My New Home

43. "I do not judge you"

~ WARNING! Thoughts of suicide and child abuse are mentioned in this chapter! ~

"You sure you don't want me to come in with you? I'm not busy." Brent offers, stopping in the Pila's Pizzeria's parking lot.

"I'll be okay, babe. I'm in public. I want to get this over with as soon as possible. Plus me and Elliott won't get any work done with you staring daggers at him." Brent laughs and pulls me into a kiss.

"Be glad Owen didn't drive you or Hank, they'd both force their way in." That was the reason I hadn't told them about where I was going.

"Where are you doing honey?" Hank had asked as I walked to the front door of our home. "Oh I'm going with Brent, school project." He looks at the time.

"It's a school night so please be home by 9." He said sternly. I put my hand on my heart. "Oh I'm always on time Hank." He raised a brow but said nothing more.

"Be safe and call me if you need anything." As I hugged me and left; I was thankful I didn't have to go through Owen. They're both so protective of me, Owen more then Hank most of the time.

Ever since my father was released from prison, Hanks been very strict on what I can and can't do. I don't blame him but sometimes it's kinda exhausting thinking of my biological dad 24/7.

I've been trying my best to keep him out of my mind but it's not easy; with Hank and his tense demeanor and my constant anxiety.

Brents and my friends been keeping my mind in a good place for the most part, even if they do not know it yet.

"Carrie?" Brent brought me back to reality.

"Yeah?" He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Love you," Brent whispers, he slides a bottle of something in my backpacks open packet. "I want you to have that; just in case. Regardless of who it is." I glanced at the label.

Grade-A Pepper Spray

I smile and shake my head. "Thanks," I survey the parking lot and see none other than Elliott getting out of his car. "But I really gotta go."

He kisses me one last time before I get out of the car.

I enter the pizza place a minute after Elliott did, I see that he already got a table. I walk over and sit down across from him.

I already wanted to go home; hell I wanted to be home as soon as I walked out of the damn door.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi." I said back.

Fuck this is awkward.

I take the silence to get a good look at him. His dark hair was pulled back, he wore a his ADLER HIGH FOOTBALL TEAM jacket on and had a pair of sunglasses on. Indoors too. Could he be any more of a douche?

"I already got pizza, we can start on the English thing now." I cross my arms. "How do you know what toppings I like, hm?" He leans against the booth. "Pepperoni?"

I blew out a breathe. "Yeah," I pause but then add something after seeing his smirk. "It's the most popular topping, nothing to be proud of." He shrugs. "It's my favorite too."

"Let's just finish the project, okay? No need to make conversation." He takes out The Crucible book and I take out my laptop.

"You read it right?" He nods. "How else would I be able to do this project-" he narrows his eyes. "Did you think I would make you do all of it?" I laugh dryly.

"I'd rather do it all by myself then with you." It was the honest truth. "I know." Again, another awkward pause.

"I thought it was good- the book I mean. Abigail was a bitch though." That's an understatement of the year. I agreed wholeheartedly but I didn't want to admit that.

"She's not supposed to be likable, Elliott. She's the villain of the story." If it wasn't for her, the Salem witch trials wouldn't have happened- or they wouldn't have been so bad.

"They were all villains if you think about it; John was sleeping with a teenager- and a cheater, Paris was a greedy guy, Danforth cares about his career more than justice, and Mary Warren was a fucking pushover."

I raise my eyebrows. Who knew Elliott Reed can manage to have a semi-legitimate opinion about literature. Still, I had to be cheeky.

"Elizabeth wasn't a villain. Poor lady watched her husband die while she was pregnant. And who are you to talk about morality?"

He sighs deeply. "I'm just trying to put in my perspective of the book. It is the book we have a project on Carrie or did you forget?" I roll my eyes.

"I don't need a review, I need ideas. What would a modern day Crucible look like?" He looks down and swallows hard.

"We could make it about false accusations, you know about crimes-" after seeing the fire in my eyes he clears his throat. "About any crime, it doesn't have to be-"

"Shut up!" I said, just as the waiter came with the drinks and pizza. My face flushes and turns bright red as he leaves.

"I'm not trying to- I just- it's what the book is about! It's nothing deeper than that." I grab a slice of pizza and stuff it in my mouth. I didn't even think about that part then picking this book for us.

It's better than Jane Eyre though.

"I'll be Procter." He looks at me, confused. "Uh what?" I shrug. "We'll do false accusations but I am the one their against, not you. You'll be our Abigail." He cringes.

"Do I have to be her?" I give him a look. "I won't let you make me out to be her," I add the next part in a lowered tone. "Because nothing about what happened to me at the party was false."

"If I could take it back, I would." He says, I scoff. "Because you got caught." He grips his forehead. "No, because it was a fucked up thing to do and I regret it everyday."

He slides his sunglasses off and I nearly scream at what I see. His left Iris was red, the eye area surrounded in a purple-black bruised color. The right eye wasn't as bad but still bruised. Now that I was looking his lip had a cut too.

"Your dad...again?" I found myself asking.

"Yep, this time because I stopped him from beating our dog." Another human being hurting poor defenseless animals is where I draw the line.

"Is the dog okay?" I ask, not bothering to hide my worried tone. He sighed. "Kada's fine, she's a tough girl. I don't give a shit if he hits me but never my dog- or my mom." He add the last line in a whisper.

Jesus, I remember when I had less than lovely foster families take me in. Some would hit me, punish me in awful ways but never this bad. I- I sort of understand what he's going through.

"You should tell someone. What's happening to you isn't okay." He shakes his head.

"No one would believe me- and even if they did- no one would actually help me. My dads too rich and powerful-" I attempt to cut in but he's too quick.

"Sometimes I wish he'd just go all the way." I narrow my eyes. "What?"

Even with the sunglasses on, I can see tears in his eyes. "Sometimes I just wish he would just end it all. Things would be better off without me, you would be right?"

Holy fuck. I can't say anything back. To be fair what would someone say in this situation? He's not even my friend, I can't help him.

"Just- don't die-" is what my dumbass settled on. "I need you to help me finish this." He goes quiet.

"What about after? Can I-"

"Your not dying anytime soon so why are we even talking about this? Let's just get back to work."

He nods again and we start to work and eat pizza.

Maybe I don't like Elliott, I might never be able to forgive him I know one thing for certain; not only do I have my father more but also his.

But I won't tell him that.

~ Hey guys! Got the chapter out sooner than I thought! We got a little more insight on Elliott and his home life.
Next chapter will have the mysterious man in the black Honda show up and force Carrie to trust Elliott, will she be able to get out unharmed or will Elliott be the one taken down for good? Find out next chapter that'll come soon within the week ;) ~