend more time with May.
Especially because his nightmares are getting more and more frequent so I always need to carry him to my room where he ends up sleeping with me. He hasn't had a sufficient amount of sleep for a little kid and it does worry me that he won't be able to have a happy childhood.
"Bye May," Samuel whispers while I head to the door, looking over my shoulder at the little girl he adores.
I quickly exchange a goodbye with Bella's dads that are already up having breakfast in their kitchen, my heart beating a little faster every time I think about what is going to happen next.
My dad's anger. His hand on my arm. His touch burning my cheek.
Tears threaten to leave my eyes as I put Sammy in the backseat, buckling him up in the booster seat. I fight the urge to let the tears out because I know it's not the time nor the place.
It will get better. One day, I will fight my father. Damien will make sure of that.
It's my last chance.
Looking at the clock makes my anxiousness much higher. It's twenty past nine. I was supposed to be home for breakfast, to pretend that I have a happy family.
Despite the fact I'm a pile of anxiousness inside, I succeed in driving to my house in a matter of minutes. Every time I stopped at a red traffic light, my mind made me think about what will happen when I open the door. A few new bruises and my left cheek bright red.
Stupid, stupid. I should have put on an alarm to wake up.
As I enter my house, I pray that Tom isn't awake yet, that he might have a hangover from a night of drinking and doesn't want to be disturbed.
But obviously, it's not the case. It's never the case.
"Took you long enough." He's seated in one of the high stools that are next to the marble countertop. There is a cynical smile on his face that makes the bile in the back of my throat rise. Sammy doesn't notice or hear anything since he's sleeping, his head pressed against my collarbone.
"I know, I'm so sorry. The alarm didn't go off and-"
"I don't fucking care. You were supposed to be here so we could have breakfast, eight o'clock or even earlier." His voice is aggressive, leaving me with no air to breathe. My mouth is trembling from my fear because I know that if he hits me, I can't fight back.
I'm powerless.
"You will face consequences, Lina." Tom stands up as I walk fast to the staircase, protecting my brother's head with my hand all the way.
He gets to the beginning of the stairs before me, standing in front of it and blocking my passage.
"Let me just put Sammy in his bedroom, Tom." There is fear in my voice, but I try to hide it so hard. I couldn't give him the pleasure of seeing me scared.
"I'm your fucking father, Lina. Call me that." His breath smells like pure alcohol as always, but this time it surprises me because it's nine am and he is already drunk. Just the fact that my dad is probably getting worse makes me have goosebumps.
"Don't call me Lina," I mumble those words without even thinking. Regrets fill my mind at that exact second and all I can think is that I'm stupid.
Why did I just say that?
"Go." He walks to the side, leaving the way completely free and catching me off guard. I was ready to bargain with Tom, so he could let me pass and now, he just lets me go. "But you will come back here. After all, someone needs to face the consequences, right?"
Ah, there it is. The father I'm used to.
I waste no time in going upstairs quickly without managing to wake up Sammy again. He didn't need to hear what would happen in the next few minutes. My useless cries for help.
I place my little brother in bed, covering him up with his dinosaur blanket. I look at him sleeping so peacefully, and instantly my heartaches. I wish he was a happy kid with present and caring parents. My father was supposed to take care of him at least, especially without our mom.
But soon, this will be over. I pray that my lessons with Damien are enough to protect my brother and me. It's my only chance of making things right.
I steal one last glance at the little boy before closing the door and heading to the living room. Before I go downstairs, I breathe deeply, controlling my emotions, and getting ready to face an inevitable pain.
Tom is standing at the bottom of the stairs, drinking his usual alcohol. My father has a cynical smile on his face as he watches me walk downstairs. My hands are sweating and shaking as I bite my lips, resisting the urge to cry.
When he finally reaches me, he grabs my arm so tightly that I almost scream in agony. He lets go of the whiskey glass in his left hand, shattering the glass when it smashes to the dark wooden floor.
He will make me clean it up with my bare hands, I know it.
"Oops." He whispers in my ear, his hot breath against my neck. A feeling of nausea develops in the pit of my stomach right after his little act.
My father disgusts me. I can't even call him that with the things he does. Tom is a monster.
"Now, cutiekins," he says, using the nickname my mom would call me, and at the exact moment, I feel the urge to hit him. He can't do that to me. Tom does it on purpose to make me remember her death every single time he hurts me. To make me feel guilty or even worse, responsible for what happened to her, "you deserve some really bad hits because you were late, don't you think?"
His voice tone scares me. Tom is much angrier this time.
The fact that the house is quiet, not even a single soul except for us to hear what will happen, sends shivers down my spine. I feel completely powerless against him.
What happens next is something I don't wish for anyone. My father slaps me with all the strength he has, causing me to let out a startled little gasp of pain. The pain shot through my face with terrible intensity, making my tears run down my cheek instantly.
Before I even got to put my hand where he touched me, Tom slaps me again, and again, and again, and again, until I can no longer feel my face.
When he finally stops to get another drink, I fall to the floor. His arm is no longer grabbing me, so I can't stand alone anymore from all the pain I'm feeling. I can't even feel when the broken glass cuts the skin on my legs as I collapse on it.
All I can do is cry. I try to put my hand on my cheek to stop the pain, but it's all in vain. When I do, it just makes it even worse, making me want to scream. I wish this suffering would stop.
I'm afraid to believe that every time this happens, I get weaker and weaker. That someday, I won't be able to fight back anymore.
Where Tom touched me feels like it's a deep flesh wound. I wonder how the blood isn't running down my face mixed with my useless tears.
"Go, cutiekins. I don't need you anymore." In a blur, I notice he's looking at me from the kitchen, his body rested against the marble counter. All I can think about is my agony, nothing else. I lose no time in following his instruction, finally getting up.
I quickly run to my bedroom, the tears making everything unfocused. I don't know how but I manage to get on my bed, the unstoppable pain pounding against my right cheek. I wrap my arms around my legs as I continue crying because my father is a fucking monster.
I don't think I will ever stop because I know Tom will do this again.
Every damn day.
After my father slapped me several times, I still had to cook lunch for Sammy and me since 'my supposed to be' dad left to go to a bar. The headache I had from the party earlier came back and was pounding against my head while I cooked spaghetti. The whole afternoon, my brother watched cartoons and played video games while I slept almost the entire day.
And I stayed like that until now.
The sound of my phone ringing reverberates in my room and I open my sleepy eyes, a sigh escaping my lips. I look at the clock on my nightstand and it's already marking six pm.
I quickly grab my phone before it stops ringing and the number that appears on the screen intrigues me. Unknown.
"Hello?"
"Hey, gorgeous." I'm caught by surprise when I hear his voice and I immediately sit down on my bed, my back against the headboard. It's even sexier on the phone but he doesn't need to know that.
The question is,
"How do you have my number, Damien?" He lets out a low laugh and I barely contain myself from smiling at his true happiness. Ever since I saw him at the cemetery, I can't forget the desolate and grieving look he had on his face.
It sends chills down my spine every time I remember it. My curiosity is killing me at the same time, but I know I'm not close enough to ask him what happened. If I could only help.
"You do know I have contacts, right?" I roll my eyes at the exact same moment. It was useless asking him, the bad boy really has some ways of getting the things he wants.
"Right. So, why did you call?" The fact that Damien woke me up on one of the worst days of the month is bothering me, but if the motive is good, it will be worth it.
"Can you come to practice tonight?" His voice seems tired, which is breathy in my ear. I'm caught by surprise because of his sudden question, never thought that the school's bad boy would actually agree to help me out. What happened at the party doesn't seem real at all.
"Sure, yeah. Sounds good." I smile against my phone, a feeling of relief taking over my body. For the first time, I finally believe that everything will turn out okay.
It's my last chance, these self-defense classes need to work.
"It's a date then," As soon as he finishes the sentence, I picture in my mind his perfect and cocky smirk. My cheeks feel hotter and probably redder at that moment, "I will send you the address right away. See you soon, gorgeous."
I don't even have the chance to say bye before he hangs up, leaving me with a fast heartbeat and warmth in my chest. Why does he have to be so handsome?
But one thing I'm certain of is that I won't fall for with him. Sammy is the priority and the fact that the bad boy's specialty is breaking hearts means he needs to stay far away from mine.
I'm pulled out of my thoughts with a simple buzz from my phone.
Unknown: 4730 Fieldston Road. Not too far from your house may I add ;)
I furrow my eyebrows immediately, surprised, and worried about the fact that he knows where I live. Could he also know what's really going on inside this house? I sent him a quick reply.
You are such a creep, you know that right?
Unknown: Only for you, babe.
I sigh at his message as I decide to add his number to my contact list. Being messaged by someone called unknown is terrifying.
Bad Boy is now in your contacts.
I read as I look at the bright screen. I can't help but smile at the nickname I chose for him as I put away my cellphone to get ready for the practice.
Maybe being wakened up by Damien wasn't so bad after all.
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{A/N: Hey Guys! Long-time no talk right? So, what did you think about the chapter? If you liked it, please vote and leave your thoughts!! Remember I said I was going to go offline for a bit so I could write better? I will still do it but I'm going to publish another chapter on this book before I leave.
I will feel bad if I leave you all with this chapter (a cliffhanger) and go offline for months, lol. I'm such a cutie ;)
See you all in the next chapter, are you prepared to read about Damien being Adelina's teacher? Oh wow. I'm excited about their training session now}