Runaways

15

"who was that girl?"

"a friend..."

"girlfriend?"

"n-no," he shook his head. "she's just a really good friend..."

"friends," he scoffed. "girlfriends. they're all distractions from your life."

he didn't say anything as he sat in the front seat, hanging his head down low.

"is that what you want? to be distracted from success?"

"n-no sir..."

"I don't want you to be 'friends' with that girl or whatever the hell she is to you."

"w-what...?"

"you heard me. she is a distraction. we don't tolerate distractions. if you're distracted, you won't get anywhere in life."

"b-but she's my friend...she could never be a distraction to me..."

his father swerved to the side, pulling over on the side of the road.

namjoon tensed up as his father placed an arm behind namjoon's seat, sighing.

"listen, this girlfriend you have is not a good thing for you-"

"she isn't my girlfriend. she's just my friend."

"what difference does it make? being with girls will only lead to one thing. do you want that for your life? do you want to fuck up?"

"I'm only in eighth grade dad...I don't think something like that would happen..."

"you're going to stop being her friend." he said sternly.

"I-I can't. she's a really good friend to me. she isn't a distraction. if anything she's helping me with school and I'm helping her too-"

namjoon clenched his eyes shut as his dad hit him across the face.

"look at this. she's bringing this new attitude to you. how dare you talk back and argue with me."

"she hasn't done anything-"

he hit him again.

namjoon held onto his cheek, holding back the tears that began to brim in his eyes.

"you have a lot of fucking nerve." his father growled.

"I'm tired of you hitting me!" he shouted.

"excuse me-"

"I hate it when you hit me! I am sick of this shit! I'm tired of it dad!"

namjoon furrowed his eyebrows at himself. he couldn't believe he was talking to his father this way. it wasn't like him. he felt scared but he didn't know why he couldn't stop.

his father inhaled through his nose before raising his hand up to hit him again.

namjoon's jaw clenched as he looked his father in the eyes, it didn't seem real to him. none of this did.

namjoon blocked his father's hand from hitting him and began to kick his legs at him.

his father and him began to fight. namjoon felt as if he was moving in slow motion. it. didn't. feel. real.

"stop hitting me!" he began to scream. "I hate you! stop hitting me!"

namjoon's words began to echo in his own ears. blackness started taking over his vision when his father grabbed onto him, wrapping his hands around his neck.

namjoon gasped for air.

"namjoon! namjoon!" areum's voice began to fade in.

namjoon began to hyperventilate when he opened his eyes, sitting up quickly in the hotel bed. his forehead was beaded with sweat, tears falling down his cheeks.

"hey, hey, hey, it's okay. it's okay," areum said as she cupped his cheeks. "wake up."

namjoon's breathing began to slow down as he looked at areum. he gulped down the fear that was pulsing through his chest.

"it's just a nightmare..." she said softly. she wrapped her arms around him as he sobbed silently.

"w-who was hitting you...?" she asked.

namjoon sniffled, looking up at her. he sighed before wiping his cheeks. "you were...s-screaming your dad's name..."

"areum...I have to tell you something..."