Lights

Chapter 6

Hazel:

I turn the left faucet handle on, resting the tip of my finger under the rush of the water until it becomes warm, turning it off and starting the shower. Hopping in, scrubbing my scalp with my strawberry-scented shampoo, and soothing the conditioner into my ends. Cleaning my body and shaving, gently skimming the scratches on my arms, spending enough time until I feel like clean and somewhat less sore than before.

That's the thing about getting injured, for some reason I feel disgusting like I just shower the pain away and prevent the scabbing and scarring in the mere future.

I wrap a towel around myself, rolling it to where it stays closed, brushing my hair out, and grabbing my phone, leaving the bathroom door open to cool off the now foggy room.

1 missed call from Mum

Shit. I slide open my phone, checking the recent voicemails and seeing no new ones. It's odd, my mother always leaves a voicemail.

I decided to call her, the line ringing three times before I hear a familiar voice, it's not hers though.

"Hey, thank you for picking up. I need you to come over, I need to discuss some important issues."

"Today?"

"Yes, as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I'll be right over. Should I wear a dress or...?"

"A dress would be nice."

I end the call as I race to find a dress out of my closet, smearing makeup on over some injuries and doing my best to hide the wrapped-up wrist from the bottle. I look at myself in the mirror, the bruises on my face starting to slowly fade.

I enter the car, drive over to my parent's house, parking, and unbuckling my seatbelt, handing my handbag to Benson before being greeted by my father standing in the living room, awaiting my presence. "Hey, what's going on? Where's mom?" He lightly smiles before he guides me into the room, my mother nowhere in sight.

"Please, sit down Angel." I hesitantly sit at his words.

"Calvin told me that you broke up with him.. Why would you go and ruin a perfect relationship that had the perfect future for you all set up right then and there." I correct him "you mean the perfect future for you. Did he even tell you why I ended things with him?"

He remains to stand, his composure not falling in the slightest "why no he didn't-" I cut him off "yeah that's because he could go to jail for it" he looks at me perplexed, taking that as my cue to tell him the truth.

I wasn't intending to tell my father before my mother but seeing as it's that or I get a lecture and have Calvin come back and ruin my life doesn't slide as an option for me to take my time and decide on.

"Dad, he hit me. He did more than hit me." He looks at me with his mouth parted slightly, now analyzing my face and body. "Father, I know you loved him and you saw him as the perfect boy for me, but he prioritized his work above me, he never gave me the affection I needed in the relationship. I was always there for him, being understanding when he had to ditch on our dates for work. But one night, we got into a heated argument and he hit me, punched me, slashed me with glass..." Tears start to come into my vision "what I'm saying is he was abusing me."