lucidity | shyland ✓

seventeen

chapter seventeen

shane was not there when my eyes closed and my head hit the floor. it was a sickening crack, my skull thwacking against the wooden tiles. i felt the collar of my shirt be grabbed and my body was lifted off the floor a few millimetres, before being shoved back down. again and again, his fist collided with my face, the warm blood trickling through the creases of my cheekbones.

the sounds of morgan screaming for my dad to stop and the echoing of the door shaking on its hinges merged, filling my ears and making me squeeze my eyes shut. i laid there for half a second before flinching at the next sound. a shatter. i felt small beads of glass spray against my skin but the punching did not stop, it only got stronger.

'andrew, please!' morgan sobbed as the sound of smashing was louder and louder, until one final thump occurred and i was covered by fragments of glass. the hitting still didn't stop, until i felt a weight pulled off of me and i could breathe again.

'open your eyes, ryland!' she screamed, and i used all my willpower just to see andrew holding my dad back. it hurt, though, seeing things. the light was too bright. i closed them again and soon, my body was in somebody's arms and i felt the cold air hit me, stinging my cuts and bruises.

*

i must of blacked out between going outside and this point, because i don't remember garrett driving me anywhere, yet i was now in a random bedroom that i could only assume was inside their house. apparently, their parents weren't around for a few days, he and andrew had told morgan, so this wouldn't be a problem. the room i was in was small, with white interior walls and a single bed.

'you're okay, right?' i heard someone say almost incoherently, making me stay completely still and close my eyes again. no one had noticed that i was awake, and the room was seemingly empty apart from one person. garrett was sat on the small, moth eaten armchair in the corner, phone pressed against his ear.

'yeah– i know that. he won't hurt me, i promise.' he laughed quietly. 'you're too protective. i really like him, i just hope he likes me too, you know?' i thought about what he was saying, and despite my head aching, thoughts nearing irreconcilability, my mind led to drew. how close they had been back at the beach party, kissing on the sand.

'sh– i miss you too. i really need to see you, i'm so glad you've got this apprenticeship instead of continuing at that stupid college.' the smile on his face was wide. 'okay, good. fuck off then you dork, yeah, bye.'

i heard the dialling tone sound and garrett click off his phone. i stirred, perhaps a little over dramatically, and tried to sit up. a pain shot through my lower back and up my spine, making me hiss. garrett exclaimed my name in shock and called for everyone, jumping out of his seat so he was close to me.

morgan practically pounced on me as she walked through the door, hugging me tightly. 'oh my god.' she murmured, fingers tracing over the bruises that coloured my face. 'what did you do to make him hurt you like this? surely not just break up with loren?'

with fearful eyes, i glanced anxiously at garrett, who was nodding at me, his fingers intertwined with drew's.

'i told dad i was gay, morgan.' i said slowly, watching her face contort into shock before being pulled into another hug. 'ow, let's remember i am covered in bruises.' i whined, my back hurting badly.

they stayed in that room all afternoon, laughing and joking. despite being so broken my heart was full from how much they cared. i had no idea what i was going to do; my credit cards were being cut off, my own father despised me and i lacked a roof over my head for the next two years until i turned eighteen and could move away. i knew what was coming next, though – foster care, surely? the only possible outcome would be being taken away from everyone, because there was no way i'd ever be able to stay with my dad again. i was a sinner in his eyes, just like he said.