Damaged

Three

3

"For fuck's sake-"

"Language, Scarlett!" mum snapped, getting up off the couch and walking to the kitchen, most likely for another drink.

I rolled my eyes. "Stop fucking drinking," I muttered, stomping through the hallway to my room. I shut my door and pulled out my bong from under my bed. I packed in some weed, lit it, and inhaled. I heard a knock on my door and blew the smoke out of my lungs before getting up.

Opening my door, I felt my face go slack in surprise and I swear my heart stopped beating. This could not be happening. "Hey, Little Red."

Shivering in disgust, I shoved past him angrily. "Mum! What the fuck is this-"

"You watch your language, Scarlett Crevincey!" mum yelled from the living room.

"I don't fucking care!" I emerged from the hallway to find her sprawled on the lounge room couch, vodka bottle in hand. "What the Hell is that man doing here?"

"'That man' is your father, Scarlett! You wouldn't be here without him."

"I'm better off without him!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in exasperation. With that, I stormed back to my bedroom, shoved my feet into my boots, and slipped into my leather jacket. I ruffled my wavy hair and headed back through the house.

"Where do you think you're going?" mum demanded when I reached the front door.

"Out." I had to get out of that house.

!#!

"Hey, girl!" Mason called from the door. I glanced over at him but remained focused on my game. I had a small crowd gathered around me, watching me smash it.

"Where are we?" I heard a familiar voice ask. My head snapped up and I was vaguely aware that I'd messed up my game, but I was more focused on Daniel standing in the doorway to Arnold's.

Jumping down, I wandered over to Aaron and asked him quietly, "What's he doing here?"

"Relax, Lettie," he replied. "He's just come to hang out."

"I don't want him here. Not today," I said.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "What did he ever do to you?"

By now, we had piqued the interest of the other guys and Daniel. I sighed. "He called me 'Scar'."

I saw Kai wince and JC shook his head. Aaron looked concerned and angry. "I'm sorry, Dan," he said, turning to the devil himself. "We'll hang some other time."

Daniel scoffed. "Why? What makes her so special?" he demanded, waving his hand towards me.

JC narrowed his eyes at that comment. "Lettie's our friend, Daniel," he ground out through clenched teeth. "We don't even know you."

Daniel just shook his head in disbelief, pulled his yo-yo out of his pocket and walked away, spinning it furiously. With a relieved sigh, I turned to the guys and smiled. That was all the thanks they needed. Which was good, because it was all the thanks they were going to get.

!#!

"How long do you plan to stay here, Lettie?" Mason asked me once I'd loaded another twenty pence into the dance machine.

I shrugged. "As long as it takes for someone to offer me a place to stay for the night."

Mason chuckled. "I would offer you mine, but my brother has his girlfriend over and I doubt you'd want to listen to that all night." He grimaced and I momentarily felt sorry for the lack of sleep he would probably suffer tonight. Until I remembered what I would suffer if I stayed at 'home' tonight.

With a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair. I spotted Kai over by Pacman and wandered over to him. "Hey, Kai-Bear," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind. "Do you have a spare bed I could borrow for tonight?"

He chuckled, the throaty sound rumbling through his chest. "Of course I do. Why do you need it?"

I huffed a breath over my face, blowing a tendril of red hair out of my eyes. "I don't want to go home." I had meant to say it casually, but it came out as a whisper. I was just grateful that my voice hadn't cracked.

Kai turned around in my arms and looked down at me caringly. "Of course you can stay with me, Lett," he almost laughed, wrapping his own arms around my waist.

I grinned and tapped him on the arse before calling shotgun and racing JC to their car.

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