The One Who Saved Me

Chapter One

Does everyone experience heartbreak at least once in their life time? Maybe, maybe not, but for me, heartbreak was very common after that night. I had stayed after school to finish up the research for my English project that was due the next day.

"Hey guys I'm home. Guys? Guys where are y..." I walk into the kitchen and find my father slumped over the counter.

"Dad, what's going on? Where's mom and Maria?"

"Sweetheart they're gone. They were in a car accident. The officers said that they were driving just fine when a drunk driver swerved into their lane. Your mother swerved to avoid the guys truck, but she overcorrected and flipped the car multiple times. They were pronounced dead at the scene. I'm so sorry sweetheart."

I couldn't breathe. This can't be real, it's just a nightmare. I fell to my knees and started to cry. At some point I felt my father's arms wrap around me, but that only made me cry harder.

Days came and went, but the numbing pain I feel still lingers. I feel as if I am in an empty abyss and I can't escape.

School goes by like a blur and my grades are at an all time low. My father wasn't taking the loss of his wife and daughter very well, he had never drank alcohol, but now it's rare to see him sober. In the beginning I didn't think about his alcohol intake because I knew he was trying to cope and I thought it was helping, but if anything, it made it worse.

I came home from school to find the house completely empty, as I was about to enter my room my father stumbles in through the front door. His eyes were glazed over and he had a hard time walking straight. He stumbles towards me mumbling incoherent words and shaking his head.

"You did this to them! It's all your fault! If she didn't have to run to the store to get something for your dumbass English project, they'd still fucking be here!"

I didn't know what to say, I just stood there but I guess he didn't like that because next thing I knew he had slapped me across the face and I fell to the floor. I tried to get back up, but he started kicking me in the ribs. I pleaded for him to stop but that only made him kick harder. After he was finished he grabbed a bottle of liquor and walked into the living room.

I slowly try to pick myself up off the kitchen floor to only fall back down. After a few more unsuccessful attempts I manage to get up and walk to my room. As soon as I hit my bed tears roll down my face like waterfalls.

I guess I cried myself to sleep because I wake up to my alarm telling me to get ready for school. I go to move and a few tears fall. I think I have at least one broken rib and several bruised ones. I make it to the bathroom and start taking my clothes off only to gape at myself in the mirror, my stomach is covered with black and blue bruises.

The hot water helped to soothe some of the pain, but not all. Once I'm clothed and I make sure all the bruises are covered I head to school. The school day passes in a blur and I'm back home sooner than I'd like to be.

As soon as I walk in the door I hear my dad yell, "Raylen! Is that you?! Get in here!"

I flinch immediately, but slowly make my way to the living room. When I make to the living room I glance around to see empty bottles upon empty bottles of liquor scattered everywhere.

"Yeah dad?"

"Go get me a beer and make me some food now," he says as he takes the last swig of the current bottle he had in his hand. I head to the kitchen, grab him a beer, but when I get back to the living room he is already passed out. I put the beer on his side table and head back into the kitchen.

A half hour later, I have some chili made for dinner. I'm standing next to the stove when dad walks into the room.

He instantly starts yelling, "What is this?! I didn't ask for chili!" He pushes the pot off the stove into the floor spilling boiling chili all over me. I instantly scream, but then soon regret it when I'm being thrown to the floor, where I land in the spilt chili.

All I can feel is the burning sensation of the chili touching my skin. With tears in my eyes, I look up and see the shell of what used to be my father pacing back and forth murmuring the same thing over and over.

"It's all your fault, if it weren't for you they'd still be here." I heard him repeat it one last time only to hear the sound of him stalking towards me next. I barely look up before I feel his boot against my ribs. What felt like hours, but was only minutes passed by and finally the agonizing blows stopped. I cautiously open my eyes to see him walking back into the living room. I wait a few more moments before I try to get up.

Once I'm up I clutch my ribcage and look at the mess of chili all over the floor, the counter, and me. I walk over to the sink and grab some cleaning supplies and get to work on cleaning up the counter and the floor. About a half hour later the floor and counter are all cleaned up and the dishes are cleaned and put away.

I quickly and quietly go up to my bedroom and grab clothes so that I can go get a shower. Once in the bathroom I pull my chili covered clothes off and stick them in the dirty laundry basket, then I examine the damage. I can see more bruises already forming on top of the ones from the day before and burns all over my body from the chili. A few tears fall and I hop in the shower.

Once I feel like I finally got all the chili off and I'm clean I hop out, dry off and put on my clothes. I walk into my bedroom and close the door, set my alarms for school and lay down in bed dreading tomorrow.