Hunter's Chance

t w e l v e

The smell of liquor is fanning over my face as Matt speaks. He's clearly hammered and a bit delirious if he thinks I'm going to let him in this house. His body is swaying from side to side and he's attempting to use his drunken persuasion to get him inside.

"You know," he begins as he uses his shoulder to push through the door. He seems surprised when I use my bodyweight against my side giving him some sort of fight. "I really like you. Liked you." He sounds mad.

"You lead me to believe that I had a chance and to put it simply, I don't really know how I feel about that." His voice is lower with meaning behind it. And right then it's as if a surge of anger hits him as he begins using more force on the door. I watch as it slowly opens in his favor, I'm gritting my teeth as I attempt to slam back knowing that if he weren't completely wasted, this wouldn't even be a fight, he'd be in this house with me in mere seconds.

He lets up a little bit and I stand eyeing him wearily. Watching his every move, looking for my liberation. His face is dampened with sweat and he's battling to keep his eyes open. A wide grin stretches across his face and he begins chuckling to himself. He's really starting to piss me off.

"You can do it Rae. Right here." My father taunts me.

I bring my fist up and punch the bag twice with my right, than jab once with my left.

"That's my girl. My beautiful, strong girl."

The memory with my father creeps it's way into my head, giving me an idea while a ping of sadness rests on the surface of my heart.

Matt's body continues swaying, his leg still standing firm in the door opening and he's humming along to a tune. He's wasted and I can't help but to find it humorous though underneath that humor, I'd deny if anyone ever asked, I'm slightly afraid.

He's batting his eyes in an attempt to keep them open and when they force closed for a second or two longer than before, I open the door slightly giving me enough room to reach up and sock him right in the nose. Just like you taught me dad. Watching as he fumbles back, I grab the door handle and slam the door shut scrambling with my fingers as I anxiously lock the door.

I press my head to the door just as he slams his body against the other end, causing me to jump back. When I look down my arms are covered in goose bumps and my head is spinning, reeling the events that just played out.

"Raegan, listen. I'm not going to hurt you," his voice echoes off the wood and I can hear him bang his head against the door a few times "I came to apologize." He pleads.

I sit in silence, staring at the backside of the door as he attempts the door handle, twisting it with aggression. Thinking to myself that he has a sick and demented way of apologizing.

There are so many ways that this could have played out. What would have happened had he gotten inside? I don't want to believe that someone like Matt could simply just come here, demanding to get inside and want to apologize. The tone in his voice alone set alarms off in my head.

His eyes. They were so dark. So chilling. He had a motive and I don't want to sit around and ponder what that could have been. I'll go stir-crazy. In this moment there is really only one thing that I do know, and that is that I don't want to be alone.

I tiptoe back to my room and grab my phone off my recently painted grey dresser. I find James name and mentally thank him for insisting on putting his number in my phone.

"RAE! let me in!" Matt hollers from the front porch and when I make my way back into the main room, I can see his body cast a shadow just outside our living room window. His hands are cupping his eyes as he tries to get a glimpse inside the house.