Ignition (MHAH)

11

Seth keeps his distance from me for the rest of the week, keeping conversation to a minimum. He treated me the same as any other student while at school; keeping his professional life separate from his personal life. I still got dirty looks from Samantha every chance she had, but school became more bearable with the company of my newfound friends.

"Wait- so you really told him to fuck off and then left?" Mary asks, laughing as I shared my experience on the first day. Surrounded by my group of friends, we sat at a cafeteria table, telling stories and sharing jokes.

"Shit.. I have to hand this in or Mr. Williams might dock me marks.." I tell them, realizing I had a stray assignment in my bag.

"Can you hand in mine too?" Ali asks, pulling a sheet from her binder. I nod, taking hers and heading to his classroom.

The door was creaked slightly, hushed voices coming from inside.

"Be quiet!" Seth hisses.

"I- I'm trying!" Another voice whimpers. It didn't take a genius to know that it was Samantha, or to know what was happening inside the room. As my stomach churns, I take out my phone, recording the sounds and few words that were coming from inside. When she moans out Seth's surname, I decide I've finally had enough and leave, rushing to the bathroom as acid rises from my stomach. I managed to hit the toilet just in time and hang myself over it.  When my stomach is empty and my head is spinning, I finally pull out my phone and call Vincent.

When the elder doesn't answer, I dial Justin's number, unsure whether I should feel relieved or worried that he answered within the first two rings.

"What's up kiddo?"

"I-I'd like to go home.. I threw up."

"Uhmmm.. hmm...Ethan's in the city right now, I'll call him to go get you okay?"

"Mhm.." He hangs up the call and I don't leave the bathroom until I get a message from Ethan saying he's outside. I climb into the passenger seat with shaky hands, not saying anything as I buckle up. I would pack my bags and leave tonight while they slept.

"Hey.. are you feeling okay?" He asks, bringing his hand up to my forehead. When I shy away from his touch, he doesn't say anything, but the look in his eyes tells me he's skeptical. He doesn't ask any questions until we're on a back road, far away from any excuse to get out.

"Alright, what's going on?" I shake my head, my teeth clamped together.

"I'm starting to doubt you're actually sick. I can just turn the car around and drop you back off at school." He suggests.

"You're a liar." I spit, my voice trembling. Suddenly, he pulls over the car, putting it in park to look at me.

"Excuse me?" He didn't like that.

"You lied!" I tell him, tears pricking my eyes.

"I lied? About what?" He pries, angry and confused.

"Don't act like you don't know! Do you seriously believe I'm that fucking stupid?!" I scream, my foot ramming into the dashboard.

"First off, don't kick my car.. Secondly, take a deep breath and then tell me what you believe I lied about." He speaks, his voice uncomfortably calm.

I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. He doesn't pry anymore, he just watches me, waiting until I'm ready to speak.

"I-if you say don't indulge in children.. why- why does Seth?" I look at him, watching through tears as anger, rage, confusion, betrayal and denial wash over his face.

"He doesn't." He responds. I pull out my phone, my hands trembling as I scroll through apps, my stomach twisting and churning, finally, I pull up the video I took. Ethan watches it, his face going blank, but the look in his eyes, it was murderous.

"I'm going to call Vincent to come pick you up.." he says calmly, stepping out of the car. When he leaves, the tears I was fighting back finally fall free as I wipe them away every chance I get.

When Vincent's truck finally pulls up nearly half an hour later, he guides me to his vehicle, rubbing my back as I walk. When the door closes behind me and Ethan speeds off, I finally break down, not restraining any tears or sobs as my heart sank further and further into my stomach. They were gonna return me. I was sure of it. I just threw away my chance to run.

"B-before I go.. c-can I g-grab bunny?"

"Where do you think you're going?" Vincent asks, starting the truck back up.

"T-the b-barn.." I sob, wiping my eyes.

"You're not going to the barn kiddo. You're not going anywhere. This is your home." He tells me, lighting a cigarette. I shake my head in denial.

"No.. I- I've cause too many I-issues for them."

"You have not." He responds, handing the cigarette to me. I wipe my snot on my sleeve, shakily taking the cancer stick from him.

Through the half hour drive, he does his best to calm me down, leaving me in shaky breaths and a few stray tears by the time we pull up to the house. Justin and Ethan are waiting outside with Bunny, the anger in their eyes almost sending me into another spiral. When Justin sees my face, the fear, the tears, it's as if a flip switched inside of him, the anger vanishing from his face. He stands up and hands me Bunny, pulling me into a hug as a new set of tears break free.

"I-I'm sorry!" I plea. "I-I won't tell anyone.. P-please don't send me back!"

"Hey.. look at me." Justin speaks, gently tilting my head up. "You have nothing to be sorry for. We're the ones who owe you an apology. If we had known, he'd have been gone a long time ago." The way his hand sat under my chin and the tone in his voice sent butterflies through my stomach.