The journey back to the house was silent. the world passed by but Lydia stared at her hands avoiding all contact of any form. Noah drove with one destination in mind. no conversation was had, no eye contact was made, no loving jokes, no playful touches, they weren't even a metre apart and yet it felt like miles. the truck stopped right outside of the house. Lydia lingered in the porch for a moment. tears stung her eyes. this couldn't be it could it? she pleaded with herself to tell him to wait there while she went inside and packed her things but she knew just as well as him, that wasn't an option.
Bobby and Allie made their way out of the front door spotting the truck. Allie stopped Bobby, grabbing his arm and pulling him back, her heart breaking for her cousin. she cocked her head slightly, watching as Lydia got out of the truck without so much as a thank you. those would be her last words to him.
'take me home' words that she imagined saying when their house had been refurbished and built up and finally he could take her to their home.
Noah sat in the truck watching as Lydia collapsed in her cousins arms, sobbing violently. Bobby nodded at Noah as he wrapped his arms around the girls. Noah pulled the truck out of park and drove away, the estate in his rearview mirror.
"what happened?" Alison brushed the hair from the girls face.
"it's over...looks like i'm going to stanford" Lydia's eyes met Alison's, the girls mouth hung open at her cousins news. the blonde glanced over at Bobby sympathy illuminated in his eyes. he placed a kiss on the top of Lydia's head before pulling her close, giving Alison the chance to go inside and talk to her parents.
Noah pulled up to the house. As he headed inside he could smell something burning. he ran to the kitchen to find the oven still on. the chicken inside black as coal. that was highly unlike jim to be so careless. especially with food.
"jim?" Noah called out into the empty house. "JIM!?" he screamed, worry transparent in his voice. he rushed through the house and into the garden to find the old man beaten and bloody. the sound of a cars engine rumbling in the distance. the grden had been wrecked from top to bottom. the only thing left standing was the bench he was sat upon.
Noah ran back inside grabbin gthe phone and calling 911, before rushing back out to Jim. Examining the old man he rushed around, his vision blurry as tears stung his eyes.
"boy, sit down" Jim commanded weary and slow. Noah did as he was told sitting beside the man on the bench. "i want you to remember what i told you, if i dont make it out of this-"
"you will"
"if i dont! you take that girl and you go and make a life for yourself do you understand, you will always have this house and you will always have a home" he began to cough violently. "so whatever you do-"
"i wont go back to them...i promise"the anger inside of him was like a volcano seconds away from errupting. he knew where Jims rifle was and he knew how to use it. the thought of shooting his father was soothing to him, he would watch as the man bled out on the floor. he wuld get his revenge. they would pay for everything they had done, no matter how many years he was sent down, he could live knwoing that he had brought justice upon himself and Jim.
"and you wont shoot them" Paramedics made they're way around the the side of the house, lifting Jim up onto a gourney and escorting him away. they asked Noah questions but they all seemed to fade into a white noise as he found himself focused on the ambulance sirens blasting through the air as they drove away.
the boy stuttered as he didn't know what to say he didn't know for sure who had beaten him. he was sure it was his father but what proof did he have.
YOU ARE READING
other half
Romanceisn't it funny? how they say falling in love. that being the key word, falling. i knew all along that i should have let go, the only thing being i wasn't going to. he had my heart, despite the wounds that came with the summer, i wasn't giving up. Ly...
