Different

6

⚠️ABUSE WARNING ⚠️

I felt light as a feather as I quietly walked into my house. Billy seemed to really like me and I damn sure liked him. Maybe we could have an actual relationship. I was so excited to see him tomorrow. My bubble was bursted the second I walked out of the kitchen and started to make my way to my room.
"Hey! Where the fuck have you been?" My dad roared. I slowly turned and walked towards him.
"I was at Nancy's." I said confidently.
"Where the fuck's your car!" He stood now stalking towards me. Shit.
"It died when me and Nancy went to the diner by her house so we pushed it back to hers and a friend gave me a ride home." I said twiddling my fingers.
"Who was this 'friend'?!" My dad yelled.
"His names Billy he lives near Nance so he just drove me home." I lied.
My dad's face contorted and became angrier about the fact that a boy drove me home. He tightened his grip around the beer bottle in his hand. I was petrified I couldn't move.
"So you just let this fucking boy drive you home?! You let this dipshit know where we live?! Did you tell him about what a fuck up your dad is?" He was really angry now.
"What? No I just got a ride, dad I swear I don't tell anyone about you." I said.
"Oh what your embarrassed of me? What am I not shiny enough for you? Not good enough?!" He was in my face now.
"No, that's not it. I just know- you told me that if people knew what happened- they'd take me away." I said slightly raising my arms to protect myself.
"Oh now your raising your hands to me?" He grabbed my wrists with his one free hand.
"Let's get one thing straight, never raise a fucking hand to me. Ever." He starred into my eyes. They filled with tears.
"Okay Dad. I'm sorry. I wasn't I just-" I was cut off.. again.
"What the fuck is wrong with you bitch?! Are you thick? Don't talk back!" His grip tightened.
"I'm sorry Dad." I whispered.
"Shut the fuck up!" He screamed into my face. He then did something I only saw him do once. He took the beer bottle in his hand and broke it right over my head. I felt the sudden burst of pain and instantly dropped. I then blacked out.

The next morning I woke up in my bed and had an ice pack on my head. I looked at my hands to be sure I wasn't dead and saw black and blue bruises on my wrists. I sat up in my bed and looked at the clock. It was 11. My dad would be at work today until 11pm tonight.
I swung my feet over the side of my bed. I felt dizzy and sat for a second. When I felt stable I made my way to the kitchen. I made myself a bowl of cereal because I was starving. Just as I was doing the dishes the phone rang. I wiped my hands and made my way to it.
"Hello?" My voice sounded weak.
"Juliet?" Billy said on the other line in a worried tone.
"Oh hi." I smiled to myself.
"So I was thinking because you don't have your car I could come and pick you up." He sounded chipper. That made me happy.
"That's really sweet Billy- but I can't go to the diner today." I said feeling the dried blood on my head.
"What? Juliet? We need to do this assignment." He said. My heart felt a pang of pain. Of course he didn't want to see me, he just didn't want to flunk.
"I'm sorry I can't. I'll see you at school okay." I said not waiting for an answer as my eyes swelled with tears, and I hung up the phone. I starred at the phone for a second before letting my emotions show. I was so mad and sad. I started to cry, no not cry, sob. I couldn't stop. I had so many emotions and I had to hold them in. I was heartbroken not only from being interested in Billy and him not returning it but also because my mom left me alone with my father. How dare she. She knew what a monster he was and when she was gone he just got worse. She was on her way home one day and her car lost control and I lost her. I let my body fall to the ground. The cold floor was a friend, someone I could count on the always be there and catch me when I fell. It knew all of my secrets. I felt like I was drowning. My chest tightened and I just continued to sob. I wanted someone to hold me and tell me I would be okay. Someone who cared. I cried on the floor until I heard a knock on the door. I lifted myself off the floor with all the strength I had left and made my way to the door. I slightly opened it and peered my puffy red eyes outside. What stood there was a blonde mullet and a jean jacket. Seeing him made me feel happy but also sad because I knew he just wanted to get the dumb project done.
"Hi Billy." I said my voice cracking.
"Hey Juliet, are you okay?" He said seeing I was obviously crying.
"Oh yeah just watching some sad movies." I chuckled. I had to be okay, I wasn't allowed to not be.
"Uh what are you doing here?" I questioned.
"Well you said you couldn't go to the diner so I thought I'd come to you." He smiled. I smiled too.
"Couldn't stand to not see me for a whole 48 hours?" I smirked joking.
"Of course not baby." He winked.
I then realized I still had dried blood on my head.
"Oh uh come in." I said opening the door wider. I motioned him in.
"Uh you can sit down I'll just be a minute." I said making my way to my room.
As soon as I got in my bedroom I threw on a pair of jeans a a blue shirt. I crossed the hall and went into the bathroom. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Pathetic. I let this guy who has a reputation of just wanting to fuck girls and throw them away, steal my heart. I cried. He knows I was sad. I shook my thoughts away and began to scrub the blood off of my visible scalp and forehead. It burned. When I thought it looked okay I walked back to the living room. Billy was sitting on the sofa and patted the seat next to him. I rolled my eyes and walked over.
"So lets start." I said.
"Okay, So where do we start?" He said.
"What's your full name?" I said.
"Really? Ha okay, uh William George Hargrove." He said. I wrote it down. "You?" He said.
"Well it's not Juliet." I smirked.
"Oh I know that." He said.
"Wait then why do you call me that?" I was shocked.
"You thought I thought your name was Juliet and you didn't correct me? Jesus you'd think I'd know my own crushes name wouldn't you?" He winked. I blushed but told myself he just wanted one thing.
"Cute. It's Daniella Wendy Berkly." I said.
"Wendy?" He snickered.
"George?" I retorted.
"Fair enough." He backed down.
"Wendy was my mother's middle name." I said not looking at him.
"George is my grandfather's name." He said looking at me.
"Okay do you have any siblings?" I asked moving on because I didn't want to talk about my mother anymore.
"Uh, no. Well I have a stepsister , Maxine." Billy said. The way he said her name sounded as if they despised each other.
"What's your family like?" I asked.
"Could we move off of the family section? Damn I thought this was supposed to be about me." He seemed to not want to be associated with his family. We moved off of the family section and asked questions about personality and preferences. We got enough information within an hour. Just as we finished my stomach grumbled.
"Hungry Juliet?" He laughed.
"A little." I blushed.
"We'll go get your coat we can get something to eat." He smiled.
"Like a date?" I joked batting my eyelashes.
"Yeah exactly a date." He said. My stomach did flips.
I got up and walked to my room grabbing a light sweater. When I walked back out we left and got into Billy's car. We drove to a diner.
"This is nice." I said.
"Only the best for you." He winked.
"Do you ever stop flirting?" I asked.
"When it's the right girl, no." He smirked.
Just then a blonde bimbo from another booth came over and started talking to Billy.
"Hey your Billy Hargrove right?" She ask pushing her tits out.
"Nope." Billy said not looking away from his menu. "Bye now." He smiled. I giggled.
"Oh come on I heard all my friends had the best time with you last month." She bit her lip.
"Well that's great I don't remember them, I'm on a date so excuse yourself and leave." He smiled at her. She scuffed and strutted off. Billy really meant it when he said this was a date.
"Last month huh?" I joked. I had come into school last month.
"Yeah that was before I had my eyes on a certain new girl." He said looking into my eyes. I blushed.
"Wait so you weren't joking those times you said you had a crush on me?" I was shocked.
"Why would I lie about that? And how could I not have a crush on you, I mean look at you." He said motioning to me.
"Maybe you said it just to get in my pants." I said shrugging.
"That was the old Billy. The Billy that didn't know you. This is the new and improved William who wants to date you." He winked and reached for my hands. He took them in his hands and looked into my eyes. For a second I forgot about everything. My dad, my bruises, the open wound on my head. It was just me and Billy and for a second I thought I might be okay. Until Billy looked down at my hands. He turned over my wrists and looked at the bruises.
"Wow what the fuck happened?" He said he looked furious.
"Oh that uh nothing I just bruise easily." I tried to play it off pulling my hands away. Billy looked at me and seemed to see straight through me. He let it go through the rest of our date. Then he drove me home. He parked in front of my house and looked at me.
"Juliet, I know that we've only known each other for a few days but I want you to know that I'm here for you okay." He said holding my hand.
"Thank you Billy, but I'm fine oaky don't worry about me." I smiled to him.
He smiled back and we got out of the car. We went inside and to my room.Billy could stay for a while longer. We sat in my room and listened to music and talked.
"You know I really have changed." He said starring at my ceiling.
"I believe you." I said turning to him. He turned his head to look at me and I looked into his beautiful blue eyes. He truly was hypnotizing.
"Juliet, I think your the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He said stroking my cheek with the back of his hand. "Your eyes are my new favorite color." He licked his bottom lip.
I looked from his eyes to his lips back to his eyes. Before I knew what I was doing we were kissing. We kissed and kissed laying on my bed. It was a hungry lustful kiss. It felt so right. My hands rested around his shoulders as his found their way to my hair and began stroking and groping it. He was an amazing kisser and our lips and tongues seemed to work like they were made for each other. I took in the taste of his lips, like cigarettes, and I assumed mine tasted the same. Everything felt distant and unimportant. He was perfect and we were meant to find each other . Just as I had another happy thought I heard a car door slam shut. I popped right up and Billy fell off my bed.
"Oh no. Oh no no no no. You- you have to go." I scrambled.
"What's wrong Juliet did I do something wrong?" He asked as I heard the front door open and frantically tried to open my window.
"What, oh no you didn't- goddamn it!" I whispered as I couldn't get the window open.
"Dani?" I heard my dad call.
"Get in the closet." I told Billy he looked at me and then stood and got in the closet. "Don't come out until I get you." I instructed. He nodded and did as he was told. I launched myself into my bed and covered myself. My dad opened my bedroom door.

Billy's POV
I watched her through the crack in the closet door. She covered herself with her blankets frantically. Even when she was worried she was beautiful. The time we had spent kissing felt magical I had never felt that way with a girl, they were always just something fun to do. But Dani was different. She was powerful and self aware and unafraid. I looked down at my hand and saw it had blood on the finger tips. I was so confused but I looked up and watched through the closet door as a man walked in.

Dani's POV
My dad walked in and sat on my bed.
"Hey Dani, how ya feeling?" He asked stroking my hand.
"A little better Dad. My head hurts." I said still able to feel the wound.
"I know princess. I'm sorry." He said kissing my forehead. If he were truly sorry he would stop doing what he did.
"I'm a little tired Dad I think I'm gonna go to sleep." I said rubbing my eyes.
"Okay sleep well." He said as he closed my door and left.
I listened for his footsteps, waiting until I heard him sit down to get Billy. I walked over to the closet and opened the door. When I opened the door Billy had his hand held up and it had blood coated on the fingertips. I was so embarrassed. I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn't think of what to say. In the distance I heard my father snoring in the living room. It was okay to cry now. But I couldn't. I had to lie.
"Last night I tripped in the dark and hit my head in the corner of the table." I whispered. Billy didn't look like he was buying my shit.
"Juliet you have to go to the doctors." Billy suggested.
"No! Please Billy no. We don't have the money for a hospital bill." I pleaded. I broke him. He dropped it.
"I'm so sorry I understand if you don't want to see me again." I said covering my face. Billy took my hands away from my face and lifted my chin.
"Don't be silly." He said and then he kissed me. My inside felt warm and fuzzy. He then helped me open my window and get him out. As he left my window he kissed me again. Once on the lips and once on the cheek.
"Goodnight Juliet. I'll see you tomorrow" Billy whispered and winked as he ran off towards his car.
Tomorrow. He wanted to see me again tomorrow. Maybe my life wasn't meant to be total shit after all.