Between The Lines

Chapter 103: Life Unravelling

Rebecca's POV (1st Person):

I couldn't take it anymore. The yelling had been going on for what felt like hours, the words getting sharper, more venomous, slicing through the thin walls of my room. My hands were shaking as I pressed them over my ears, trying to block it out, but it was useless. Their voices were like knives, cutting into me, and I could feel myself unraveling.

"Enough!" I screamed, storming out of my room and into the living room where they were still at each other's throats. "Just shut up! Both of you!"

They turned to me, eyes blazing, and for a moment, the room fell silent. But then my dad's face twisted in anger, and he pointed a finger at me. "You stay out of this!"

My mom wasn't any better, snapping, "Go back to your room, Rebecca!"

I stood there, stunned, before something inside me snapped. Without thinking, I turned and ran. Their voices chased after me, but I didn't care. I needed to get out, away from the chaos, away from them.

I bolted out the door and into the night, my heart pounding in my chest as I fled down the empty streets. I didn't know where I was going, just that I needed to escape. I found myself in a secluded spot near some bars, the kind of place I usually avoided. The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes and spilled beer, and I could hear the muffled sound of music from somewhere nearby. I collapsed to the ground, my knees hitting the pavement as I finally let the tears fall.

I was a mess, sobbing uncontrollably when I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up and saw a guy standing there, his face shadowed by the dim light. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, his voice smooth, too smooth.

I shook my head, trying to get up, but my legs felt like jelly. He took a step closer, a smile playing on his lips. "Come on, why don't you come with me? I'll take care of you."

Panic surged through me, and I shook my head again, more violently this time. "No, I—I have to go," I stammered, backing away from him.

His smile faded, replaced by a sneer. "Don't be like that, sweetheart. Just trying to be nice."

I didn't wait to hear more. I turned and ran, my feet pounding against the pavement as I sprinted away. I didn't care where I was going, just that I needed to get far, far away from him. From everything.

I ended up in a park, the cold wind whipping around me, biting through my clothes as I pulled my legs to my chest, trying to make myself as small as possible. My phone buzzed incessantly in my pocket, messages from my parents that I didn't want to read, didn't want to acknowledge. I knew they'd be angry, worried, maybe even furious, but I couldn't deal with it anymore. I couldn't deal with them, with their constant fighting, with the chaos that was always hanging over my head.

I just wanted it all to stop.

The tears started to spill again, hot and fast, running down my cheeks as I buried my face in my knees. I wanted to feel warmth, to feel safe. I wanted to feel Lane's hands in mine, the comfort of his touch. I wanted to look into his deep blue eyes, to get lost in them, to push that curly hair out of his face like I always did, like I was supposed to do. I wanted to roll my eyes at that infuriating smirk of his, the one that drove me crazy but also made everything feel a little bit better.

But I didn't want to see him—not now, not like this. I didn't want him to see me like this, broken and falling apart. His life was better without me in it. He could be happier with someone else, someone who wasn't a mess, who didn't bring trouble wherever she went. I was complicated, too complicated, and he deserved so much more. He could be so much more, without me holding him back.

I was his student. I was supposed to be just that—nothing more, nothing less. But somewhere along the way, it became something else, something bigger, something that scared me as much as it thrilled me. And now, as I sat in that cold, empty park, I realized how much it was tearing me apart.