Running Through Rivers

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine - Austin's POV

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"What the HELL do you think you're doing here?!"

Kill me. Kill me now.

I spun around and, sure enough, came face to face with Aunt Frankie. Fantastic.

"Wait, just hear me out. I-"

She didn't give me time to explain. Pointing one finger menacingly at me, she started to yell.

"How dare you break into my house! Leave! Leave now! Don't make me call the police!"

Her finger was only inches from my face, and I resisted the urge to show her one of my own fingers, the middle one in particular. Instead I stood my ground and spat,"Make me."

In hindsight of what happened next, it probably wasn't my best idea.

Aunt Frankie glared, then swiftly raised her hand and hit me across the cheek. The impact of her hand left a sharp sting, but I refused to react.

"You welcomed Cassidy and Sophie with open arms. Why can't you do the same to me?" I said, my jaw clenched.

Aunt Frankie just stared at me. "Get out. Get out now!" she spat. Somehow she managed to be even more terrifying then when she was yelling.

When she saw that I had no intention of leaving she narrowed her eyes.

"You should have left when you had the chance. No one is going to miss you. No one wants you here. All you've brought to this family is pain. You could have saved your mother. Instead you were selfish. A stupid, selfish boy who lives in a dream world. Do you think you're actually any good at football? That you'll be a professional someday? You're kidding yourself.

"And there's you, moaning about having no home. Having a drunken mess for a father. Did you even think that maybe, just maybe, he's like that because of you? That it's your fault he started drinking. Did you ever consider that? Everything that is wrong with this family stems from one thing; the one thing that you could have prevented. It's all your fault. You hear me?! It's. All. Your. Fault."

Her words were harsh, but the back of her hand was harsher. She slapped me again, making me stumble back against the wall in pain and shock.

When Dad hit me, he hit me hard. He kicked and punched and whipped anything and everything he could. Aunt Frankie was different. She only had two weapons; her hand and her words. But when she used them together it felt a hundred times worse then a bruise from Dad's fist.

I still refused to react, refused to hit back. I didn't want to hurt her. Even after all the shit she put me through, I knew it was because she was grieving. That, and she was also mentally unstable.

I cursed under my breath as she struck me again, hitting the exact same spot as last time. She had good aim, that was for sure.

She paused for a moment, catching her breath, still glaring as I towered over her smaller frame.

We both looked up as we heard the door open, and Cassidy's voice travel down the hallway.

"Hi, it's only me. I just....forgot something in my room, so I'll get go get- what the heck?!"

~One hour earlier~

Cassidy's POV

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The whole way through first period English, all I could think about was Austin, and the ever-growing ball of worry when he didn't appear in the doorway. I kept zoning out, annoying my English teacher and earning myself an extra chapter to read for homework. I didn't see why I should bother reading 'Romeo and Juliet' several times, when I had problems in the real world that were far more important then some ditzy 13 year old who was 'in love' with a sworn enemy. Mrs Pascal didn't se it that way.