Teach Me

twenty

the party

ariana's pov

today, dalton's brother had invited us to a gathering. i was excited because i knew ryan would be there. he told me bianca had found out about he and i but things seemed okay between them. sometimes i worried he might commit to her instead of waiting for me. i mean, i know it's been a long wait for him but i hope he knows what loops i've been jumping through to end this marriage. the longer i stay with Dalton, the more i wish i hadn't married him in the first place. recently, it's been incredibly hard to get away from him so i haven't been able to see ryan. i hated that for both of us but there was a relentless string of drama with Dalton. i couldn't figure it out.

i had been home cleaning all day since Dalton does nothing but hang out with his army friends and watch tv while getting drunk on the couch. somehow, even tho he does so little, he makes a huge mess. today he had gone somewhere, i forgot what he had told me about his whereabouts. all i knew is we would be going to the party this evening and it was semi formal, like the last one.

it was time for us to go and he had arrived back in just the nick of time. i didn't say anything to him when he came in, i rarely spoke to him these days because he's been on a rampage. i can't wait to finally get away from him.

i decided to wear something simple but cute. i wore a cute camo dress with a strap that goes around my neck. i paired it with my favorite pair of black heels and i was ready to go. Dalton wore the same thing he wore every single time, a navy blue dress shirt with matching slacks and black loafers, which was what he was changing into now. he didn't bother to shower or even put on cologne. he wouldn't even brush his hair. he was just such a mess, the complete opposite of ryan.

"time for us to go. i'm driving." dalton says, grabbing his keys and walking outside.

"wait i just wanna add something." i turn around running to my room and grab a necklace. this was the same necklace ryan gave me for christmas. i put it on myself before leaving the house to get into the car, where Dalton was waiting for me.

"that shits fuckin ugly. i don't know why you would ever buy that but let's fucking go. i'm hungry and i don't want any of your options. i'd rather starve." he starts the car and begins to drive away.

"are they gonna have anything vegan?" i ignore his comments, trying to change the subject.

"i don't fucking know" he frowns. i stay silent, i'd rather this ride be quiet than for him to get riled up and hit me again. "oh and i don't want you anywhere near that ryan kid tonight. fuckin pha🐐." he scoffs.

"hey! don't use that language. and what am i supposed to do? act like your nieces bf doesn't exist? not exactly the easiest of solutions." i say, crossing my arms together.

"the fuck? why the fuck are you defending him? i thought it was over, you don't love him anymore. right?" he looks over at me.

"i'm not. i jus- the word you used is offensive in general. not just to ryan. and it is, i don't." the only reason i lie to him is because i don't want to be beaten to a pulp.

"yeah fuckin thought so. i just don't want you near the kid. you're my wife and i love you." he grabs my hand, stroking his thumb across.

the car had fallen silent once we arrived. we sat there in silence for a few seconds before i finally reacted to what he had just said. i reached for the car door, pulling myself out.

"i get it." i say, pulling my hand from his, placing it onto the pendant of my necklace. he accepts defeat but i can't tell if it was genuine or just because we were near other humans. either way, i was glad to be out of the car.