Living With Ian

Chapter 5

That night when Sarah got out of the shower she walked down the hall to the living room. She saw Ian lying on the couch watching a basketball game on TV.

"You can have the bed," she told him. "I'll sleep in here tonight."

"No," said Ian. "Go ahead." Sarah shook her head.

"It's your house," she argued. "You should sleep in your room." She looked at his long legs hanging off the sofa. "I'll fit better on the couch anyways. I'll be way more comfortable on the couch than you are." Ian smiled and stood up.

"You're stubborn," he told her. "But so am I. And I'm not budging on this." Sarah gasped as he very easily picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. He carried her down the hallway.

"Put me down," she said as she tried to squirm out of his arms. Ian pretended not to notice as he kicked his bedroom door open and tossed Sarah onto the bed.

"Goodnight," he called as he turned out the light. Sarah huffed angrily before she got under the blankets. He could be so annoy whenever he put on that stupid smirk and proved how much stronger he was than her.

Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. Even though she hadn't done anything all day long, she was exhausted.

Late that night, Sarah woke up with a loud gasp. She sat up in bed and looked around. She couldn't stop panting. Her heart felt like it would beat right out of her chest and she had beads of sweat on her forehead. Sarah looked up as she heard feet come running through the hall and then Ian opened the door.

"What's wrong?" he asked her worriedly. Sarah didn't answer him. Ian crawled into bed beside of her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He felt how much she was shaking.

"Tell me," he urged gently. Sarah looked up at him and then she started crying into his t-shirt. Ian held onto her and let her cry.

After about half an hour, Sarah's tears turned into just sniffles.

"What were you dreaming about?" Ian asked her patiently. Sarah looked up at him.

"My mom," she whispered. Ian looked down at her. He hated the look on her face. All stubborness had been wiped off and she looked like a scared and vulnerable little kid.

"Are you scared of her?" Sarah was silent for a while before she finally nodded her head in admittance. Ian held her tighter. Sarah sighed.

"She used to hurt me," she admitted. Ian looked down at her. "At night, she would always handcuff my ankle to the furnace in the hallway, and make me sleep there right outside her bedroom so that I couldn't run away." Sarah felt the tears start running again. "In the winter, the metal would get so hot, and it would leave a scarred ring around my ankle." Sarah felt Ian's hands hold her tighter.

"My older brother Chris was bad too. He used to help my mom. And every time I was bad, they would tie my wrists up above my head to the bar in my mother's closet. And then they would punch me in the stomach until I would start throwing up blood. One time, my mom got really drunk and then she got really mad at me. She threw me into the stove and turned it on as hot as it would go. She held the door closed as it heated up. I thought I was going to die. It was so suffocating and when the heat finally touched me it felt as if every bone in my body had burst into flames. After two minutes, my mother opened the door. And she just left me there, lying on the kitchen floor." Ian was speechless. Sarah continued with her story.

"One day," Sarah said. "She got mad at me because my little sister Jordan told her that I had been stealing money from her." Sarah looked up at Ian. "Even though I would never do something like that. She started yelling that I was a waste of air and that she wished she would've had an abortion so that she would never have to look at me. Then she told me to get out of her house. So I did." Sarah looked up at Ian.

"That's when you found me. And that's why I won't go home," she told him. Ian stared down at her; shocked at what he had just heard.

"But Sarah," he said. "You're just a kid." Sarah shrugged. Ian sighed and held onto her tighter.

"That didn't matter to her," Sarah said. "All I was to her was a stupid kid."

"Well she was wrong. Her and your brother and sister were all wrong. You're not just a piece of trash that they can throw out when ever they don't want you anymore." Sarah looked up at him. "You're worth so much more that that." Sarah shook her head. She didn't believe him. All her life she had been told that she was useless and worth nothing.

"Sarah," Ian said. "Forget about them. They don't deserve your time. You're better than they are." Sarah slowly nodded.

"That's never going to happen again," he promised her. "You're safe here." Sarah looked him in the eyes and nodded. She believed him now. Ian looked over her and at the clock.

"Go back to sleep," he said. "It's two in the morning." Sarah nodded and rested her head on his chest as she fell back asleep listening to his heartbeat.