Happy Endings

Number Seven

I had called Kelsey earlier and told her to stay at her friends another night.

So now, here I was, sloshing through the rain because my shit Jeep broke down a few blocks down.

The tow truck person was luckily an old friend of my dads, and promised to drop it off at home when he got the chance to with no pay.

Aren't I a lucky gal?

The rain pounded hard on my back, and I couldn't see anything five feet in front of me.

A few people driving by asked me if I needed a ride, I denied, and they all left, feeling hesitant with themselves leaving me here.

I was fine, my house was probably only another block down the road, and maybe my dad left already and I could catch a few hours of sleep without feeling threatened too.

I deleted Nathan's number, and an emptiness ached inside when I did so, making me want to take it all back and go to him, telling him I'm sorry for being a mood swinging bitch who keeps changing her mind.

I'd honestly dump me too.

"I'm such an awful person." I groaned, shivering as the rain soaked through my skin and turned my bones to ice.

I walked down the side walk with no aim, tripping and nearly going off into the road, but I couldn't see anything, and my cold, wet clothes stuck to my freezing skin, making matters even worse.

I wrapped my arms around myself, my wet hair sticking to my cheeks as I came onto my street road, seeing the squat hellhole in the distance.

Home.

I walked faster, making sure I didn't skid on the slick water as I neared, finally making out a dark blue, beat up truck in the drive way.

"Shit." I whispered, realizing my dad was still home.

I sighed, contemplating on whether to turn around and probably get hypothermia, or risk it to go inside.

I weighed the options, and finally sagged my shoulders, heading cautiously towards the front door as a car rolled into the street behind me, its tires crunching the pebbles on the road.

I was almost the the three cement stairs, before the front door flung open harshly, scaring me.

"You!" My dad yelled, his eyes catching mine immediately as he opened the door, like he expected me there.

"The hell are you doing back here? Didn't I kick you out already?" He waved his beer bottle around wildly in the air, and I tensed, ready to duck or run.

"No dad." I answered, just wanting to go inside where it's warm.

"Well you sure ain't coming in here, no dirty whores or mutts aloud." A tinge of pain at the insult, but I shook it off.

"Please dad? It's really cold out here." I asked, hoping for him to just pass out and let me walk past.

My vision blurred, and my whole body shook, trying to grasp any warmth it could.

"Oh look at that!" He laughed, a hand on his stomach, "The mutt is begging!"

You know you've stooped so low, your own father calls you a homeless dog.

"Dad," I said, my head feeling light, "I-I might get hypothermia if I don't come in." I tried, and he didn't respond, taking a large swing from his bottle.

"Please let me in."

He shook his head no, raising his glass in the air.

"Not over my dead body! Maybe you'll die, cold and alone out here just like you did to your mom!" He choked on a laugh, his face turning red, "See how you like it!"

I quickly backed away as he raised his beer bottle threateningly, trying not to slip.

"Get out! Go away!" He screamed, and he threw the bottle, missing and crashing next to my feet.

I jumped at the nearness of it, swaying sideways an attempt to dodge flying glass, but instead slipped, and fell into our lawn as he grabbed another bottle from the floor.

"Leave I told you, get the fuck out of here!" He screamed as he didn't miss this time, and hit my leg with the bottle.

It exploded this time, and I bit my lip, trying to keep in the cry I wanted to release.

I need to get out of here.

"Alicia!" A familiar voice called through the thundering rain pour, and I looked up at a dark figure, my eyesight not cooperating.

I started crawling away from the door way, down the lawn as the figure got closer, becoming a male figure.

"Alicia!"

I squinted my eyes, and finally realized who it was after he came closer, eyes shining bright with concern and fear, hands ready to grab me.

"Oh my god, Alicia." He picked my soaking body from the ground, and I felt his rigid body lift as his jogged towards a vehicle, where he gently laid me in the passengers seat.

He slammed the doors shut as he blasted the heat, finally getting a good look at me, as I was already studying him.

His curls were now wet rings, sticking to his forehead. Rain drops clung to his lips and eyelashes, making them more defined, more real.

Still beautiful.

"Your lips are blue, Alicia, you're going to die walking around like that when its like this." I didn't reply, my lips frozen and teeth chattering.

I was really cold, and I didn't feel like moving, trying to reach for body heat.

"Alicia, oh god," He swallowed, stepping in the gas, "I'm taking you to my place, my dad won't be home until tomorrow anyways."

I began to shake my head in protest, until he slammed his hand on the wheel, making me jump.

"For once, can you stop being a stubborn bitch and let me help you?" He snapped, and immediately, I felt bad for always denying him .

I felt bad for everything I've put him through.

So I sat there, shivering, frozen still as he froze, the blasting heat doing nothing to help me warm.

"Alicia...was that..." His voice sounded rough when he finally spoke, and I dreaded the question he was going to ask, knowing there was no way to not lie about it.

"Was that your dad?" A faint question, so faint I barely caught it.

Unfortunately, I still heard it.

I waited a long time to answer, not wanting to, but knowing I couldn't lie, and there was no way out of this.

I turned my head towards the window, watching the angry rain drops splatter against them, sounding like hail.

"Yeah." My voice was hoarse, "Yeah it was."