Chapter 20
I finally woke up around one in the afternoon. The sleep had been the most pleasant part of the entire weekend. The twins had vanished from my mind and dreams. I forced any and all thoughts of them from my head, leaving me with a dull, sometimes sharp pain in my chest. It felt like a chunk of my soul was missing, but dwelling on what could have been wouldn’t help.
My plan to leave was officially set into motion. I would leave Friday night. That gave me a week to work and pick up my check Friday morning. I had a little over twenty–five grand in my bank account. While it wouldn’t sustain me forever, it would be enough until I found a job.
I had everything planned out. Friday night, I would catch a bus to Atlanta, Georgia. From there, I’d get the soonest plane ticket. My destination didn’t matter. I wanted to be far away from Georgia, somewhere no one would look. Once the plane landed, I’d find a job and somewhere cheap to live.
I had no intention of going to school this week. It simply didn’t matter anymore. Once I was established in a new state, I’d work on getting my GED. For the first time in years, I was truly excited.
I trudged into the bathroom, no longer caring whether Darren was awake or not. Lauren was home from work for the day, which would hopefully prove a worthy distraction. My face looked awful. My eye was swollen, only showing the smallest sliver of my chocolate brown iris. The skin around it was a sickly shade of purple. My lip had seen better days, but at least the bleeding had stopped. Any other bruises would be covered by my work uniform.
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I pulled the concealer Kat had given me out of the bathroom drawer and applied it to my face. I blended it into my cheek and eye area as best as I could. While it did nothing to help the swelling, the bruises were completely covered. I slipped my work uniform on and inhaled a couple of granola bars while sitting on my bed. Kat would be here within the next five minutes, forcing me to retreat downstairs.
Lauren was in the kitchen cooking, and my stomach rumbled at the thought of hot, home–cooked food. Living off restaurant leftovers and granola bars was tiring, but I refused to cook in the kitchen. It would only give Darren more time to torment me.
y eyes qu
Lauren stiffened as she heard me coming downstairs. I kept from her and walked over to the window by the front door, giving me a clear view of the empty driveway.
“Sophia.” Lauren called my name, snapping me from my thoughts with at hard flinch. I turned my head and looked at the woman who had carried me for nine months. She had a small white bottle in her left hand and two round pills in her right.
“Take some aspirin.” Lauren mumbled awkwardly. “It’ll help the swelling.”
I took the pills from her, ignoring the shaking of my own hand. For the first time, I felt absolutely nothing towards Lauren. Not hate, not the sharp pangs that wracked my body whenever she did something event slightly motherly. It was nice feeling nothing for a change.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, swallowing the pills and taking a long drink of
Chapter D
water. I turned my attention back to the window and the empty driveway. For the second time, Lauren pulled me from my thoughts. I nearly wanted to laugh at the irony. This was the most she’d spoken to me in months. If only I knew it would take getting my face messed up for her to show the tiniest shred of concern.
“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what happened to you,” Lauren’s voice was low but even. Her voice held a tone I had never heard before, her words churning with concern. The emotion nearly made me sick. It was too much to process after what had happened. I already had too many thoughts and emotions bubbling within me; this threatened to send them. over the edge.
“Why do you care?” I murmured, my eyes never once straying from the empty driveway.
“You left last night with some girl and came running home looking like this.” I could hear the frown in her words, the concern hidden underneath. She hadn’t answered my question. “Who did this, Sophia?” Her voice was strong and stern, with that tone only a mother could pull off.
“What will it change, Lauren?” I sneered, turning to see the hurt in her eyes. “We both know nothing will change.”
The hurt lingered in her eyes for a few moments, but I felt nothing. Her dismissal of me had caused years of hurt. She could handle a few seconds.
“They wouldn’t be able to hurt you again,” Lauren murmured, her blue eyes burning into my own.
Chapter20
“You say that, but you don’t mean it,” I scoffed. “We both know nothing will change until I leave. Until then, quit with the fake fucking concern.
Kat picked the perfect moment to pull into the driveway. I hesitated for a moment, wondering which option would be worse: Lauren or Kat? Kat would be worse. Her eyes would flood with suspicion and concern as she hounded me with endless questions. But I needed the money. I needed all the money I could get before I left Friday.
I turned my back on Lauren, as she had done to me for years, and left the house. Kat’s eyes were locked on me the moment I closed the front door, and I ignored her burning gaze. Even walking down the driveway, her gaze set my teeth on edge. The minute I opened the car door and sat down, rushed and slightly hostile words left her mouth.
“What the fuck happened to your face?” she hissed, not even bothering to put the car in reverse.
“We’re going to be late,” I pointed out, knowing the effort to change the subject was futile.
“Fuck work. What happened to you?” Kat scoffed.
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” I said, staring into her hazel eyes.
“Something happened at the party, didn’t it?” Kat snapped. “Ethan and Kieran said you flipped out on them, but I didn’t believe it.”
“All that matters is it’ll never happen again.” My voice was cold and
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detached, but I didn’t mind. Maybe it would placate Tori.
“Who?” Kat growled like an animal, carning a wide–eyed look from me.
“Who?” I repeated, my face blank.
“Don’t play stupid,” Kat growled again. The sound was funny coming from her mouth, a petite redhead growling like an animal. “Who hurt you?”
“It doesn’t matter. It won’t happen again,” I shook my head.
“Dammit, Sophia,” Kat hissed, slamming her fist against the steering
wheel.
I never knew Kat had anger issues like this, but I didn’t find her reaction surprising. I had known she’d react this way. Obviously, the defensive route wasn’t working. What would another lie hurt? I had been telling so many of them lately.
“Look,” I sighed, forcing emotion into my words. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I just need time to process everything, but I’ll tell you exactly what happened Saturday.”
Kat looked at me blankly for a few minutes, her hazel eyes much darker now. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Just when I was about to look away, she opened her mouth.
“Fine.” Kat pursed her lips. “One week. But I swear if you don’t tell me, I
15:15
will hunt you down.”
I nodded, feeling her threat churn in my stomach. Kat wasn’t one to make idle threats, she meant every word she said. Hopefully, I’d get far enough to be outside her reach.
The car ride was silent, and for once I appreciated it. Awkward or not, the silence kept me from revealing any details about my weekend. When we arrived at the restaurant, we walked inside, and I noticed a few strange looks from the other employees. I ignored those who asked what happened and silently thanked those who didn’t.
Jenny was the only one to snicker and make rude remarks, still jealous that the twins wanted me to be their server, but that didn’t matter anymore. Three–quarters of my shill went off without a hitch. I made good money in tips, my busted face carning the sympathy of many customers. My swollen eye, busted lip, and the giant boot on my foot made me a walking charity case.
Despite the throbbing pain in my foot and eye, I was managing fine. Another employee had some Advil in their bag, which I took gratefully. But two hours before the end of my shift, my heart nearly stopped. Kieran and Ethan walked in, no doubt looking for me. I hid in the kitchen, not daring to peek out at them.
“Ethan and Kieran are asking for you.” Jenny spat, her shoulder banging into mine as she stormed past.
“I’m not waiting on them,” I said in a frantic rush.
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“Excuse me?” Jenny Boze, turning to look at me incredulousl
“I’m not doing it.” I shook my head finiously Tears pricked the backs of my eyes, but I refused to cry at work
Jenny paused, something lingering in her gaze “Come here,” she said, her voice harsh and impatient.
I felt rooted in place. I trusted Jenny as much as I trusted Jessy Following Jenny could lead to another beating, and I wasn’t falling for it this time.
“Oh, come on. Sophia.” Jenny hissed, but there was no menace in her words. She wrapped her hand around my forearm and pulled me towards. the employee bathroom, grabbing her purse from a coat hanger on the way. and slamming the door behind us,
The employee bathroom was a small room with a toilet, sink, and urinal. It wasn’t gender–specific, but it wasn’t accessible to customers either.
“Pull yourself together.” Jenny mumbled, handing me a wad of paper towels.
“What?” My voice was broken and confused.
“You’re crying.” she said uncomfortably. “And your concealer is fading.” Jenny pulled a little tan bottle from her purse and dabbed some concealer on her finger, gently blotting it against my check.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you, and I’m not gonna ask,”
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Jenny said as she blended the makeup into my skin. “But your face is messed up and you’re obviously upset. Don’t worry about the twins, alright? I’ll get them or make someone else do it.”
“Thanks,” I nodded.
“Just stay in here until you’re ready to come out. I’ll cover for you.” Jenny gave my face and boot one last glance before closing the bathroom door behind her.
I let out a sharp breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Jenny was blunt and unfiltered, but she lacked the dead cruelty in her eyes that Jessy had. Maybe Jenny wasn’t so bad after all.
