ANNABELLE POV

As I made my way toward my house, I began to hear shouting coming from Darian’s. I knew his mom was probably pissed about his little revelation but you can’t tell me the woman didn’t know. She isn’t blind. Anyone who sees us together can probably tell that we’re serious enough to be sleeping together. I just hate that Darian is getting the brunt of it all right now.

For as long as I can remember, his mom has been a total snob. She always looked down on people who didn’t live like her and her so-called perfect little family. What surprised me the most was that when my mom was still alive, they were all good friends. We always had Saturday dinners either at their house or ours, but after my mom died of cancer and my dad turned to the bottle among other crutches, they plucked us out of their lives like an ingrown hair.

I knew she would never accept me in Darian’s life but what she didn’t know or understand was that we needed each other. He was my escape from my dad who drank himself stupid nearly every night and ignored me like I didn’t exist while I was Darian’s escape from his overbearing and obnoxious parents. We found family and solstice in each other and she would never understand that.

When I finally made it inside my own house, I searched my immediate surroundings for my dad but came up empty. He was probably passed out on the couch in the den and wasn’t expecting me home anytime soon. It wouldn’t surprise me if he completely forgot I existed after I left for college in a few weeks. Technically, I could head to the dorms early but I wasn’t about to leave Darian behind to deal with his mother and she wasn’t about to let him leave her clutches just yet.

As I rounded the staircase and stepped onto the first step, my dad’s voice came from behind me and scared the crap out of me.

“Where have you been all day? I’ve been waiting for you,” he hiccuped, “to get home so you can help me with something.” He could barely stand on his own two feet as I watched him sway back and forth.

“I was out with some friends and then I went to Darian’s.” I spun towards him and crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you need help with?”

“You’re always at that damn boy’s house. Why weren’t you in school?” The smell of vodka permeated around him and he had to reach out to grab the railing before he fell backward.

“Dad, I graduated two months ago.” I wasn’t surprised that he had forgotten but it actually kind of stung. I missed how my dad used to be before my mom got sick and died. He was normal once upon a time and I actually looked up to him.

He scrunched his brows together as if he were trying to remember the event but I knew he wouldn’t because he wasn’t there. I came home graduation night to find him face down, ass up on the couch with an empty whiskey bottle dangling out of his limp fingers. It was a memory I’d never forget.

“Whatever.” He waved it off. “I need you to help me get mom’s things down from the attic. There’s a specific box in there I need.” He swayed once more but held tightly to the railing.

I knew which box he was referring to and there was no way in hell I was going to grab that for him. It held mom’s treasures that would be mine as soon as I left for college. He only wanted them so he could pawn them off and get booze money. Over my dead body will he ever lay a finger on those items.

“That box isn’t there anymore, Dad,” I lied.

“Bullshit. Your aunt told me it was there. Go get it, Annabelle.” He glared at me, trying to give me his famous stink eye, but it no longer intimidated me.

“Dad, I swear it isn’t there. You had me pull it down two days ago. It’s gone.” I glared back at him, trying to show him that I wasn’t scared of him.

He cursed under his breath and looked away from me. “Do you got any cash?”

I knew it. I knew he wanted that box to buy more booze.

“No, Dad, I don’t. I don’t have a job, remember?”

“Well, you should have one. You’re old enough to make your own damn money.” He looked me up and down then. “Where’d all those fancy clothes come from?”

“Darian,” I replied without pausing because it was the truth. Darian always made sure I had everything I needed.

He snorted. “There’s that damn boy’s name again. What’s with you two anyway? Are you two getting married yet so you can get the hell out of my house?”

His words actually stung me. I never thought his toxic words could hurt me. I knew he was sick and probably hated me, but I never knew how much until just now.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be out of your house next week when I leave for college.” I spun to head back upstairs but his hand reached out and grabbed my arm, keeping me in my spot.

“College?! Who the hell is paying for that? It sure as hell isn’t me,” he slurred out.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve got it under control.” What he didn’t know was that I had forged his signature on all the applications for student aid and did all of it on my own. I guess it paid off to have a shitty, low-life father. My first two years were completely covered, after that, I’d have to figure out what to do but I wasn’t too concerned right now. I had two whole years to figure out how to finish my last two years.

I ripped my arm from his grasp and started walking upstairs and away from him.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?!” He called after me, just as I heard him stumbling up the stairs. I picked up my own pace, needing to get away from him.

“I’m going to bed, Dad,” I replied as my feet took me higher and higher.

But, I wasn’t so lucky. He had reached me and grabbed my arm again and this time it hurt when he grabbed me, his fingers digging into my flesh.

“Ow, Dad, that hurts.” I tried to pull my arm away from him but he wasn’t releasing me at all.

He got right in my face, the vodka he had just drank enveloped me and made me nauseous. “We’re not done here, little girl.” He pulled on my arm harder and made me cry out.

“What do you want from me?!” I screamed out both from feeling frustrated and the pain radiating in my arm.

“I want you to get a job and start paying for some shit around here! You aren’t going to college, you little bitch, so get that out of your head. Nobody in this family has ever amounted to anything. Why do you think you’re any different?” His words hurt me but I couldn’t let him win right now.

“Get a job your damn self, you monster!” I tore my arm from his grip finally and because he was drunk he stumbled backward and went flying down the stairs. He grumbled and groaned every step-down and I just stood there and watched him. I didn’t feel an ounce of sorrow for him as I watched him land hard on the foyer floor. “If you lay another finger on me again, I’ll kill you!” I shouted out, feeling the rage fill my entire existence. The man I once loved more than anything and looked up to was no longer here and I hated the man he was now.

I didn’t wait for him to move or say anything before I took off running towards my bedroom. I know I promised Darian I wouldn’t head to college early without him, but I couldn’t be here anymore. After pulling my already packed luggage from my closet, I grabbed another bag and started packing my things that I was currently using. Tonight, I’d be gone.

As I was just about done packing, my dad started pounding on my door and screamed profanities at me. He has a very colorful language and didn’t mind using his less than stellar vocabulary on me.

“You fucking tramp! Open this door before I break it down!” He kept slamming himself into my door but it wasn’t budging. His drunk ass could keep doing that but he won’t get anywhere besides a bruised shoulder.

My packing picked up and I was moments away from whipping my window open to start throwing my luggage out when I saw a familiar and welcome face in the glass. I ran over and opened the window for Darian as he snuck in.

“What the hell is he yelling about now?”

I ran back to my luggage and finished putting my things in when Darian came over to me and grabbed my arms.

“I have to get out of here, Darian.” I looked up at him with wild eyes as he studied me with a confused expression. “He’s put his hands on me for the last time. I know I said I wouldn’t go to school without you, but I have to.”

“He did what?!” Darian shouted.

The banging stopped for a moment before my dad started screaming again. “Open this fucking door, Annabelle! I can hear that boy in there again!” He was slurring worse than before.

Darian headed towards my bedroom door with his shoulders squared and a mean look on his face but I jumped over my bed and reached him before he could open the door.

“Don’t. He isn’t worth it, Darian. You’re an adult now, he can press charges. I just want to leave and be done with this place. Help me with my bags.” My hands were pressed against his heaving chest as he looked down at me with pure hatred in his eyes. He seemed to hate my dad as much as I did right now.

Darian continued to stare down at me, his eyes debating whether or not he should listen to me or not, but then he blinked and turned towards my luggage on the bed. I let out a relieved breath and walked over to the bed next to him. We zipped up and grabbed my luggage without a word as my dad continued to bang on the door still screaming at me.

I tossed out the first bag before Darian threw the rest of them out and then turned to me. He framed my face with his hands and stared into my eyes.

“I’ll be right behind you, B. Get to school and I’ll be there in a day or two.” He lowered his mouth and lightly kissed my lips before pressing his forehead to mine.

“What about your mom?” I asked, knowing she’d be the only thing stopping him from joining me at school early.

He laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about her. I’ll figure it out.”

The banging on the door became more fervent and I knew it was time to say goodbye to Darian for now.

Darian helped me step out onto the small roof just outside my window before I made my way over toward the lattice attached to the house and how Darian was able to come and go from my room undetected. Once my feet were on the ground, Darian was right behind me, jumping down himself.

We grabbed my luggage and ran towards my piece of crap car that sat on the street and shoved my bags in the back. I ran to the driver’s door, in a hurry to get away from my dad when Darian grabbed me again and faced me towards him.

“Drive safe. I’ll be there soon.” He leaned down and kissed me so passionately that my knees went weak. He wrapped his arms tightly around me before nipping my bottom lip with his teeth. “I love you, B.”

“I love you too, Darian.” He released me just in enough time to hear my dad’s screams coming through the front windows, which told me he was on the move. I jumped in my car and tore away from the curb but not before I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Darian standing there watching me go.