cruel summer

Chapter 29

Logan

Here we were, pulled up in my car facing the beach looking out at the waves while I waited for Athena to talk.

She cleared her throat and undid her seat belt before facing me in the passenger side. "Umm I don't really know where to start." She said nervously fiddling with her hands.

I undid my seatbelt getting out of the car seeing her confused expression as I walked round to her side of the car. "Come on, let's get sit on the sand" I said lightly pulling her to follow me.

Once we were situated on the beach I placed my hand gently on her knee and squeezed waiting for her to speak.

"The first time my dad hit me was after you came to visit me when my mum died" she said bluntly.

My breath hitched in my throat and u though back to that day. I left when he pulled up to the house. He hit her after I left. He hit her.

Before I could say anything she spoke again "Logan can I get everything out before you say anything." She paused looking at me.

"I just don't think I'll be able to continue if I don't get it out all in one" my heart aches for her in this moment, I would anything she needed.

"Of course baby" I whispered and nodded, knowing it was going to be difficult to bite my tongue while she spoke.

"It didn't happen for a while after that first time. I thought it might have just been the grief of losing mum. We never talked about it, we didn't talk at all. He turned cruel and distant, even more than before." She paused looking at me briefly.

"When I went back to school after, we weren't speaking and I didn't have anyone else until Beatrix came along. I was completely alone Logan" she said her voice cracking when she said my name.

I grabbed her hand in mine and kissed her knuckles gently and nodded. "I tried to talk to my dad after school one day, and he said it was all my fault. I was the reason she d-did that to herself and that it should have been me" she let out a small sob as I closed me eyes tightly taking a deep breath.

"He left so many bruises that day I went into school the next day wearing so many layers I though I was going to pass out from the heat" she let out a sad little laugh.

"It was pretty constant after that, he would drink and find me and hit me. Then the slaps turned into punches and kicks. Sometimes when I would get his cigarettes for him he would hold me down and burn me. Those are the worst. The scars won't go away, there like a constant reminder." She said and I knew I had seen them, god how could I have let her go back into that house for all those years.

"It was like that for a while. Then he started biting his drinking buddies back to the house and they would join in. They would all laugh at me while I was crying for him to stop" she said as tears streamed down her face.

I couldn't help myself "angel..." I spoke before she placed her hand over my mouth to make me stop.

"Please let me finish" she said shakily. Instead of speaking I pulled her into my lap so she was sat sideways.

She took some deep breaths following my lead and then started speaking again, I knew when she opened her mouth I was going to lose it.