She's Broken

Chapter 26

Chapter 26 (Not proofread).

                My heart was still hammering so loud that I could hear it, my pulse was louder, pummeling through the vein in my neck, drowning out the sound of the door shutting after Eli and my mum’s voice as she told me to stay put. I didn’t know where she was going, probably to call the police, but I didn’t care. Despite what she wanted, I wasn’t staying in the kitchen. The cold kitchen that was working as a prison, the once safe walls collapsing into an abyss of cold air as the door closed, officially locking me in.

                With a shudder, I started towards the door, ignoring the sound of the phone dialling and Harley whinnying from outside. If I took off on Harley, Mum would find me in minutes and her company was the last thing that I needed. Harley’s ears pricked when I pushed the door open and walked over to the gate. Glancing over my shoulder, I tried to shoot him a reassuring smile but his eyes were trained on me in a stance of concern. Harley had always been the same, able to tell how I was feeling just by my body language. I was the same with him.

                I pushed the gate open, not looking around for Eli as I rushed through, taking in the openness of the road. It was calmer, quieter and bigger. Not quite so confining. The air slapped at my cheeks, no compassion as a tear broke free, followed by another. Going back to court was a thing of nightmares, let alone seeing Finn again.

                Rubbing my face with my sleeve, I let out a breath, trying to stop my trembling hands. The village was spread out before me, offering me several different routes to a haven.

                “Kat?” I turned at the sound of my name and a car honking. At first I jumped and felt my heart stop, that was until I noticed who was in the driver’s seat.

                Cooper was hanging out of the window, shooting me a concerned look.

                “Um, hi,” I greeted, hoping that my voice wasn’t too groggy from crying.

                “Want a lift?” he asked, motioning towards the other side. I looked around, chewing on the inside of my lip. Originally, I was planning on going out to the cliffs, taking the shortcut through town.

                “Where are you going?” Cooper pointing up the road ahead with his index finger, not letting go of the wheel.

                “Ally’s with Miss Holdana. I’m going to pick her up, getting in?” I sighed. Miss Holdana’s was closer to the cliff than the village centre so I nodded gratefully.

                “Thanks.” He offered me a supportive smile, leaning over the seats to push open the door. I let myself in, shadowing my face with my hair. Cooper said nothing when he pressed down on the pedal, the car roaring to life below us.

                “You might want to wait in the car for a few minutes if you don’t want Ally to see that you’ve been crying. Eyes like a hawk,” Cooper said, changing the gear and shooting me a smirk. I let out a chuckle and shook my head, looking out the window to avoid looking at him.