Blind Eyes

Chapter 11

I wasn't ready to talk to him yet so I let the call ring out. His wasn't the call I was waiting for.

I wanted dad to call. But I didn't want him to call.

I wanted to hear why he acted like a fool. But I didn't want to hear his excuses.

He was probably too drunk to dial a phone so I didn't really expect to hear from him tonight.

I heard Pepper's phone ring and her voice muffled through the walls. I gathered Rhodey had called her after I didn't answer. I wondered what he was saying. I heard my name being said.

After a few minutes I heard Pepper say goodbye and soon the light coming through under my door vanished, indicating she had gone to bed. I doubted either of us were going to get enough sleep tonight. I was already planning in my head what I should do. Tomorrow I would go by the house, pack as much as my belongings as I could and stay in a hotel. And then I would start looking for a place of my own. I had still been hesitant about moving out after my talk with dad in the garage but his actions tonight had just made my decision easier. I was so sick of worrying about him, being the one who had to look out for him and make sure he didn't do something stupid. I am the teenager for god's sake, it should be the other way around. He should be worrying about what I'm doing.

I was done. I'd put up with this kind of crap before Afghanistan. The constant parties, the one night stands, the drinking. I'd thought he'd changed. I'd thought he'd realised that there was more to life than girls and booze. But he had just shown me tonight that he wasn't the changed man I thought he was. He was still the same drunken idiot. The only thing that has changed is me. I'm not going to put up with it anymore. If he wants to drink away his life and go back to being seen as just a billionaire playboy, fine, it's his life, but I'm not going to stand around and watch.

My head and back were still throbbing with pain but somehow I managed to fall asleep. I only got a few hours' sleep before I was awoken by the sounds of Pepper getting ready for the day. I looked at my phone to see it was 6:30 am. I was glad that the noise had pulled me from sleep. I wanted to get over to the house as early as I could as dad would probably still be sleeping off his hangover. I wasn't ready to see him yet.

My clothes, still on the floor from where I had dumped them the night before, were covered with dirt, blood and had holes in them from the glass. I picked them up, walked out of my room and into the bathroom and chucked them straight into the bin. Pepper had already laid out a pair of jeans (one of the few pairs she owned) and a blue tee on the racks on the wall. Although she was slightly taller than me, we were almost the same size so the clothes would fit fine. I jumped into the shower and the water was coloured brown as it ran down the drain. I hadn't realised how much dirt and dust the blast had covered me in. I felt guilty for sleeping in Pepper's spare bed in my state but vanished that guilt by promising to myself to buy her new sheets.

After blow drying my hair, I inspected myself in the mirror above the sink. I didn't look as bad as I expected. Dark bags were under my eyes thanks to my sleepless night. The cuts on my face didn't look as bad as they had last night since I'd wiped away the blood. They were small enough that they looked like they'd heal without scaring. I was thankful since it could have been a lot worse. I rolled up the ends of the jeans slightly, put on my converse sneakers and made my way downstairs. Pepper, all made up and ready to go, was standing in the kitchen finishing her cup of coffee. She smiled as I arrived and I thanked her for the clothes. After she had poured a cup of coffee for me, she slid into the seat opposite mine at the table.

"What are you going to do today?" she asked.

"I'm going to get some of my stuff and start looking for my own place."