Not A Word

Chapter Seventeen

Tara

I had finally been released from the hospital. How can Hospital food taste so terrible if it's supposed to be part of helping you recover? Maybe it was to make people want to get out faster. It definitely worked with me. I never wanted to go anywhere near a hospital for the rest of my life.

I gathered my things that the front desk was holding and dressed in my old clothes. They may not smell the best but it was better than wearing a hospital gown that made your butt fall out the back. I never thought that I would miss the feel of my old and baggy clothes or even the taste of the small amount of food I got.

Walking out into the sunlight I shaded my eyes with my hand as I tried to discern which way I had to go in order to get home. The hospital bill was going to be taken out of my parents' next pay. They wouldn't be happy but I doubt that they would even notice. All they do is use the money to buy alcohol and drugs.

I walked down the street toward the park before I realized that my father now knew where my hiding spot was. He had found me there and he had tried to kill me. I couldn't go back to the park and I couldn't go home. If my father knew that I wasn't dead the. He would make sure to kill me this time.

I turned around and headed down the street to a house that I recognized. I could trust him right? He had helped me before and had said that he would be there for me but what if he changed his mind and called my parents?

I figured that I had to take the chance or risk running into my parents. After a quick hesitation I rapped my knuckles on the door and waited for Greg to answer. I only wished that he would still help me. As I thought of the options if he didn't I felt warm tears begin to run down my face.

The door opened, "Ye-?" Greg's voice cut off once he saw me. "Tara is that you?" He quickly ushered me into the house.

The tears continued to stream down my face, "I-I need your help Greg. There's nobody else I can trust."

His arms came around me and I sobbed into his chest for a few minutes before I finally calmed down. With the tears finally ceasing to fall, Greg's shirt was thouroughly soaked and tearstained. "Oh Greg, I'm so sorry about your shirt."

Greg chuckled, "Don't worry about it Tara. This is just a shirt, what it's covered in is your feelings and those mattered so much more than the quality of my shirt. Now tell me, what's wrong?"

"It's a pretty long story." I whispered.

"Tara you swore to me that you didn't need my help, that having me help you would only get me hurt. If you went against your word and came to me then it has to be something pretty bad. I have plenty of time." He smiled and settled me beside him on the couch.

I took a deep breath and began, "My father found me in the park where I usually stay to avoid my parents. They hurt me even more than Zayn and his friends do. When he found me I didn't notice, so he caught me by surprise and choked me. I couldn't fight back and eventually I passed out. I have no clue what happened after that, all I know is that I woke up days later in the hospital. According to the nurse a guy found me and called the police to help. I was surprised when just a while later Zayn came striding through the door to retrieve his jacket, a jacket which I had been brought in wearing.

"The look on his face answered all my questions. Zayn was the one who saved me but I still don't trust him. He's the reason that all this pain has come my way. I got let out just a few hours ago and I almost went back to my place in the park. The problem is, I can't go back there anymore. My father knows where it is. I can't go home because my father thinks I'm dead. He actually tried to kill me and almost succeeded. I had no one else to turn to and I remembered you telling me that you would be there for me and I just hope that that still applies but I really need your help right now."