Any Time At All

Chapter Five

"How dare you?" Your father questions, his eyebrows are being forced down so far that the hair is almost touching the bridge of his nose. "When I tell you not to do something, you don't do it! Am I clear, young lady?" He is now a foot away from you, towering over you and creating an emotional shadow.

"You and Mom are gone all the time! You aren't ever here for me. I would even go as far to say that you don't even love me!" You hold back the waterfall tears that are about to spill out.

Your father is fuming, he moves his hand back and brings it down onto your cheek with a loud smack that fills the silence. The force of his hand coming down was so strong that it pushes you to the floor. You hold the right side of your face. Your father has never hit you. He is never around to hit you.

"Speak to me that way again, you're out of this house!" With that he walks away and slams your door shut. Finally the tears stream out of your eyes and onto your carpet wear you're laying. With your ear to the carpet, you can hear the front door open and shut. You open the window and can see outside to where your father is starting the car. You change into your everyday clothes and run out of the house once your father is out of sight.

Quickly, you open the door to Steve's house. You close it lightly, feeling weak, and fall to the floor with your back pressed up against it. You place your head in your knees and cry out every last tear you have in you.

Steve heard the door and he ran downstairs to see you in tears. He quickly looks out his front window to see if your father's car had gone before he goes over to you. He bends down slowly and touches your arm. This startles you and you look up to see the beautiful boy only inches away from your face. You wrap your arms around his neck and shove your contorted face into his chest.

Steve gets into a squatting position, puts his right arm around your back and his left under your legs. He picks you up and brings you upstairs into his room.

Still crying, he drops you, carefully, on his bed. In this state, he looks at you like you're porcelain, about to break. You wipe the salty tears that are already beginning to dry on your cheeks. Steve sits opposite of you, awkwardly rubbing his neck and running his hand through his hair. You keep your face shoved in your hands, trying to hide from him during your embarrassing break down.

"Steve, I-I'm," You stop and take a deep breath. Your voice is course and thick as you are trying not to cry.

"(Y/N), you don't have to say anything," He goes to your side and rubs your back, reassuringly.

"No, Steve, I am so sorry," you finally get the words out but this brings on more tears.

He hugs you gently, "It's not you, (Y/N/N)," he stops to put a finger under your chin and lift up your face. You reluctantly do so and he sees the giant red mark where your father slapped you. You turn away, embarrassed. "Did he," He looks at you bewildered, "did he hit you?"

"It's fine Steve, I talked back to him. I deserved it," You keep your head turned to the side, avoiding any contact with Steve.

"Deserved it? (Y/N), you do not deserve this! Not even in the slightest!" He puts his hand on the side of your face that he can't see and turns you towards him again. "No parent should hit their child. Especially not a child with a face as beautiful as yours,"

You stare at him and kiss him softly. He kisses you back and you get the feeling of home once more. "Thank you," you smile at him and you lay down with him. You put your head on his chest. The sound of his heartbeat makes you fall asleep and forget about your father.

You wake up and Steve isn't there. The curtains make his room look darker. You look at the clock on his nightstand and see that it's twelve o'clock in the afternoon. You get out of bed and go to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, you can see the faint purple mark of a hand on your cheek. You know that the purple won't get any darker and so you don't worry about it.