Please Stay

Chapter 4 | How I Met Your Mother

Ryan

So this was Adri's drunk father; strong whiffs of smoke and alcohol could have been smelled from miles away. How did Adri deal with all of this shit he was treating her like? My favorite sweatshirt was soaked while running in the rain.

Dammit. I don't know why I came here though; maybe it was because I felt weird after she said her dad was coming home? Adri's face. When she said he was coming home, I knew something was wrong. She looked frightened as hell.

Mr. Copeland pushed open the door, but didn't wham it open like I expected him to. He was carrying someone's phone, and it was cracked. Adri's face froze and all the color drained. I ran out of Skittles. Aw.

The dad looked at me on her bed, giving me a glare that probably meant, get away from my daughter. But wasn't he like super drunk earlier? I swear I heard a chair being thrown. He tosses the phone on Adri's bed.

"Call your sister. She's coming home," Mr. Copeland huffed, and went outside to light up a cigar. It was raining outside. Maybe he is crazy. Adri stares at the phone.

"Why call Chantelle?" she asks, still cowering in a blanket. I guess Chantelle's her sister.

"Your mom's been hurt." And he takes off, getting in his beat-up black Mustang and we hear him leave. It was cold again in Adri's room, and she doesn't speak. I worriedly stare at her, as Adri gets up and leaves the room crying.

Please, don't get involved.

I remembered what she said. But if this goes her way, I might not even see her again. "Adri!"

A loud scream comes from the living room. Dashing there, I see a young-looking woman covered with purple/yellowish bruises and a... broken arm. I don't want to even think what happened here. Adri immediately dials a number, and she cries into the phone.

"Chantelle! Mom broke her arm!" She sobbed.

A loud crackling sound came from the other end, something I could hear. Adri puts the phone on speaker for me.

"What the fuck happened?" Chantelle, of course. After a few hiccups and breathing excercises, she tells her everything. "Please come over here!" Her sister reassures Adri and quickly says goodbye.

The living room falls silent. I pulled her into a hug. "I swear everythings going to be alright, I swear to God. Everythings going to be alright," I promise this, yet even I don't know if it was possible. Is everything going to be okay? She's not okay. Nor his her mom. We need to get an ambulance after Chantelle arrives; I look down at the girl in my arms.

She was buried on my shirt and her cries gradually grown softer and quieter. Adri released from my grip and avoids eye contact, getting on the couch to wipe her eyes. Mrs. Copeland's hand twitched and nose wrinkled.

"A... dri?" The voice was faint. Her daughter leapt to the floor and took the other hand, smoothing the bruises. "Mom!"

"I... is my arm broken? Wow, I didn't expect that to happen." She laughs, but there was pain in her eyes. Eyes just the color of her daughter's. I liked that.

Adri wipes off the remaining tears. "Jeez, don't say that. Chantelle's coming, don't worry. You're going to go to the hospital soon." I wondered why she was being so calm, as if seeing that her mom was okay made her feel so much better.

Mrs. Copeland was staring at me, which I didn't know. I tried to find proper words to explain my part in this. "Adri, you have a boyfriend?" I whipped my head around to hide my blushing reaction from both of them.

"N-no, he's just a friend," Friend-zoned right on the spot.

"Ah, I see. What's his name?" she asked, more into the fact her daughter had a guy friend in her house than panicking about the broken arm. I turn my head around after my cheeks cooled down and answered in Adri's stead.

"I'm Ryan... nice to meet you,"

Adri's mom chuckled slightly. "This isn't the best impression of me, but I hope you understand what situation I'm in." Yeah, sure I do. A drunkie comes in and beats an innocent woman and her daughter is left horrified. This, is how I met Adri's mother.

"I'm home," A tiny voice comes from the front door, and a really tall girl comes in, leaning on the couch while carrying tons of college textbooks. Chantelle had dyed black hair with ombré red ends, a lip piercing, and earbuds on. I could hear Fall Out Boy music from here.

"Oi, aren't you Connor's friend?"

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I love Chantelle's character.
She's Adri's older sister and in college. But yes look at me update! Next chapter will be a bit shorter than normal, but it's going to be less sadder. If that's a word oops.
I love you guys who gave my book a chance, I really really really do appreciate it! blueraspberrycookies loves you.