Anastasiya Greyson is back in her stuck up hometown for her senior year after the death of her mom. she already left once and she can't afford to get close to people just for her leave again. but would a friendship with her childhood love be worth t...
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TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT
August Matthews Wednesday, March 2nd
The uber I ordered after dropping Stas back off at her house pulls up in what feels like a snail's place. My parent's house looks the same on the outside even if I can feel that life is being drained out of it.
"You have to get out of the car, kid. I have another ride." The uber says in an annoyed voice.
"Right. Sorry, man." I reply, climbing out of the tiny Toyota.
I walk up the stairs to my house, the large cherry red door imposing as I knock three times and take a step back. I have house keys so I could just walk in but it doesn't feel right at this moment to do this.
I hear my mom's voice from the inside, sounding broken, "Todd, honey can you get the door."
"Sure thing sweetheart." He called back at her and I heard his footsteps approaching me.
As the door swung open I was frozen in fear of their reaction to me being back so suddenly. My father stood silent for a second in disbelief before he attacked me with all his weight, crushing me into a hug that made me feel like I'd been gone for years instead of weeks.
He doesn't say anything for a long time, just clinging to me while his tears dampen my uniform shirt. The front door starts beeping that it's been left open but he doesn't stop, the noise only encouraging my mom to finally emerge from the kitchen. A similar expression to my fathers rests on her face for a moment before she launches herself at me as well.
Both of them are crying against me with their arms wrapped so tight I feel like I'm suffocating, but I feel safe.
Safe and loved.
After a few minutes and many more tears shed the three of us break apart, finally closing the front door and wiping under our eyes while letting out teary laughs.
"I'm happy your home sweetheart. I don't think I've ever been so scared that I have in the past two weeks. Just hoping you were safe wherever you were."
"I'm happy your back home son, the two of us have a lot to talk about." My dad tries to put on a tough guy facade even with his reddened eyes and tear stains on his polo shirt and I give him a nod.
"Well, where were you, August? I love that you are back home but you have some serious explaining to do." My mom grabs my hand and pulls me towards a couch, never letting go of my hand even when both of us are seated.
My father takes a seat on an adjacent chair and I explain to them everything that happened while I was away, Stas finding me and bringing me home and our fight this morning.
"She's a sweet girl, August. You two will find your way to each other again." My mom says as she runs her fingers over my knuckles in a show of comfort. Her tears started slightly again while I was talking but she wipes under her eyes and stands up from the couch after comforting me for a minute or two, "well, I'm going to get started on dinner. I'm glad to have you back sweetheart." She gives my hair an affectionate shake and makes her way out of the living room and into the kitchen.
"Can you follow me up to the office, son? I don't want your mom to hear everything I need to talk to you about."
The mention of the office ignites my nerves but I slowly make my way up behind him, taking off my school blazer and undoing my tie as I follow.
The large wooden door creaks open and both of us walk into his office. His dark office is a stark contrast to the way my mother decorated the house. While the rest of the house has no shade darker than cream my father's office has dark gray wood tables and black leather chairs.
I sit in one of the wide leather chairs on the opposite side of his desk, and he surprises me by sitting next to me rather than in the chair across from me. He rests back in the chair and rests both of his arms on the armrests, trying to look relaxed even if the bunched brows and a slight sheen of sweat on his face say otherwise.
"Look, August. I've done a lot of reflection over the last two weeks, I didn't realize how much losing Gracie would affect me. I was never the best father to her or you and it's too late for me to be a better dad for her but I can still work on my relationship with you."
He takes a deep inhale and leans forward in his chair, "I want to start with an apology for how hard I've been pushing you. I shouldn't have put all that pressure on you to get your degree done so quickly. I also shouldn't have been pressuring you to try and find the right girl and get married before you're ready. But if you ask me, son, you've already found the right girl. You two just need some time."
"I'm really sorry also for my absence as a father figure in your life unless it was convenient for me. But we got about a month left in the season, and you bet I'll be on the sidelines every game. I might be shouting passively aggressively at the referee but I'll be there cheering you on."
"That's even if I'm still on the team." I murmur.
"It's already been cleared with the school, you had a grief-related absence and your place on the team is still secured. But you have to go to extra practice with the coach before school for the next two weeks to make up for the lost practice time."
My shoulders relax slightly from the weight of still being on the team being lifted off me.
"Now I want to get into the most serious thing I wanted to apologize for but I need to tell you some things first. You've never met my father because he died before you were born, but growing up he acted the way I did towards you and your sister. He was never around and when he was he was sexually abusive."
My chest starts to get tight at his admission, what happened to me at a random dark party was his normal. He was used to one of the only people who were meant to protect him, hurting him and violating him like nobody should be violated.
I've never seen my dad so much as shed a tear before but the first one falls as he chokes out the last two words, "I swore to myself that I would break the cycle that I would never hurt you in the ways that he did, and I thought I had. I now consider my biggest failure I've made as a father was not protecting you for what my father did to me."
At this point, both of us have tears streaming down our faces and we both stay silent for a second before I initiate a hug, clinging to him like I've never done before.
Through his teary voice and our embrace he continues, "It's an apology 5 years too late but I'm so horrified I never comforted you and supported you that night. In my messed up brain, it was normal for this to happen."
We pull out of our hug and look at each other again, discreetly wiping our tears with the sleeves of our shirts, "the hospital assigned us this therapist after your sister's death and I'd like you to attend with your mother and I. The three of us have a long way to go with our relationships and I want us to work through our issues together."
I finally speak up after staying silent for the last couple of minutes, "That sounds great, dad." A small watery smile even appearing on my face.
He wants to try.
"Why don't we both get cleaned up so your mother doesn't get worried and after dinner, we'll figure out how to get your girl back." He shoots me a replica smile to mine and claps me on the shoulder before walking out of the office.
He wants to try.
• • •
I honestly don't even know what to say about this chapter, hopefully the next one ill make happier bc im not in the mood to keep writing depressing stuff. also sorry this chapter is so short because I completely rushed making it so I could post it lmaoo.
what did we think of this chapter?
school is already kicking my ass Jesus Im already done, 175 more school days until im officially done with high school.
