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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It's Friday. I'm standing by my locker with Adrian and everyone else. Adrian's driving us all home, again. He doesn't seem to care about it at all though. It's nice having a ride home-and to school, he picked me up this morning-despite the risks.
I close my locker, hearing them all talk about the party that's happening tomorrow. I wish I could go, but I won't risk something like that with dad. I hate how simply going out is a risk for me. Leaving is way worse of a risk for me than getting rides to and from school.
We all walk out towards Adrian's car and I wonder about dad. He didn't do anything yesterday-in fact he didn't even come home until like 9pm. I wonder if anything will happen today, I'm starting to worry.
I sit up front with Adrian as I have been, everyone else in the back. I don't pay attention to much of the conversations happening on the way home, just watching trees and other cars pass by through the window.
Adrian takes me home last, thankfully. I wore his hoodie again today-by accident, I've gotta give it back. I take off my seatbelt, and then take the hoodie off. Adrian looks at me confused, and I'm thankful for the shirt I wore underneath as I never usually wear anything underneath except a bra, sometimes.
I know he can probably see the scars and cuts up and down my arms but he's already seen them, so I don't worry like I'd usually do, thankful no horrible bruises have been added to my arms. I hand him the hoodie and he's hesitant to accept it back.
"You can keep it." He smiles, making his dimples appear. I see his cheeks flush slightly and he fidgets with his bracelet, the same friendship one Danny got us all. "It looks better on you than me."
Now my cheeks flush and I turn away from him-just now seeing dad's car in the driveway. That's enough to take away the blush and my focus away from his comment.
"You okay?" I turn back to him, seeing him look so worried now. His own blush and smile are gone now and I see him looking back and forth from my face to something further down.
My neck.
My hair fell back from my shoulder, revealing bits of my still bruised and marked up neck I'm sure. I pull my hair back over my shoulders, hiding the parts I can't or haven't hid. I suddenly wish I never took the hoodie off, needing a hood to hide me even more.
"Uh, y-your neck...how's it..." He struggles to find what to say, but I'm thankful when he settles on saying nothing at all.
It becomes completely silent and I just decide it's time for me to go. I do the usual sign language to say thank you, grabbing my bag.
"I'll text you later?" I nod, opening the door. I shut it and walk towards the house, up the porch steps, and to the door. I wave back to Adrian once more as he does the same, opening the door, seeing him driving off now.
When I shut the door and finally turn, I see dad. Panic rises in me when I see him on the couch, holding a beer bottle. I stand frozen for a few, expecting something since he's been drinking, and has let me off so easily lately.
