Damaged goods

12

ALYSSA

My eyes squint as I guide myself to her house. I hate driving in the dark. It is the worst.

I park outside her house. I look at her car, her tires were slashed. I don't think she realised as she had already hurried inside.

"Mom." she shouts.

I slowly walk inside her house. She lived in a small house, the living room and kitchen were connected. Everything was tipped. The TV was ripped off of the wall, papers were scattered over the ground. A bottle of alcohol smashed on the ground. Liv headed straight to her mother, not caring about the damage caused to her house.

"He ruined everything." her mom sobs, Liv hugged her to her chest.

I look around the house. It was bad. So bad. My eyes caught onto a photo frame of liv, Daisy and Vanessa.
I pick it up and put it on the counter. It wasn't as destroyed as the other pieces of the house were. "Alyssa." I heard someone mumble.

I look at Vanessa, who slowly stood up from the ground. "God look at you now." she wipes away her tears.

"Hey Vanessa." I whisper, slowly approaching her.

"I'm sorry you had to see me in such a state, I wish I knew you were coming." I glance at Lic, who was a stood by the kitchen. My eyes wandered around the kitchen, there were bottle of alcohol everywhere.

I clear my throat. "No it's okay, I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologise, it wasn't your fault." she turned back around to walk to Liv. Liv had her arms wrapped around her body, her eyes frozen on the ground.

Vanessa wasn't walking straight, she slipped. Luckily I caught her before she fell. "Come on let's take you to your room." I smile.

I guide her to her room and she got in bed. "Hm where's Daisy?" she asks.

I arch my brow. She doesn't even know where her daughter is. "A friend's house." I simply say.

She brought the blanket over her body. "Good night." I whisper. I close the light and shut her door. I headed back to the kitchen, Olivia was holding a black bin bag, picking up the bottle of alcohol. "She relapsed." was all she said. Her voice hoarse and heavy of guilt and hurt. "I was out all day while my mom was home with that man." she continues.

"I'm so sorry liv."

She shakes her head as she threw another empty bottle of alochol into the bag. "She was doing so well. She was a year sober Alyssa." her voice cracked. She turned to face me. "I don't know what to do Alyssa. My mom is losing herself, I'm working three different jobs to pay the stupid rent, Daisy doesn't know what's happening." her legs gave up on her and she crashed into the ground, holding her head into her hands sobbing her eyes out.

"I can't do this. I don't want to live like this anymore." she sobs harder.

I fell to the ground beside her, wrapping my arms around her body. "Shh, it's okay."

"Let's go to your room, you need to sleep." I demand.

She shakes her head. "No liv. You're going to listen to me now." I interrupt, cupping her face and she slowly nods.

I help her to her room. "Go to sleep, you need to sleep. Okay?"

"Thank you Alyssa, I'm so happy you're back."

I smile and close her door.

I pull my phone out of my pocket.

Ezra: where are you?
Ezra: i'm worried for you

I sigh before calling him back.

Thankfully he answered on the second ring. "Hello."

"What happened, where are you?" he asks.

I sigh. "Can you come to Liv's house in like the next five minutes?" I ask.

"What? Why?" he says confusedly

"I just...need you. please." there wasn't really any other way to put it.

"I'll be there in five minutes." he says and the line went dead.

I began to open up more bin bags. Less than five minutes later, a knock came from the door. I hurried over to it, Ezra was standing at the door confused. "It's a long story and I need you to not react in a bad way."

He slowly nods his head and I allow him inside the house. His eyes widen slightly as he took on the house.

"What happened?"

"Liv's dad came back."

"Fuck." he mutters. "Where is Daisy?"

"Thankfully she wasn't home but Vanessa was."

"Where are they both?"

"I told them to sleep. Neither of them are in the right state of minds."

He pick up a broken photo frame. "Should we start?"

Ezra and I began to clean. I worked on the kitchen area whereas Ezra did the living room. The TV was broken, so we kept it to the side. I put the recent alcohol bottles in Ezra's car. I ensured there were no more alcohol bottles in this house. I tuck all of Liv's schoolwork in a drawer. I fixed the photo frames.

Hours passed and Ezra and I had officially finished. I dropped onto the couch. "What time is it?" he asks groaning as he sits beside me.

I look over at the clock. "4 am."

"God that took us hours."

I nod in agreement. "I hope Liv's okay." he mutters.

"Same." I whisper. Liv deserved better than what she was given. It makes me wonder what happened in the three years I was gone?

"Did anything happen to her when I was gone?"

"With her dad?" he asks.

"In general."

"Well her dad appeared 2 years ago it was for money, but he didn't trash the house like this. He just got mad at Liv. Thankfully Tristan and I were there but he tried to hit liv."

My heart hurt. She was suffering this whole time and I never knew. What type of best friend was I?

"He left and Liv stayed at Tristan's house for a few days."

"Oh my god." I whisper.

"Liv's okay now. She is one hell of a strong woman. She's been through a lot, she didn't deserve to be put through this shit again with her dad."

I yawn slightly. "Go to sleep." Ezra mutters. "I'll be here."

I wrap my arms around my body and tried to sleep. Eventually, darkness surrounded me.