UNCONDITIONALLY YOURS

SOS // 11

I instantly noticed a car in the drive. My heart dropped. My shift ended at five-twenty, it had always given me enough time to get home before my father and step mother. If they knew where I had been, that would be it. I would have no freedom, and no chance of ever gathering the money to get out of the city. I hoped to myself neither of them would be home, but who else could it really be? Never mind, there was nothing I could do at that point, I knew I needed to face it head on. I gulped and began to confidently stride across the driveway toward the door. I took my cold key from my pocket, the freezing metal prickling my warm skin. I turned the key in the lock and stepped inside, praying that I would not have to give up my job. Praying that I still had a chance of freedom.

"Hello?!" I shouted. My voice echoed in the large, empty room. No one replied. "Hello?!" I repeated louder, but still no one replied. I wondered what on earth a car was doing in our drive if no one had been driven here. Though, it did not matter. I was only relieved that I did not have to stop working or anything of the sort. I was exhausted as I had not slept well the previous night, so I intended to go to my bedroom and read, watch TV or something else relaxing. I opened the door.

"Nice to see you, Riles." I almost jumped out of my skin, caught by surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here! Get out of my room!" Ben. Letting himself into my house, letting himself into my bedroom. Being here uninvited. It was him and I was so sorrowful that he has to exist on the same planet as me. He was intrusive and ignorant. I hated when he called me 'Riles'. It had always been a disgusting nickname, however seeing as he was the only one who called me it, after everything he had done, hearing the word was sickening.

"No thank you." He said simply. My fist clenched to the point it began to hurt. No one could hit my nerves like Ben; he was the most irritant excuse for a human. I did not think lower of anyone than I did him.

"You are uninvited, no one wants you here. Get the hell out of my room, Ben!" He chuckled a sly laugh. Anger boiled inside of me.

"I reckon your father would want me here, don't you?" Of course my dad wanted him there. He did not care about me, he cared about money and power and me and Ben being in a relationship was convenient to him.

"My father is not here." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Then I will wait until your father is home and then we will have a nice chat." He began to grin. Ugh. I wanted nothing more than to punch him in that moment.

"No you bloody well won't! Get out of my house." He stayed put.

"What are you going to do Riley?" I opened my mouth about to throw countless possible ways I would force him out of the house before he interrupted me. The thing about Ben was, no matter how much I hated him, he knew me. We were in a relationship for two years and he was one of the only friends I had. "Bear in mind your father's existence and what it might mean to you if you are not... let's say 'polite'."

"Fine. But to make my point I will wait until my father is home. And I am waiting downstairs as far away from you as possible. You better not come down, I swear to god."

I twiddled my thumbs. Maybe, just maybe in the hour or so I had I would think of some way to escape the seemingly unavoidable 'chat' that proceeded me. I knew he was upstairs, just one floor above me, the distance between us could never be enough. What did he even want to talk about? What was there to talk about? I simply hated him my entire existence. I could not bear him. My patience levels were instantly switched to zero whenever he was nearby. I sat still with my mind utterly blank for the entire hour. That was when my father entered and I knew I was going to have to go back to my room and face Ben at any moment. I hoped I would not lash out or say anything stupid. However, how could I prepare when I had not the faintest clue what he wanted to talk about? Ben proudly strode down the stairs smiling widely at my father.