Left Unexplained

Chapter 4~

Hanna walked me home. She lived the other direction than I did, but she sometimes would walk with me, drop me off then walk home. She said it helps her feel like she can delay going back to hellhole.

"Umm, you know you don't have to do this right? I mean, I don't want you getting there late and making your parents...you know," I hated voicing what they did to her.

"Hit me? Nah it's alright. If not for this, they'll find another reason to hit me. At least I get to stay with you a little longer," she replied with a smile. "God I sound so cheesy," she added, rolling her eyes.

We reached the gates to my place and I saw dad looking out through the window. I gave him a small wave and after wrapping my arms around Hanna for a quick hug, I dashed to the front door.

"Who was that Gracie?" Dad was settling down into the plump, cream coloured armchair with a cup of steaming tea.

"Hmmm? Oh you mean Hanna? She's my best friend," I introduced to him as I plopped myself into the couch opposite of him. "She's like, how do I say it? Like the other half of my mind. She knows what I'm thinking and I know how she her mind works. I guess that's what draws me to her. And, maybe the fact that she needs me makes me want to...protect her, you get me dad?"

He sipped his tea and nodded for me to continue.

"Oh, and she has this cutest smile! It's so much cuter 'cuz of this little mole she's got on top of her lips." 

He raised an eyebrow. "A mole?"

"Yeah, on the left side." I pointed to the exact place on my own face.

"What was her name again? Hanna?"

I nodded. "Yep, Hanna Morgan."

He chuckled softly. "Sounds like a name with an interesting story."

"Interesting yes, but happy? Definitely not," I frowned. His eyebrows rose to question, and I more than complied to explain further.

"She lost her parents when she was three, had a hell of a bad time at the orphanage and two tormentors disguised as parents, and to her as 'saviours', adopted her. Now she goes through double the torture, physically and emotionally."

I smiled to myself. It was great that dad not only tried to learn so much about me over the phone, but also face to face. I felt warmth, knowing he cared about me. 

But boy I couldn't be more wrong.

He set the cup on the coffee table, a little louder than it should've been. I glanced up at him and immediately felt my breath hitch as I saw stormy haze covering any twinkles in his eyes. Before I knew it, his dark brown eyes were completely clouded and his jaw was set hard.

"Grace, stop seeing her."

What was that? Stop what?

"I don't give you my permission to continue this friendship you've got going Grace," he elaborated. I gave out a nervous laugh, doing my best to hide my surprise at his seriousness and his demand.

"Dad, I don't really do things like these after asking permission and whatnot," I tried to hint out the absurdity of his order but clamped my mouth shut when he narrowed his darkened eyes at me.

"Grace Murray, you will do as I say and drop Hanna Morgan immediately. That is the order of your father," he commanded. 

I gritted my teeth at his bossy attitude. As a father, he could command me to do the right thing, but he had no right to tell me to break it off with my best friend, especially after hearing about how much I love her.

"Dad, I don't see a reason why I should break it off with Hanna and why you think she's bad for me," I huffed out. Sighing, I added. "Look, can we talk about this later? Maybe after you've met her over, I don't know? Dinner or something? Because I don't know what you've got against the gi-"

"She's an orphan Grace! A damn little thing that was probably so useless even her parents chucked her out! That's what happens to to most kids who end as orphans!" he yelled back. He was standing now, his tall figure looming over my sitting one.

I stood up too, knowing and believing I was on the right and he was the one deeply mistaken.
"That's not why she became an orphan, her parents died!" I defended. I couldn't believe the things he was saying. It was so disgusting I couldn't believe it was my father talking.

"Really now?!Do you have any proof that they died? Or was it just her trying to cover up her shame at being chucked out?" he questioned rhetorically.

"Say what you want, I'm not breaking off anything."

His face froze before it slowly transformed into a stoic mask with hints of evil. "You do that Grace, and her adoptive parents will pay for you being uncooperative.

I rolled my eyes. "They won't even pay a cent to Hanna, what makes you think they'll pay you?" I spat.

A smirk broke out on his face. "I am the one who pays Mr and Mrs Morgan, Grace."

My eyes widened with horror as I registered what he was implying.

"That's right. They work for Murray Corporation. Do you know what happens when I get angry at my employees, Grace?"

I gulped.

"I fire them. Nothing for me to lose. I've got a whole line of people waiting for me to hire them. If Mr and Mrs Murray lose a job with such a high pay, what'll they do to little Hanna hmmm?"

This was playing dirty. He's blackmailing  me into breaking it off with Hanna?! How low could he get? No matter how much I wanted to fight back, I knew this was not in my favour at all.

Do as he says, or Hanna will be thrown into the orphanage. I closed my eyes and felt a tear trickle down my cheek as I felt pain for what Hanna could go through if taken to the orphanage. I couldn't do that to her; make her have to go to a place which she avoided so badly that she even went through her adopted parents' torture.

I opened my eyes and let my head hang down in defeat.

Dad's smirk only widened. "Good, now send her a text that confirms the starting of your breakup."

My hands shivered as I pulled out my phone. I scrolled through until I found her name. 

Gulping, my fingers hovered over the keyboard, but refused to type.

"Make it bad," his chilly whisper rung through the heavy air and made a jolt run down my spine.

After two minutes of no movement, he growled and snatched my phone. I yelped and attempted to grab at it but his push sent me flying into a nearby table, its corner digging into my shoulder blade and my temple smashing against its flat side. The crash of the flower vase that once sat comfortably on the table was the last thing I heard and the warm trickle of blood running down the side of my face was the thing I felt before pain and guilt subsided and darkness took over.

The first thing I checked when I came to was my phone, which was carelessly thrown on the floor beside my body, I scrambled up and quickly went through my messages.

My head pounded with all sorts of pains. But the pains were shoved to the side as I choked on a gasp and my eyes widened with horror at the bold words inside the green speech bubble.

Tears streamed down my face and I knew I couldn't stop myself from sobbing.

I couldn't believe the cruelty of those words. They were engraved in my heart and soul and would never erase from my mind.

"We're through, bitch. I have no time to fix up the shit you went through because of your own uselessness. Your ma and pa must've died of self hatred for producing you. Im sorry, but the truth had to come out. me and you were never meant to meet and mingle. I'm sorry about all the time wasted. try not to talk to me, cuz things like you don't belong in my world."

~ooooOOOoooo~