My Pace

Chapter 7

Anabelle's POV
He parked in my driveway and we walked up to the front door. My dad opened it and started yelling at me.

"Where have you been?! You can't just take off like that Anabelle!"

My dad pulled me into the house. He threw me up against the wall.

"Woah! Don't do that!"

"Don't tell me how to handle my daughter!"

My dad grabbed my face.

"What is wrong?! Answer me!"

"Connor leave her alone!"

"Shut up Tracey!"

I just stared at Holt.

"She's getting harassed by a kid at school! The school won't do anything! We've tried! Let her go!"

He let me go.

"See now was that so hard?"

I slid down the wall onto the floor. I started crying and hyperventilating.

"Look what you did Connor!"

"It's not my fault!"

"She must be terrified to go to school now! Don't you see?! This makes sense now!"

"She's going to school still!"

I broke down more. I put my face in my hands.

"Dude back off!"

"Why can't you just understand now?!"

My dad did something, I wasn't expecting again. He started punching me.

"YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS!"

"WOAH! GET OFF HER!"

"CONNOR STOP!

My eyes started to get heavy.

"SHE'S GONNA BLACK OUT IF YOU DON'T FUCKIN STOP!"

My mom called the cops. When they got there, she ran to the door to let them in. He was ripped away from me. My mom screamed when she saw how I looked. Holt looked broken. My eyes shut. When I opened them, I was in a hospital room. My head was pounding. I sat up and started looking around.

Holt and my mom were outside.

This is why...

I didn't want to say anything.

                             Holt's POV
"So you knew all about this?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry. I-I tried getting her to tell you. I've been seeing everything for weeks now. I told him to back off but, he didn't."

"The school seriously won't do anything?"

"Yeah. Apparently, I'm not enough to cause anything to happen. Why'd you let her go to that party?"

"She never goes out anymore."

"She almost took a drink from Nelly. I don't know if she put anything in it."

"Thank you for bringing her home then. I have no idea what to do now."

"Please don't sent her back to school. It's clearly not safe."

"I'll unenroll her tomorrow."

"I care about her. I have for a while."

"Promise you won't hurt her?"

"I promise. She's awake."

I walked into the hospital room. I walked up to Anabelle.

"Hey."

"You're actually here? I'm not seeing shit?"

"I'm actually here."

"I look like shit, don't I?"

"Eh."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"Why're you here?"

"Am I not allowed to check on my friend?"

"Y-you're my friend?"

"You though, I wasn't?"

"I'm sorry."

"You're good. Your mom is unenrolling you from school tomorrow."

"Really? How'd you convince her?"

"It was easy. I told her it's not safe for you."

"Be honest. How many black eyes? 1 or 2?"

"Why are you concerned about that?"

"I've never been attacked like that."