I sat in my bathroom, vigorously brushing my teeth and listening to my phone play "I Remember You" by Skidrow. "Through all the sleepless nights, through every endless day I wanna hear you say I remember you", my phone sang loudly as I studied myself in the mirror. I was only wearing my black skinny jeans, admittedly. I slept most of the day since I stayed up all night practicing guitar. I was writing a song for (Y/n). It sounded stupid in my head but I knew it'd make her happy. My music suddenly paused, letting my ringtone blast over the sound of me spitting out toothpaste. I dropped my toothbrush in the sink and picked up my phone, reading (Y/n)'s name in glowing letters. I answered quickly, only to be greeted with screaming. 'Fucking bitch! Get out of my fucking house you stupid whore!' My whole body ran cold.
'R-Ricky? A-Are you...you there?' I could hear her sniffling on the other end.
'Y-Yeah, what's wrong? What happened?'
'M-My dad...h-he said I'm...I-I'm too old to be living w-with them and...and he..he...' She was crying heavily, her breathing was so ragged it made me think she was hyperventilating. I bolted to my wardrobe and slipped on a black shirt and a pair of shoes. I ran to the door and plucked my keys from the hanger before sprinting out of my apartment and down to my car.
'I'll be right there, please just hang on. I promise you everything will be okay. Remember the park we went to when we first met? The one you really liked?'
'Y-Yeah?'
'I want you to go there for me. Play on the swings, okay?'
'Okay...T-Thank you...'
'It's okay. Just don't hang up, it's late and I want to know that you're safe...' I tried to sound as confident as possible but it was hard when she made me so nervous. I loved her more than words could describe and I needed to be there for her. I needed to be the person I was on stage. I needed to be relaxed and confident.
By the time I had driven to the park near her house, she was gently swinging back and forth on the swings. I could barely see her with all the black she wore. 'I'm here.' I was still on the call with her. We didn't say anything, we both just needed the company. I could see her get off of the swing set and approach where I was. Something was off. Half of her face was covered by her hair which was something she usually said annoyed her. I decided it was best not to say anything. She had been through enough already.
We drove to my apartment in silence, both of us too raddled to say anything. I sat her down on the couch with a glass of water and asked her to tell me what happened. She had calmed down at that point which made it easier to understand her. 'I-I...got into an argument with my parents. I turn 18 in a few weeks and he says that I have to move out by the time I'm 18...I told him I didn't have the money...a-and he...'
'He what, (Y/n)?' My tone was a lot lower than usual, especially after she lifted the fringe from her face and revealed the dark purple bruise on her eye. I suddenly felt like exploding. My mind begged me to scream and shout. Every appendage in my body told me to go back to her house, kill her dad, get her stuff and let her stay with me forever. I couldn't, though. (Y/n) needed me and I was going to be with her. '...I'll get you some ice. It'll reduce the swelling...'
'N-No, really...it's fine...I don't want to trouble you...'
'You're not troubling me at all...I love you and I'd do anything for you...' I kept quiet, mainly because she was sensitive and didn't need my over-reactive behaviour.
'You love me?'
'Well...yeah. I thought you knew that...'
'No...I thought you liked me as a sibling...'
'No I...well, it doesn't matter. What's important is your safety. I'll get you an ice pack and go back to your house to get your stuff. You can stay with me.' I was being slightly more upfront due to her situation. She was clueless, alone and I needed to be the one to guide her. I stood up and turned away from her, waiting a moment before actually stepping into the kitchen and plucking an ice pack from the freezer. I wrapped it in a layer of paper towel before stepping back into the lounge room and gently plopping myself beside her. 'Keep it on until your eye feels numb. I'll go get your stuff and buy some dinner and cake, okay?'
'Okay...Thank you...for everything.'
'It's nothing. I'm just treating you like you should be treated.'
'And how is that?' She asked as I placed the cold block into her soft hands.
'Like a princess.'
