[1/3] NEVER LEAVE ME│s.m

one

"You can't push me around anymore. I don't want to live here," I spat towards my father.

"Such disrespect," he chuckled, stepping forward, approaching me slowly.

My back had finally hit the wall behind me, but that didn't stop him.

The palm of his hand slammed down onto my cheek, knocking me to the ground.

I cried for help, but no one else was home.

A kick to the stomach was punishment for drawing attention to his actions.

"You are good for nothing," he growled, shoving my face into the tiled floor with the heel of his foot.

I could feel liquid running from my nose, my eyes growing heavy instantly, and my vision black.

When I awoke, I noticed my body was curled up on the same tile I was knocked out on.

I scrambled to my feet, my breathing heavy.

What would I do?

My legs pushed me towards my bedroom, in a rapid search for my phone.

I couldn't dial the police, this wasn't anything to bring such important attention to. Or so I had thought, in that moment.

The first number that popped into my head was my best friend, Simon. He knew of everything that happened behind the closed doors of my house, fearing for my life every night we were apart.

He lived near me, maybe a little more than a block away. I would run to his house as soon as I felt danger, but I hated bothering him.

It was currently 4 a.m., and I knew he would be sleeping. So, I sat on my bed, pondering what I could possibly do next.

I couldn't stay here, I just couldn't.

As the thought approached my mind, I packed up a bag with several items of clothing and other personal belongings such as toiletries and phone accessories.

Remembering how my face had made such harsh contact with cement slabs, I tiptoed to my bathroom, cleaning myself up.

After I washed off the blood and changed into a hoodie and trackies, slipping on my white Nike tennis shoes, I crept out of my window, jumping down onto the driveway.

As I looked back at my house from the end of the pavement, I realized how quiet and isolated we were from the outside world.

Before second thinking, I sprinted to Simon's house, ignoring sudden eruptions of barking from neighborhood dogs, who were alarmed by my loud footsteps.

••••

My feet touched his driveway as I looked around for some sort of entrance that wouldn't wake his housemates upon my arrival.

When I looked up, my eyes noticed the window of his room, and the makeshift steps that could lead me to my destination.

I began my ascent, scared I would get called out for breaking and entering.

The window wasn't latched, and was open slightly ajar, to allow air to flow into the room.

With quiet movements, I lifted it all the way up, tossing my bag onto the ground.

I lifted my body through, shutting the window back to its original placement.

Once I turned around, I was greeted by a sleeping Simon, soft snores filling the room. He wasn't aware of my presence.

I snuck over to him, shaking him awake.

"Sage, what the hell are you doing here?" he yelled in a whisper, sitting up quickly.

"I couldn't be at home anymore, something happened," I reply. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, gesturing for me to sit beside him on his bed.

"What happened?" he asks as I take off my hoodie to reveal my stained shirt. "Holy shit," he mumbled, taking the fabric into his hands and examining the dried blood.

He glanced up at me, and, in the moonlight, he finally saw my swollen nose.

"Did he do this?" he questions, holding my head in his hands as he stared at my face.

I couldn't speak, my voice feeling heavy and broken. My outburst of tears made my answer obvious.

He wrapped me into his arms, kissing the top of my head.

"Does Levi know of this?" he asks, his voice slightly annoyed by his mentioning of him. He didn't like Levi, as he was my boyfriend and hadn't made the best choices in his past life.

But I was claimed to have changed him.

"No, only you know," I reply in a quiet tone, hugging him back. He always managed to make me feel safe when I was in a vulnerable state.

"We need to file a report-"

"No, Simon!" I retort, quite loudly too, as I pushed away from his embrace. He shushed me, placing me back in his arms.

"I know you don't like to bring attention to anything, but it needs to be done," he sighs, playing with the ends of my hair.

"Please, let's just wait-"

"Wait until he kills you?" he quizzes, now pulling my body away from his so he could make eye contact with me.

"I wouldn't let that happen," I whisper, tears trembling at the brim of my eyes.

"Maybe you should stay with me for awhile-"

"He'll just bring me back, and my punishment will be worse than ever," I answer, interrupting his plan.

"You are 23 years old, Sage," he points out, gripping onto my shoulders with his hands. "He can't make you do anything."

"Well, he does pay for everything of mine."

Simon sighs, running a hand through his hair as he releases his grip on me.

"Let's just try it, please?"

At first I wasn't sure, but then I recognized it as an easier escape from my father.

"No more living at home, yeah? You won't have to pay rent either, I'll have that bit covered," he smiles.

"Simon, I can't live here for free-"

"You're only staying here temporarily," he shrugs. "We can find you a place to stay permanently, for now, and a great job to help pay bills."

"Will they even let me stay here?" I ask, referring to his housemates.

"Sage, they love you, maybe not as much as I do, but they do. They would understand, as you've told them before what happens with you and your dad."

"Fine."

He engulfs me in his arms, proclaiming how happy he was.

I had a feeling in my gut something wasn't right, but I let it slide as I didn't want to let my pity parties continue.