How Not to Fall In Love

Chapter 41

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I texted Sophie and Cole, while Sadie texted Austin. I hadn't talked to them for a few days and felt like a horrible friend. I told them Dad was home and I was spending the night with Sadie so I wouldn't be alone with him. They asked if we wanted to meet them later for dinner. I asked Sadie if she minded meeting them for dinner later. She said that sounded great and she'd let Logan and Austin know. We decided to meet in front of Coffee Oasis around seven tonight. 

"Rylee!" Dad yelled. 

I dropped my phone; luckily, I was in the middle of the bed. I scooted to the edge of the bed, letting my feet dangle as my toes brushed against the fibers of my plush area rug. 

"Rylee!" He pounded on the door. 

I opened the door. "Sorry, I didn't hear you." 

His hazel eyes narrowed, and his thin lips pressed together where they disappeared. "I just came up here to tell you I'm leaving and that you need to lock up the house before you leave. Text your sister later to make sure she's doing okay. I'll be home in a few days. Bye." He turned and headed back down the stairs before I could say anything. I closed the door partway, walked over to my bedroom window, and peeked out to make sure he had left. I stood at the edge of my window, looking through a crack between the wall and my curtain. I watched him stumble around the front of his truck to the driver's side door, open it, and get in. He fumbled with his keys for a few seconds before finally putting them in the ignition and starting the truck. I sighed in relief when he backed out of the driveway and took off down the road. Relief that tonight I'd be able to relax and not worry about him yelling or hitting me for something. 

"He's gone," I whispered. 

"Good," Sadie wrapped her arm around my shoulders and rested her head against mine. "Let's pack your bag for my house. The guys will be there soon." 

"Rylee! Are you still here?" Jules hollered, walking up the stairs. "Rylee?" She knocked on the door. 

"You can open the door," I said, getting my duffle bag out of the closet. 

The door flew open. "Are you okay? We passed Dad on the way here." Jules's hazel eyes were wide. She walked over to me, placing her hands on my arms and moving her head from side to side. "Did he hurt you?" 

"No, Sadie showed up just in time. Austin texted her to rush over here." 

"Thanks." Jules smiled at Sadie. 

"Anytime." 

"Where are you going?" Jules asked, looking at my dark purple duffle bag on my bed. 

"Austin didn't like the fact of me being alone in the house while you're at Evie's, so I'm staying the night with Sadie. What are you doing here?" I asked, walking over to my closet. 

"Oh yeah, I came to get my stuff for tonight. Evie's mom is outside waiting on us." Jules turned, motioning to Evie, standing off to the side and looking at her phone to follow her. They disappeared through the doorway and down the hall toward Jules's room. 

"Rylee, we need to get going ourselves," Sadie said, looking down at her phone. 

"Sorry." I turned and started shuffling through the clothes in my closet, trying to find the right outfit for tonight. I tossed a pair of jeans on the bed, a black floral dress, a jean jacket, and an off-the-shoulder top. I turned around, looked at the choices I threw on the bed, and then glanced at Sadie for approval. She nodded her head yes. She started folding the clothes and placing them into the duffle bag while I walked over to my dresser to grab some underwear. 

"What kind of shoes should I wear with the dress?" I asked, looking at my shoes at the bottom of my closet. 

"I'll pick out the shoes while you grab your makeup, brush, and flat iron," Sadie said, motioning me toward my vanity. 

I grabbed my makeup bag and gathered my stuff when it hit me. "Sadie, will you help me with my makeup tomorrow?" I asked, looking at her in my mirror. 

"Of course I will." She smiled. "You almost done? The guys will be at my house in about an hour.

"Yeah, I think I've got everything." I looked around my room, grabbed my phone charger, and put it in the bag. As I stood there looking around my room, glancing at my vanity table, still full of makeup, and the top of my dresser that held a picture of Jules and me with our mom before she died. I walked over to the dresser, grabbed the frame, and ran my fingers over Mom in the picture. I looked just like Mom except for the eyes. Jules had Mom's hazel eyes.

 "Sadie, did Austin tell you why he wanted me to stay with you tonight?" I placed the picture back on my dresser. I stood there, glancing out the window next to my dresser, watching the leaves blow in the wind. 

"He just said he didn't like the idea of you being here alone, and then when you texted him, your Dad was home. So he told me to get over here right away. That's all he told me. Did something happen, Rylee?" 

I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears. "Promise me you won't tell Austin." I turned toward Sadie, tears starting to stream down my face. 

"I promise." She put my shoes in the bag and walked closer. "What happened?" 

"The other day, before school, Dad came home mad because he had heard that I'd been hanging around Austin and proceeded to hit me. My lip and eye were swollen, now bruised. Jules helps me with my makeup to help cover up the bruises so no one will see them. I can't be separated from Jules." Tears streamed down both cheeks. 

"Austin doesn't know why your dad hit you, does he?" Sadie walked over to my vanity to get me a tissue. 

"No. He can never know." I dabbed my eyes, trying not to smear my makeup. "I don't want to lose Austin either." I walked over to my vanity and sat down on the bench. "Please don't tell him." I looked at her in the mirror as I started fixing the makeup I had smeared. 

"Here, let me help you," Sadie said, taking the makeup from me. "Rylee, you need to get out of here, though. You can't stay with him. Neither of you can. It's not safe." 

"I know, but we have nowhere else to go. We haven't seen or heard from our other family in years. I don't even know if they're still alive." 

Sadie looked at me with such sadness while she fixed my makeup, not saying a word for a few minutes. Finally, she set my eyeshadow down on my vanity and asked where my powder was. I told her it was in my makeup bag in my duffle bag. She grabbed my makeup bag and did a minor touchup under my eyes. She leaned back, assessed her work, and then asked me what I thought. 

I turned around to face the mirror. "Thanks, Sadie." I turned my head from side to side, looking at my makeup. 

"You're welcome. We should get to the house." She started putting what she used back in my makeup bag and then put the makeup bag back in the duffle bag. 

We were about to leave my room when Jules rushed by and hollered that they were leaving and that she'd text me later. I told her to be careful and that I'd see her sometime tomorrow. I told her she didn't have to rush home tomorrow either. She waved, and they flew out the door. I locked the door behind us, letting out a sigh of relief.