My Love... by My Side [COMPLETED]

14: Rae's History

"You are late.." she stuttered as she saw Finn, seating on the chair in the living room. He held an empty bottle in his right hand.

"I... I got something urgent.."

"Like what? Bitching around?!" she wimped as Finn stood up from the chair. Her legs turned to jelly.

"No... I need to clean up.. the store.."

"Don't ever fucking lie to me, you bitch!" he grabbed her hair. She yelped in pain.

"It's true.. I'm not lying to you.." tears rolling from her eyes.

"Oh? So.. who is the bastard that always waits for you at school?!"

"I don't know him!! I swear!!"

"Don't fucking lying to me, Rae!! Don't test my patience!!!" he slapped her, making Rae fell on the ground hard.

"Dad, please believe me.."

"Now that you getting older, u started to look like your fucking mother, and act like her... I know how to teach you some lessons.." he unbuckled his belt.

"Please dad.. please spare m...AAHH!!" the belt snapped, hitting her back leaving a bloody mark on it.

"DAD!!! PLEASE STOP!!" she yelled as she tried to avoid the hit. But Finn didn't even care. He kept whacking her with the belt. The head hit her forehead, leaving a huge bruise.

"DAD, IT HURTS!! PLEASE STOP!!!" he hit her over and over again until she was almost faint and lying lifeless on the floor. Tears and blood dripped from her face.

"Next time, if I heard that you bitching around again, I'll finish you out!" he stormed out from the house, leaving her broken alone.

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"What's the excuse now, Andrews?" asked the school nurse. She had skipped PE class again, the fourth time that month.

"I don't feel well, sir," the nurse looked at her with a sharp gaze. He put a thermometer into her mouth.

"Where did you get the bruise?"

"Oh... I fell..."

"And hit directly on your lips too?" Rae kept her lips sealed. The nurse looked into her eyes.

"Should I call your parents?"

"No! I mean... this is nothing... just an accident..." she forced a smile but flinched due to the pain.

After taking some painkillers, she went downstairs and headed straight to the art room. Dre, her friend, was there, looking for something as she slowly sneaked in.

"Hey!" she grinned at her.

"You skipping PE again?" she put her hand on her tiny waist. Rae tried to put on a smile, at least to give Dre some peace.

"Never dream to become an athlete, so skipping PE is not a sin," she said, grabbing a palette and a brush from the cabinet. She sat in front of an empty canvas and looked at it for a while.

"Say... Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead!"

"Who is the cat-faced boy who always waits for you at the front gate?" Dre's face became intrigued.

"I don't know him. We just met once by accident..." she said as she slowly stroked the brush onto the white canvas.

"Are you sure? Because he seems quite interested in you. I mean, who is stupid enough to skip school just to meet someone he doesn't even know..." Rae placed her brush into a small pail next to her.

"How did you know?"

"Sometimes he wears his school uniform. Of course, he skips school because he will arrive exactly when the school ends," said Dre.

Rae felt quite disheartened. She hated it if that was true. She didn't want to burden anyone or put anyone in trouble. If he happened to come here today, she knew she should talk to him.

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Rae walked out of school with her bicycle. She needed to cycle a few miles every day to school. Finn had refused to enroll her in a coed high school because he didn't want her to hang out with boys. However, he also refused to send her every day or give her money for bus fare. So, she had no choice but to cycle every day to school, even if she was sick or tired.

"Oh my God..." she muttered to herself when she saw the boy standing in front of the gate, waving at her. She quickly covered her bruised forehead with her bangs.

She tried to calm herself as she walked past the boy, ignoring him completely. She didn't want Finn to misunderstand the situation again.

"Why can't you just tell me your name? It would make your life much easier," he pleaded. But she still kept her lips closed. He suddenly grabbed her hands, causing her to flinch, and then pulled them away.

"Please don't come and meet me again after this. I hate boys who skip school," she felt wronged, but deep down inside, she knew that all of this needed to stop.

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She couldn't believe her actions would lead her to such feelings of emptiness. Initially, she viewed him as a nuisance, a menace that made her life miserable.

But after meeting him again at the art store, she realized she missed his presence in her life. After a week without him teasing her and waiting for her every day, she found herself longing for him. When she dropped into his embrace, she wished it could stay like that forever.

"God must be laughing at me now! There is no way..." she brushed away the thought as she walked into the living room.

"Tay, what are you doing?"

"Homework..." she smiled, gently caressing his hair. The boy grinned, giving her a cute boxy smile.

"Rae, dad is out of town..." he said with excitement.

"Yes, he's out for a week..."

"So, we can go out and have fun!" he exclaimed, thinking about all the fun they could have during the week. When Finn was around, Taylor had no chance to go out with Rae. Finn always kept them apart. Taylor hated him so much.

"I know, but we should be careful, okay? Even though he's not in town, he still seems to know what we do behind his back," Rae reminded him gently.

"I wonder how long we have to live like this! I hate seeing how much he tortures and hurts you! Look at this bruise!" Taylor rolled up Rae's sweater sleeve, revealing scars and bruises she had been hiding.

"Tay, he's our father. We need to be patient with him. Besides, if we run away, can we survive out there? At least here, we have food and a place to call home," Rae said.

"Even if it costs your own body and life?" Taylor asked, his voice filled with concern. She couldn't answer that question. Her lips trembled, and her eyes filled with tears.

"I promise you... one day, I'll give you a home full of love and laughter. But in the meantime, please stay strong, okay?" said Rae. Taylor looked at her sister, then slowly hugged her tight.

"As long as you promise not to leave me alone, okay?" she nodded, wiping her tears away.