Misguided

🌺 CHAPTER 0.4 🌺

A few days later Arden was discharged, glad to be out of the depressing white walls of the hospital room.

After many check ups, doctors poking and prodding at her and intense bed rest, also an interrogation from the police, her stating she didn't know who brought the gun.

She knew it was Mark who brought it, and she knew it was Mark who shot it. Although she wasn't lying when she said she blacked out before she saw anything.

Her dad had an old collage friend on the police force who was able let it slide saying she was traumatised enough. Wren was the one driving her home from the hospital after his class. Everyone else was coming back from school.

Arden didn't know how to feel, not once in her stay did her father come visit. He also didn't allow Seven, the youngest brother, to see her at all.

The drive home was tense and silent both Arden and Wren lost in their thoughts.
Their house came into sight, it was the last one at the bottom of their estate.

Three story's high and cream colour walls.
It was nothing too fancy but the family lived comfortably. As they walked up to the porch door the lights flickered on and it swung open revealing a messy haired Seven who launched himself at Arden.
She stumbled back into Wren who caught her shoulders to steady her, she tried to take deep breaths not liking this much contact.

"Addie, thank god your okay." He mumbled into her hair. Since he was only 14 and her 12 they comforted each other most nights during their mother's death. Seven had a very child like behaviour and was the jokester of the family.

He kept them from falling into a dark hole after her death.

"I'm okay Seven, I was just a little sick." She assured him, not wanting him to know the truth and be ashamed of her.

As they all stepped inside Eric was sitting on the last step of the stairs. His hair all messy from running his hands through it. Arden just starred at him, blank face.

They had barely spoken over the last few months, him throwing himself into work and her hiding from the world.

"Everyone out." Eric commands. His voice low.
"Dad let her rest, she doesn't need a lecture just yet, we can ta-" Wren tries to protest.

"Out!" He screams at Wren, his eyes darkening.

Lake pushes a now crying Seven out of the living room, Reid and Wren following not far behind. Wren shoots one last look to say good luck at Arden but she's just staring emotionless at her father.
They stood in silence for about two minutes before Arden spoke up.

"Dad I-Im sorry, I didn't mean to take so much, I won't do i-it agai-"

She was shut off with a slap to the face. Her head whipped left and she could feel the sting in her cheek.

She kept her head turned down, looking at the floor as her father spoke, still shocked by his actions.

"What's wrong with you, going to a crack house? Huh, do I not give you everything. You ungrateful brat. Do you know how worried I was that something has actually happened to you besides your own stupidity." He spat out at her.

He started pacing around the blue rug of the living room floor, running his hands through his hair.

"I don't know what to do with you any more, skipping school, failing your classes and now drugs. God where did I go wrong." He continues making everything about himself.

"Dad it's not my fault, I'm trying but I can't forget, and your never home anymore to know anything. I'm struggling here and you don't notice dad, I can't do it alone anymore." She tells him slowly gaining confidence and lifting her head up.

"Your just being dramatic that's all and I work damn hard to give you all a better life and you just fuck it all up anyway." He scoffs. She cringes at the unusual language from her dad.

"If news gets out that Eric Hale has a drug addict for a daughter I'll be ruined, my company respect gone down the drain. All the blood, sweat and tears. My colleague told me he sent his troubled son to this school about a month ago. Let me look into it, I swear one more fuck up and your gone, do you hear me Arden." He states walking up to her so close that she can feel his breath on her face.

She quickly nods, scared never having seen her dad like this.

"Words Arden or have you forgot how to speak." He spits at her walking closer.
"Y-Yes." She all but chokes out.

"Good now upstairs, you have school early tomorrow." With that being said he walks away to the kitchen. She stood there for a few minutes longer, her mind replying that her own dad lay a hand on her.

After her head gets sore from the over thinking, she drags her body up the first flight of stairs and enters her cold, lifeless room.

She's falling apart, can no one see? Does no one care?

She nearly gets sick about the thought of going to school tomorrow and facing everyone. There was this one guy, Blaise, the typical cliché leader. He always hit her or took her belongings. Starting all sorts of nasty rumours and calling her names.

He was a trouble maker, last month set a smoke bomb off in the lab and locked the teacher in the classroom "by accident".

He never returned, some say he got expelled and some say prison. Arden doesn't care as long as he's gone, his brainless minions don't pick on her as much.

Then theres her failing grades in nearly all her classes, but worst of all theres him. She has to face him tomorrow, the person who haunts her dreams.

She grabs a picture of her and her mother when she was younger, they went on one of her famous picnic adventures in the woods. They always played fairy's and ran through the trees. She can still remember the sound of her mother's laugh.

Curling herself into a ball and holding it to her chest. "I miss you mommy, please come back." She whispers. She slowly closes her eyes and becomes consumed by the darkness. Wishing she could stay there forever.