PUBLISHING PAPERBACK (after writing the final draft, I wrote this 2 years ago.)
"I see through those silent lies of yours, Liv."
𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫, the girl who's known to be mute in school. No one knows why though, and she doesn't want anyo...
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Adrian takes me home last, for some reason. But then I realize it's so he can talk to me alone with no one else around.
Of course.
"Liv..." I can't stand the sadness in his tone, like he's figured everything out. "Your neck..."
I hate myself for messing up that badly. I was sweating after the skating rink, needed my hair out of the way and stupidly pulled my hair into a ponytail-displaying the bruises and marks around my neck to everyone. Now all of them have kept giving me sympathetic looks making me wanna crawl into a hole and never come out again.
"If someone's..." He pauses, rethinking what to say and I wish he would just pull in front of my house already so I could get out and not have to have this conversation. "I know we still hardly know each other but Liv, if someone's hurting you...it's not if there is someone-" I cut him off with a shake of my head.
The car goes silent, only for a few minutes though. I can see him glancing at me every few seconds, I don't dare look at him though with the tears in my eyes threatening to spill.
"Liv, someone is hurting you. I don't know who." My dad. "But I just want to help." It'd help if you'd stop talking about it. "I know how hard it is, I do."
The last thing he says catches me off guard and I wonder what he means. How would he know? Has he dealt with abuse too.? Oh god. I swallow the lump forming in my throat. It's been just some weeks since he's started talking to me and he already practically knows what happens to me at home-I won't admit he's right though. It would make sense how quickly he's figured it out...
You've also been horrible with hiding the truth lately.
He pulls in front of the house and I've never been more thankful. I can't even remember the last time I was happy to see this house. Though what he said plays over and over in my head, I know how hard it is.
He pulls out the bag from the small bookstore we went to that I had completely forgotten about. I sigh and shake my head at him as he hands me the book I had been looking at. When his hand found its way to my lower back and he was way too close for comfort-it's weird I didn't completely hate it though at the store.
I do the sign for thank you over and over, truly thankful for the book he brought me-also remembering he brought my favorite book which makes me happy. I can't wait for him to read it now.
"There's no need to thank me Liv." I smile at him and get one back. I'm thankful to see dads not home, but I still sigh-not wanting to go home yet even if I want away from Adrian and his questions or what he knows. Today was really good apart from a few things. He notices my hesitation on going home, and I continue to curse at myself in my head for being so lazy at hiding everything anymore. "You can always talk to me, okay?"
I nod, signing thank you once again and he just smiles. I grab my bag, and the book now, taking my seatbelt off then getting out of his car. I look back a million times until I'm finally at the door. I wave goodbye and he does the same, I walk in after unlocking the door and see him finally driving off.
