The Tutor

Seventeenth Chapter

"Justin, can we talk?" Clarence questioned as they sat on the couch. Clarence looked at their intertwined hands while Justin looked away from the television.

"Of course, babe." He smiled at her as she grabbed the black remote. She turned the screen off before turning back to Justin with a nervous smile.

"We have been dating for a while, and I trust you." Clarence mumbled with nerves as she played with the ends on her hoodie. Justin looked at her with concern as his thumb rubbed the back of her hand. "I don't want you to feel like you-"

"I love you." Justin rushed out as Clarence looked towards him with surprise. A laugh escaped her lips as she pressed their lips together for a brief moment.

"I love you too, Justin." He gave a small chuckle as he squeezed her hand.

"I don't want to break up, Clare. We are meant to be, Clare." Justin smiled at her as she pulled away. "You don't need to break up with me."

"I wasn't breaking up with you, Justin." Clarence laughed at Justin's face of shock. He mumbled never mind while Clarence rolled her eyes. "I want to tell you about my scars."

"Are you sure you are ready?" Justin asked before Clarence nodded at him. She slowly pulled her hoodie over her face as he stared at her with shock. "They are fading."

"I have some scar cream my doctor gave me. She said it would help a little bit." She smiled as Justin's fingers traced over her arm. "The doctor said I should be able to wear short sleeves without turning heads one day."

"You will still turn heads." Justin smirked at her while she rolled her eyes. Her smile slipped when she remembered the topic of their conversation.

"When I was a little girl, my mother got brain cancer. Then when I turned twelve, she died." Clarence looked into his eyes which held sympathy and guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Clare." He spoke with sorrow while she shook her head.

"I was devastated. Faith stayed with us for another week before she came back here." Clarence spoke as she felt her voice crake. Justin pulled her to his chest as he ran a hand through her hair in comfort. "My dad was in ruins. He was always an aggressive drunk, but usually my mom could stop him before anything happened."

"What did he do to you, Clare?" He mumbled into her hair. His voice was small and weak as the possibilities passed through his mind. She felt a tear spilled from her eye as she continued.

"I was making dinner when he came home. It was only six when his breath reeked of alcohol. I tried to calm him down, but he just wouldn't listen. He punched a wall before he hit me. The next day he cried as he told me sorry." Clarence felt her breath leave her as Justin held onto her tighter.

"How long did this go on for?" He asked with a voice of sorrow and hidden anger.

"Almost three years before my teacher found out." Clarence whispered as another tear slipped from her. Justin's eyes held confusion as anger resided in him.

"Why would you let that go on, Clarence?" His words felt like a knife. The same knife many others had used during the trails.

"I didn't want him to be taken away, Justin. He was the only person I had left. A few weeks after I turned fifteen, a teacher saw my scars. Most of them were fresh from the nights before when he came home. The school questioned it for a long time, but they didn't remove me from his home." Clarence felt herself reliving every moment as she watched Justin's face swing with different emotion.

"What happened?" He asked as he hand ran through her hair again. She whipped away her tears as she laughed.

"It made it worse. He would beat me even if he wasn't drunk. He was so angry at the world that he didn't care anymore. One night he cut me so deep in the arm that I felt myself slipping away. There was so much blood that he started crying too. It was like something snapped into him." Clarence felt her cheeks wet from the tears as the memories flashed through her mind.

"D-Dad, please stop hurting me." Clarence mumbled out as he gave her a cruel sneer. The broken glass slipped harder in her stomach as she screamed. When he let her go, she clasped to the floor.

"Get up." He scuffled as her hands held the wound. Blood tainted her white shirt while it dripped to the tiles. "I said, get up!"

"Just kill me already." She cried as he fell to his knees. His hand touched her shoulder as she felt her eyes close. She flinched away from his touch as he removed her hands from her shirt. His face fell into panic as he realized his actions.

"No, sweetheart, you can't die like this." He mumbled as his mind became clear. He felt the panic rise in his chest as he pulled her into his arms. "Daddy will fix this."

"Goodbye." Clarence mumbled as she felt her eyes close. Her vision was black as she heard him screaming into his phone.

"He called the ambulance. He was arrested instantly, and put away for 10 years." Clarence finished her story with a whisper as she thought of her father. "I was in the hospital for the trail, and Faith came down right away."

"I'm sorry, Clare." Justin whispered as Clarence rested her head in his neck.

"I wish I got to talk to him before I left." Clarence whispered against his chest as he felt his anger rise.

"Why would you want to see him? He is a monster." Justin spat with anger as Clarence bit her lip.

"Wouldn't you want to see your dad? I may not ever see him again, and as twisted as it sounds, I still love him. He wasn't always a monster, Justin." Clarence whipped away her eyes as Justin shook his head.

"My dad left my mom and me when I was six, Clare. I don't ever want to see that man again." Justin's voice was hard as he mentioned his father. Clarence looked to the brown carpet beneath their feet.

"Our lives are so different, Justin." Clarence laughed bitterly as Justin kissed her neck gently.

"Our past is different, Clare, but our future will be the same." He smiled at her while is arms wrapped around her waist.

"Did you find that in a fortune cookie?" Clarence laughed as Justin rolled his eyes.

"A cerealbox actually." Their laughter blended together as they rested against eachother.