Authors Note: Hold up my peoples! I don't do this often (or really ever) but there's someone special who made me tear up last night because they messaged me a lot of compliments about my book. This chapter goes out to my loyal reader KamrieStout! Thank you all for reading and thank you all for your support. If you guys have any ideas as to the book, shoot me a message and I promise to read it. Alrighty, I'm done. Continue reading. Don't blame me for the ending.
My plan for telling Lila everything had three steps so far.
Step One) Sit her down and tell her everything.
Step Two) Make her believe me.
Step Three) Escape my father and live to see my next birthday.
Okay, so planning wasn't going great. Who was I kidding? Planning wasn't going at all. I didn't have the slightest idea where to start or how I would start.
I had started keeping more to myself. I guess the boys were getting worried because they had been bugging me to do more stuff with them. I always found some excuse to stay on my own, though.
I didn't want to hurt them but I needed some time to think. Some time to figure out what to do.
My father had gotten even more physical lately, and the boys were ready to kill every 'random boy' in the school. Let's just say that some poor soul out there was getting all the blame for all my bruises. I pitied the poor guy.
It wasn't like I was pointing fingers, but my brothers were still speculating. Trying to figure out who could possibly be ignoring their threat.
Mr. Lee had left me alone. There hadn't been any fights and Kade was back at school.
I didn't know what to do about my father. I didn't know what to say or how to approach the situation.
Can you honestly blame me?
"Ariel, I've been talking to you for the past ten minutes and I'm guessing you haven't heard any of it." Thea, a nice girl in my Chemistry class, said with a smile. I shook my head.
"Honestly, I had no idea that anyone was even talking." I muttered sheepishly. Thea laughed, throwing her head back. She started picking at the ends of her dreads, biting her lip.
"I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but are you okay? You've been really distant these last few days. Plus, you made a B. You don't make B's. Ever." Thea asked dramatically.
The girl may have been smart, funny, and stunningly beautiful, but she was a drama queen. I found her company nice, though, so I wasn't complaining. She almost reminded me of Kas, but not so much of a golden girl.
Thea was a rebel. She was the first person in her family to not get into drugs or selling on the streets. She wasn't ashamed of the fact that she came from a poor Black family on the wrong side of the tracks. In fact, she flaunted it.
She also used it as a threat. She told people that she came from the wrong side of the tracks and wasn't afraid to start cutting people.
People usually left her alone. But she latched onto me and I wasn't telling her no, so we kinda stayed friends. Maybe friends? I don't know.
"Not really. There's something I need to tell Lila about but I don't know how to start the conversation." I said guiltily. Thea thought over it for a second.
"Just go for it. Tell her everything she needs to know up front so that she can't get mad at you for keeping it from her." Thea said simply. I was thankful that she wasn't asking any questions.
Another skill she learned from her side of town. When to not ask questions.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea. I've been keeping this from her since we met." I said honestly, shifting from foot to foot. We were waiting out front for our rides. Thea's older sister was always late and so was whoever was taking me home that day.
The boys usually called dibs in the morning.
"Then explain why you've been keeping the secret. If she's as great as you make her out to be, she'll understand." Thea said softly, laying a comforting hand on my shoulder.
I thanked God for giving me a friend like her.
"Thanks. I guess she'll find out eventually." I sighed, my shoulders slumping. Thea's mouth twisted into a confused frown. Here come the questions.
"Did we have homework for math?" She asked, making me laugh hysterically. She looked at me with a small smile. Yep, she was Heaven-sent.
"The six questions on the back, but those are easy." I told her with a breezy wave of my hand. She smushed her face grumpily, humphing. I didn't know how she made that sort of facial expression.
"Easy to you. You're a freakin' genius. It's not fair." She grumbled as her sister's car pulled into the parking lot. She shot me a look and a wave before screaming at her sister to turn down the music. I waved at Thea before turning around and looking for Nathaniel.
He had promised to pick me up from school today since he got out of classes early.
I decided to call him, praying he would pick up. Straight to voicemail.
"Hey, Nathaniel. I don't know if you forgot me or something, but I'm still waiting for you at school. Don't worry about it, though. I'll walk." I said with a small smile. I was thrilled that I would have the chance to think.
The boys would be horrified once they realized I was walking, but I would deal with that later. I needed a hot minute to clear my head.
How to tell Lila...
I would need Jaydon's help, of course. He was the only witness I had. That and Lila would definitely believe everything I was saying if her youngest son was backing me up. I hoped she would believe me, but I knew that was unlikely.
Blood over everything.
I would also need to give a reason as to why I hadn't told anyone before the wedding took place.
Fear? Pain? The constant need for family that haunted me like flies swarming me?
God, what was wrong with me? Why couldn't I just come up with a simple freaking sentence that got all I needed to say out?
Why was I such a disappointment?
I was halfway home when my phone rang. It was Nathaniel calling. Apparently he had called twice before and I hadn't noticed. I could only imagine how panicked he was.
"Hi. Is everything okay?" I asked with a fond smile. I loved having brothers I could call and called me. That freaked out when I didn't answer. Who loved and protected me.
Oh God. How would they react when they found out? Would they think I was a freak? Disgusting? A broken doll that needed to be thrown away? Would they even love me anymore? Would they want to get rid of me instantly? Would they hate me?
"Everything's fine, I'm just worried about you. I'm super sorry about the whole ride thing. I got held up with a professor after class." Nathaniel gave a weak excuse. I smirked.
He was definitely with a girl.
They wanted to keep me innocent and pure so they made a unanimous decision to not tell me anything about their dating lives. If you could even call it dating, if you know what I mean.
Jaydon has told me instantly, disgusted with having to be apart of that particular conversation. Sweet, innocent Jaydon was much too shy to get a girlfriend. Much less a meaningless hookup.
"I'll be home in a minute. And don't worry. The walk did me some good. I enjoy being able to clear my head." I said with a chuckle. I heard yelling from the other end of the line.
"Maybe you should stay on that walk a bit longer. Mom and Elliot are fighting again." He sighed. My lips pinched together.
I hoped nothing bad happened.
"I'll be there in thirty seconds. No use in turning back now, not to mention I have a ton of homework and this bag is heavy." I tried to lighten the situation. I let myself in the house, and hung up.
I could hear the yelling from the entryway. Nathaniel met me by the door and we both went up to my room, where I helped him finish up his Calculus equations. He was almost asleep by the time we were done.
Well, by the time I was done.
I moved the book away from him and put a pillow under his head and then covered him with my softest blanket. He didn't even flinch. The wonders of a deep sleep.
I walked downstairs, my sock covered feet causing me to use more caution than normal on the steps. I didn't feel like breaking anymore bones.
My father could handle that for me.
"Lila, is everything okay?" I asked her back once I made it to the kitchen. I was on one side of the island while she was standing over the stove, mixing something harshly.
More of it (whatever it was) was going over the sides of the bowl than staying inside of it. I would have laughed had I not been scared of her answer.
She didn't turn to look at me, only tensed.
"Yep. Everything's fine." She bit out. I bit my lip. It wasn't my place but I was worried.
"Lila-" I started but she cut me off. The spoon she was holding fell back into whatever she was mixing.
She faced me with a tired expression.
"I said I was fine, Ariel. Please, just leave it." She snapped, but softened towards the end.
I only stare at her in horror.
Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God. No. Please no.
There was a bruise on her cheek. The exact same one that my father had left on me numerous times.
My father had hit Lila.