Only You - Jace X Reader

No Escape

(Y/N) ran blindly through the streets, wanting nothing but to escape the clutches of Jace. Well, half of her wanted him to run after her, but that wasn't the point. She pushed people out of the way, trying to find refuge in any place she knew. Eventually, she found her road, and then her house. She shoved open the door, slammed it behind her and ran to the stairs. She had hoped to run up the stairs and into her room without anyone trying to stop her, but considering the racket that she had made, it wasn't exactly likely. 

As she'd suspected, Karl was stood at the bottom of the stairs. He was leaning against the banister, looking disapproving. There was also a hint of relief on his face when he saw her, and his eyes softened. (Y/N) noticed this, and hoped that maybe, just maybe, she'd wriggle out of this. That hope flickered out of existence when  Karl began to shout. 

"HOW DARE YOU! I TRUSTED YOU TO BE BACK SOON, AND HERE YOU ARE AFTER 4 HOURS! DO YOU REALISE HOW WORRIED I WAS? I CALLED THE POLICE, YOUNG LADY, THINKING YOU'D BEEN KIDNAPPED! YOU DIDN'T ANSWER YOUR PHONE, OR EVEN TEXT ME BACK! YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T SMACK YOUR--" 

That was it. I couldn't stand this man standing here, acting as if he had the right to hit me. I might not have mentioned it before, but I wasn't exactly the best step-daughter ever. I could be sweet when I wanted something, but if not? Oh, I can be a storm. A big one.

"You wouldn't dare. If you lay so much as a finger on me, I will make your life a living hell. I can call the police, and I can take you to court. No matter how hard you try, you will never be my father. Are we clear on that?"

Karl stared at me, his anger dissipating in seconds. He had crossed the line, and I needed to make sure that he knew that. I wouldn't let him do this to me. Not now, not ever. He sighed and held his hands up in surrender.

"Fine, fine. But if you pull a stunt like this again, I will be telling your mother. Understood?"

Oh, this man had nerves. I gave him the dirtiest look I could pull and stormed up the stairs. Sometimes Karl was great, but most of the time I hated his guts. I mean, I wouldn't have done it like that but I wanted to create a distraction, stop him from telling mum. If she found out, all hell would break loose.

***

It was September 16th, and dad had died exactly a week ago. Mum and I had only just begun to digest the fact that he was gone, and mum didn't take it lightly. She had been out all night doing God knows what, and I came home from school to see her passed out drunk on the sofa, some guy with her. I remember thinking "Who the Hell is this guy? Does mum even know he is here?" So I woke her up and told her.

"Mum! Mum, get up, there is some guy in our house! We need to --"

Mum chuckled in the low, raspy voice she gets after a night of drinking, and said, "Honey, this is Karl. He's--" She giggled. "A friend." Karl looked at me with disgust, then quickly masked it with awe. I didn't fall for his stupid tricks. He was here to replace my dad, and so he took advantage of mum by getting her drunk. I ordered him out of the house, and he gave me a sickening glare before strutting out. I immediately whirled onto mum and started speaking non-stop.

"What do you think you're doing, letting him in there like that? He was taking advantage of you, mum, and you were letting him! He could've - well, anything could've happened! Come on mum, you know how to deal with these situations!"

Mum looked at me with pity in her eyes, a look that made me even madder. "Honey, what I used to do was tell them that I'm married. I'm not married anymore, I'm widowed. What am I supposed to do, lie to him?"

Seriously. Was she being stupid or just that drunk? "Yes, mum. Of course you're supposed to lie! What else do you do? You could ignore him, or just outright tell him you're not interested!"

"Well, what if I AM interested? I'm not going to let you rule my life, just because you think I know better!"

And that was the beginning of mum's practically endless drinking nights. Oh, and the beginning of my hating Karl, too.