Innocence

Chapter 3 Aliana

Aliana stood there waiting for him to speak, just daring him to tell her she shouldn't smoke. What came out of his mouth instead, "Hey, can I have one of those?" Richard asked, as he licked his lips like they were dry. She stood there in thought for a second, is this a trick? Will he take the whole pack if she hands it to him. To keep this from happening, she pulls out a cigarette and passes it to him. 

Aliana wastes no time getting outside, she turns on the back porch light and sits in the chair. She lights her cigarette and inhales it deeply. When she exhales, she looks up into the night sky. Looking at the stars and the moon, hearing the porch squeak beneath Richards feet, she speaks to him, not even turning to look at him. "So, why are you here?" She asks, her voice soft as she continues to stare up into the sky. The other chair on the porch creaked lightly as he sat down beside her, the snow still falling, just not as heavy as before. 

She could hear the sound of surprise in his voice when he spoke, "To visit your family, for the holidays." Richard obviously surprised and confused by the question. Aliana looked at him and the cigarette smoldering between her fingers, she looked studied him. Then smirked, her red lips barely pulling up at the corners. "Bullshit." She told him, the look of confusion on his face made her chuckle more. "You aren't here to visit my family, you are here for my mother. I know that look on your face every time you look at my father. You envy him, you hate him.. Don't you?" 

It was clear that Richard couldn't quite believe the words that came from the girls mouth. "I..I.." He stuttered, trying to figure out what to say to her. Aliana only shrugged and looked away from him again. She spoke once more then said "It's clear honestly.. I mean, I hate my father too. My mother, she's a good woman.. Honestly, she deserves better, she just won't go for it." She put out the cigarette, flicking the butt over into the yard. Aliana walked away from Richard leaving him in stunned silence. 

Once inside she goes down the hall toward her bedroom, before she passes her parents room. She stops and listens, to see if they are still awake. She can hear hushed arguing, "Why can't you just be civil?" It's her mothers voice, she's begging, no pleading with Aliana's father. "For me? For the sake of our daughter, you act like he is a bad guy." 

"For Christ sake Tina! I am being civil! I don't like the guy, I never did. Haven't I done enough for you?! All you do is take and take and take from me! I'm so fucking drained!" Robert's voice begins to raise with each sentence. He was angry, but this wasn't unnatural for the Grimmswalds they always fought. Usually about Aliana, or anything really, Aliana sighed once more for about the thousandth time that night and walked to her bedroom, the last thing she heard before she walked away was her mothers voice talking to her father, "Please, keep your voice down.. We have a guest.." She was crying now. 

Aliana shut her bedroom door quietly and then laid on her bed, not even bothering to take off her coat. She hated school breaks, cause that meant she was getting to witness every fight they would have throughout the day. She stared at her bedroom ceiling and let herself get lost in her thoughts, she wondered how Travis is doing. She worried about him a lot, one of her closest friends and they kind of got into it the last time she saw him, it was stupid. It always was, like father like daughter.. No, I will not be like them.. She thought to herself, she knew she had to break this cycle, even if it is only beginning. 

A few minutes passed and there was a knock on her door, by then she had changed and was getting ready to go to bed. She prayed it isn't her father, or her mother. She wasn't in the mood to deal with tears or anger tonight. Aliana sat up upon hearing the noise, she got up and walked over to the door. When she opened it, she is surprised to see Richard standing at her bedroom door. "Can I help you?" She asked leaning against the door frame, looking into his eyes, waiting for him to speak. Then she noticed his green eyes, looking her body over, studying her. When he got caught, his face turned a shade of red. She found herself grinning, she didn't know why, but she liked it. She straightened her body up more and then spoke her voice quiet, she didn't want her parent's to hear. "Like what you see?" She is aware that she is flirting, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.