Fix me

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“Yes.” I answered.

I didn’t lie; I didn’t break down in tears. I told the truth, no longer hiding.

“Who?” One word came from Hunter’s mouth and I shook my head.

“I should go.” I started to walk towards the door, but Hunter placed his hand on my shoulder. “Stop!” I screeched and ripped away. I stood by the door, arms wrapped around myself, shaking. This was wrong. Hunter was not supposed to find out and now Jeremy… I had to leave.

I pulled open the door before Hunter could stop me again and ran down the stairs, two at a time. Amy stood from the couch when she saw me coming. “Is everything-?”

But before she could finish her sentence, I was out the door and heading back towards the school, nearly running. My mind was an ocean of thoughts, each worry crashing like a wave inside of me.

Jeremy will find out that I told. He will kill me and hurt Vanessa. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to do something. I just didn’t know what.

I decided I couldn’t go back to school, not now. I couldn’t risk running into Jeremy for fear that he will suddenly see the truth in my eyes and kill me right then and there.

So I walked home, having nowhere else to go. I knew my dad would be home, but I didn’t care at that point. School still had another hour before it let out and he was sure to ask questions; questions that I would have to answer.

It took me twenty more minutes to walk home once I found my way in the same area as the school. I didn’t mind the journey; it helped clear my head. It wasn’t until I got to the doorstep that I realized I was still wearing Hunter’s sweater. The expression on his face when he asked me if I was raped came back to me.

I have never before seen him look like that, so… angry? I didn’t even know what to call it. It was true that there was anger in his eyes mixed in with other things.

I knew that I could not hide from him forever. I would have to see him in school tomorrow and we were partners for chemistry.

No, I could not avoid him. But I could sure as hell try.

I stepped into my house, closing the door behind me. “Dad?” I called, wanting to get confronting him over with. I hated lying to him.

“Violet?” My dad came out from the kitchen with a half- eaten sandwich in his hand. “What are you doing here?” He came closer to me, his eyebrows creased together. His eyes were red and he looked older. There were streaks of gray running along the sides of his hair. His skin had taken on a paler tint and he did not look much less exhausted than Amy had.

For a moment, I thought about how everything must be impacting him. Susan going to college, mom leaving, getting a new job working late hours, and now me adding to everything else. I found myself wishing everything could just go back to normal, before all of this happened.

“I was feeling sick and the nurse sent me home,” I lied to him. Thinking of it came fast, easy.

“You should have called,” He said. “I would have picked you up.”

I shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I didn’t want to wake you.” Having to work the night shift meant he often slept during the day.

He looked down, grim. “Well, you should go rest,” He said, looking guilty.

As usual, I felt like absolute shit for lying to him, but what could I do?

Tell him, a voice in the back of my mind said. One person already knows; what’s another?