Between Us [Spaces Sequel]

e l e v e n

"I know, Harry. But I just don't like pineapple on pizza."
"But whyyy?" He whined through the telephone.
"Because it doesn't belong," I replied, shaking my head.
"You're lying to yourself," he stated, making me laugh. "No, actually. Your whole life was a lie! I mean, have you ever really tried it?"
"Yeah, I have," I said, crossing the street. I was not far from my appartment. There was only few people in the street. Although it was already dark, I took the shortcut to get home faster. "I just didn't like it."
I walked further as I suddenly noticed someone in front of me, only a few feet away. I could only see a silhouette, but somehow I was aware of who it was.
"You still there?" Harry asked. I had been quiet for a while.
"Yeah... But I gotta go. I'll call you later, alright?"
Before he could reply, I hung up.
I stepped closer to the person in front of me. The closer I got, the more details were visible. And even though I had expected it, my heart still jumped when I saw who it was.
"Dad," I whispered.
"Hello, Scarlett."
Hearing him say my name gave me goosebumps. I felt nauseous, my tongue felt dry and useless in my mouth.
"What are you doing here?" I said.
"I should ask you," he said, the look on his face strict as ever. "You left the damn country. You left without telling me where you were. I thought you were dead. I thought you were abducted."
"Don't act like you would've cared," I said, proud of the confident sound of my voice. I had never expected myself to talk to my dad like that one day.
"You're my daughter," he said, stepping closer. "I raised you."
"Maybe from your point of view."
I tried walking past him, but he grabbed my arm and held me back.
"You can't just leave," he said.
"There's nothing left to say."
"Oh, really? Then what about the guy you're dating now? I told you to not talk to him anymore."
"I remember. You almost beat me to death, but I really like him. And I'm old enough to make my own decisions about my life and who I want to spend it with. I do not live in your house anymore. You have no right to tell me what's good for me! So leave me the hell alone."
His expression was angry. His grip on me loosened. Suddenly I felt a pain on my cheek. He had slapped me in the face, but he wasn't done yet. I really didn't know what exactly he did since everything went so fast. All I felt was a strong pain in my stomach and face.
"I hate you!" I screamed. I don't know how I managed to run away, but I did. As fast as I could. With my hands shaking, I opened the door to my house and then my appartment. I locked the door quickly, before falling to my knees. My hands were still shaking, my lungs were on fire, my stomach was numb. The appartment was quiet. All you could hear was my weeping.
So it hadn't been an illusion the other day. My father had found me. He had beat me up. I was all alone. I didn't quite know what to do. Call the police? Call Kaya? Harry?
After what felt like an hour, my breathing eventually slowed down again. I stood up, as a feeling of nausea came up. I felt vomit in my throat and ran to the bathroom to throw up. Sweat was by now covering my entire body, but I was cold. I sat on the bathroom floor for a while, thinking about what I was supposed to do. I decided to take a shower first. To wash all of the sweat of and all the shame. I locked the bathroom door and took off my shirt, then my pants. I looked at myself in the mirror. I had a bruise on my cheek. The one on my stomach was pretty concerning, but I decided to ignore it. I had some more bruises on my arms.
I had sworn to myself that none of this would happen ever again. But here I was in front of my mirror, covered in bruises and shame. I stared at my own reflection with such hatred. I was mad at myself for letting this happen, for not being strong enough.