She looked at her watch and saw that the time was 8:00pm. She began to run home, and as she was running, she ran straight into a jogger.
"Shit I'm sorry!" She said, and before they could say anything, she continued running. She had told her father she'd only be gone for 20 minutes. She prayed that he was at the bar, but when she ran up the driveway, she saw that not only was her father home, but so was her brother.
She took a few deep breaths, and walked calmly in the front door.
"Nice of you to finally join us, Lee." Maz said, and Hailey nearly cringed away from the horrid pet name that her brother called her when they were little.
"Where have you been?" Her father asked. He was calm. Scary calm.
"I was out helping my friend with a project." She lied fluidly.
"Oh yeah?" Maz laughed, "What class?"
"Acting." She said, and her father and brother laughed aloud.
"Sure. Good thing I'm close to your Acting teacher. Let me give him a call." Her father laughed and her heart nearly dropped down into her stomach.
She decided to study her brother. He had a soft face, all smooth and no angles. The face of a child. He was growing out his facial hair, but he was still relatively good looking. His eyes were brown, like their father's. She got the blue from her mother. His hair was a dark brown, and he had it styled in a quiff today. She remembered when he used to let her play with his hair, and she stuck it up in all kinds of weird ways. She almost smiled at the memory. Almost. His mouth was set in a hard line, like he was neutral to her imminent beating. She knew that he still harbored a secret brotherly affection towards her, because whenever he was told to beat her, she knew he wasn't doing so at full power. She had seen him beat someone up, and it was not a pretty sight. It was back before he chose their father's side. She didn't blame him. Not really. She blamed him for being cruel to her while her father wasn't around, but not when he was. If the tables were turned, she would've taken him, and left. But, of course, he didn't. He decided to stay, when he turned 18. And her father saw this as loyalty. Not as what it really was. Fear.
Her father walked back into the room, she hadn't even realized he left. He punched her, square in the jaw, and she could've sworn she saw Maz wince. She didn't fall to the ground, as she usually did, because she knew her father was about to speak.
"He said you weren't lying," Her father said, "But you were still two hours and forty minutes late. Which means, 180 minutes of a beating today." His smile scared even her, and she was no longer easily scared.
"Isn't that a bit extensive?" Maz asked.
"You're right, Mazzy!" He said, "Let's make it 360 minutes! Which is how many hours?"
Maz gulped. He was much faster at math than Hailey was, so he said, "Six."
"Ah. Yes. Time me at three, Maz."
"Yes sir." He looked scared for me, but of course he did nothing.
She felt the first punch before I saw it. My dad was not a heavy man. He was only a bit larger than Maz, and he was extremely strong. I was on the ground in seconds. And he kicked me once. Twice. Three times. Four. My vision began to blur.
"Stop it!" A voice came from the entry way. It wasn't Maz, and she couldn't see well enough to identify who it was. She saw her my dad throw a punch at the mystery person, but they deflected it easily, and landed a punch in his face. She watched as he brought his leg up, and kicked her father in the stomach, and she watched her father fall.
"Stay the fuck down or I can't guarantee you'll be able to walk again." He said, and my dad stayed down.
He knelt next to me, "Hailey. It's Trent. Can you stand?" He asked, and she shook her head. Why would Trent be here? And why would he be helping me? It doesn't make sense. He lifts me up, he puts my arm around his shoulder, and grabs my waist. He sets her down outside, leaning up against a car.
"Wait here." He said, and ran back inside. As I sat there, she considered her options.
'I could stay and get the beating. I could go with Trent. I could run right now.' She thought. She decide against running and leaving, so she waits for Trent to come back.
"And don't bring the whore back!" She heard her father say. And she looked to the right, at the exact moment that Trent brought back his fist and laughed as her father flinched away.
"Don't worry about that, you pathetic abomination." He spat, and headed back toward Hailey, two bags now resting on his shoulders.
He lifted her easily, and carried her for a few blocks, before kicking a door. Hailey saw a boy nearly the same age as Maz open the door, and step out of the way when he saw me.
"You get another girl, Trent?" He joked, but Trent only glared at him.
"Shut the hell up and get mom." Trent replied, with a hint of a joke in his voice.
"Yes ma'am." The boy saluted, and ran off.
"What hurts?" Trent asked.
"M'head, m'stomach." She slurred.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" He said, stepping back.
"Too blurry." She waved her hand around.
"What's wrong with her Trent?" A woman asked, walking into the room.
"Mild concussion. Her dad was beating her pretty bad when I beat the fucker up." He said, and his brother high-fived him.
"Trent! Why didn't you call Aidan, or me?" She asked, incredulous.
He simply shrugged, "Wasn't thinking clearly. I knew I could beat him, so I did."
"Goddammit Trent, one day, no one will be there to save you." His mom shook her head and turned back to me.
"Hello, darling. My name is May, like the month. I'm supposedly your new caretaker, but I don't mind. I'm gonna look at your stomach, and then have Mr. Hero over there carry you over to the couch." She smiled.
"No way!" Trent shouted, "She can have my bed. And I'll clean out a spare bedroom for her tomorrow."
"Goodbye boys." She said, waving them out of the room.
"I want to see the pretty girl's stomach!" Aidan whined, and Trent punched him in the arm.
"Just kidding, party pooper," He added as they left.
"Alright. Do you know your name?" She asked as she lifted up Hailey's shirt.
"Hailey." She said, automatically, "Hailey Way."
"Good. Do you know who the current president is?" She asked.
"Obama." Hailey said.
"Fantastic." May said, poking her stomach in various places. Hailey bit back cries of pain, and felt relieved when May told her that she was done. Trent walked in, and carried Hailey upstairs. He laid her down, and as he was getting up to leave she reached her hand up,
"Don't leave me." She pleaded. She was far too terrified to care what he must think of her right now.
"Okay." He said, and he made himself a bed on the side of his bed, and laid there, "If you need me, just reach down. Or say my name. I'm a relatively light sleeper." He smiled, comfortingly, and she fell asleep with her hand hanging off the bed, her finger tips just barely touching his shoulder.
