Boy Who Broke In My Window

VIII-Inevitable Feelings

Police vehicles are lined up in front of the house; Daddy must be seriously anxious about my whereabouts.

I notice dad pacing to and fro, conversing to one of the authorities, looking mad. I immediately dash towards him and lock him in an embrace from behind.
"I'm here Daddy; I missed you" I say, jolly to finally be able to see him again.
Dad harshly orders me to let go and yanks me off in a tone of voice he's never used with me before.

Suddenly, I feel claws piercing into the skin of wrist and my hair being tugged. It is Dee Dee, the parasite, lugging my body away with force."Get off me!" I stammer.

She tows me into the back of a police car, and slaps me coarsely across the cheek with her bony palm. Perhaps if she isn't as skinny, my cheek wouldn't be blistering red as of right now.
"He could've been dead!" She cries; her hair in clutters and drenched in tears. What exactly is she whining about? How am I involved again?

"Excuse me? Why are you accusing me?" I ask, wholly baffled. She was about to whack me another time, yet I seized her arm just in time and twist it punitively, making her yelp in distress.

"What is going on!?" I shout at her, still perplexed. It's outright domestic abuse for her to do that to me.

I angle my head to the right and spot Howard on the ground; grunting in agony. Dad is wrestling him to the ground and Howard has minor bruises all over his body.

"STOP!" I holler bolting towards the row and try to get dad off of poor Howard. I begin to tug on dad's arm to get him to immediately stop.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ASTRID!?" Dad resists my wrenching, then yanks back his arm; sending my tiny frame off, flying.
I land on my bum and it ached for a while, but I instantly shoot back up to rescue Howard.

I loped in front of dad, to block his sight. What exactly did Howard do to deserve this? Dad is yelling at me to not get involved but I did anyway; neither Howard nor I have any clue as to whatever has taken place. Dad continues the assault yet I persist to shield Howard, tolerating the bruises and kicks for him instead.

Eventually, daddy stops and I collapsed onto the ground in pants. My limbs feel sore and my skin is stinging in ridiculous pain.

If I'm enduring much pain; what about Howard? He must be dying. I take a glimpse at Howard's frail body on the ground and he indeed looks like he's in severe agony.

Considering that, we immediately rush him to a nearby hospital whereas Dee stayed to finish whatever deal we have with the police at home; dad had completely knocked him out.

---

Dad and I are told to wait in the waiting room while the doctors examine Howard to determine the extent of possible damages from the impact all throughout his body.

"What's with the police? Did you send them out to search for me, Dad?" I ask him, as we long for the medical results to be pronounced.

He shakes his head. Dad seems as if he's in no mood for chattering, but I deserve to know.
"Then, what exactly happened?" I query. He didn't respond for a couple of seconds, but eventually tells.

"Two burglars violated the house, thieving our properties; demolishing the majority of them." He sighs. I mouth an 'O'.

---

"What about Jerquis?" I ask.
"What about him?"

"I don't know; it's just that I haven't seen him in a while and I thought you said he'd search for me?" I raise an eyebrow, still utterly perplexed. Candidly speaking, I really did expect to be rescued; that makes me one spoilt brat, doesn't that?

Dad tilts his head towards me, displaying a menacing glare. "I was concerned about you and thus sent Jerquis out. Along the way, He had halted by the house to drop off some boxes when those burglars threatened and attacked him. If you hadn't gone astray, he would've dropped the boxes by another day. The moment Dee arrived, early in the morning today, Jerquis already had severe unattended injuries. We had immediately rushed him to the hospital then notified local authorities of the incident" He conveys.

My eyes grew wide, outright staggered and petrified. Did that really happen? "Was that why you were furious at Howard?" I ask almost inaudibly.

Dad shakes his head, seemingly annoyed that I carry on to perturb him with a series of interrogations at a time like this. "Then why did you?" I ask again, regardless of that.

"It's because YOU and YOUR FRIEND had destructed the window and didn't bother to have it fixed a.s.a.p. If that shit wasn't broken, nobody would've gone in the house mindlessly! WHAT WERE YOU BOTH THINKING!? Astrid, I trusted you and had expected for you to use your wits, but you didn't. I'm very disappointed." Dad expresses his frustration towards me, jolting up from his seat.

"Sorry." I apologize repetitively, feeling remorse penetrate within me.

---

Dad had gone out to purchase some items and possibly grab good food to soothe his violent rage. He'd suggested me to come, but I properly declined and reasoned that I am not very starved at that moment when frankly, I just want to be reassured upon Howard's condition.

I know it's not my place to be concerned of him, but after what had happened yesterday, I feel like we have developed a string of attachment with each other.

Not long after, a man in his youth exits the examination room to notify me that I supposedly am permitted to check on Howard, and that he is all set to leave.
He reassures me that there's nothing tremendous; just minor wounds that will fade eventually.

I enter the room to find Howard sitting on the bed, gazing outside the window towards the gardens blankly with his back fronting me. I tap on his shoulder lightly and he turns back, startled.

"Hey" he greets; voice deep and husky.
"Feeling any better?" I ask. He nods. "I'm sorry for what had happened earlier." I say with a pout.
"No, don't be sorry. It's my fault, I shouldn't have destroyed your window, I would be irked too if I were the homeowner." He says, his head plunging down.

"Let's not refer to that anymore." I assert. "Want to grab a meal?" I ask, offering him a hand.
"Let's do that" He mutters and I toss him his top from atop the counter.

Afterwards, we head out the hospital to a fast food restaurant nearby; I'm unbearably starving. I phoned my dad to inform him that I'll be heading back on my own.

Howard and I took the cab initially, yet stopped halfway to walk barefoot the rest of the trip home. It isn't as if we're absolute cheapskates who can't afford to buy footwear because of extreme stinginess; we just thought it'd be interesting to walk on piping hot asphalt barefoot and make fools of ourselves looking like dancing caterpillars.

---

The moment I set foot back home, the temptation to travel again arise within me. Yet, I acknowledge that that's entirely impossible as I've got school the day that follows.

"I guess that's it for the day" I sigh, standing in the front porch, a little upset that we're about to part ways; it's late and I feel drained.

"Well then, bye?" I mumble looking at him with puppy dog eyes. He notices the obscured frown of mine and raises his hand to give me a high-five. I returned the five and wave my hands as to say goodbye before proceeding to walk in the house.

"Astrid, wait" he stops me suddenly.
"Frankly, I had a lot of fun and I just want to say that I really like you." He confesses.
He approaches me and laces our hands together; our fingers intertwine and I can't help but feel very dejected that I probably won't be able to see him as often anymore
"Me too" I state pressing his palm gently.

He passionately pulls me in a warm embrace.
"I'll see you soon", he murmurs almost inaudibly. I grin weakly at him.