Out of Tune: The Original 2015 Draft

chapter 18

Music should be your escape—Missy Elliot

I didn't think that things could have gotten much worse that night but I was proved completely wrong when Taylor and Miles appeared in Spencer's basement. Taylor had an expression of guilt, accompanied by a twinge of anger, on her face while Miles looked simply pissed off. As he stepped into the light, I realized why.

It seemed as if I hadn't been the only one to have taken a beating that night.

Miles was sporting a black eye and a split lip. Blood had dried on his chin. He looked like a mess. Spencer, upon seeing his friend, swore loudly and jumped up from his spot on the couch next to me.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

Miles collapsed into the armchair and Taylor sat on the floor in front of him. "Taylor introduced me to her family. Her parents are lovely people but her brother is an asshole."

"Kyle hit you?" I asked.

"He's a real charmer, isn't he?" Miles replied with heavy sarcasm. He glanced at me and then looked away before doing a double take. "What happened to you?"

I had no idea what my face looked like now, but if the stinging was any indication then I assumed that it was bruised pretty badly. It felt swollen and irritated but I did my best not to picture how terrible it looked.

"The step-monster attacked her," Spencer answered for me. The way he spoke made it sound as if a savage beast had brutally mauled me to the brink of death.

I rolled my eyes at him. I wasn't hurt that badly. "Brad hit me. Once. I'm fine, really," I added when his mouth dropped open.

"The bastard hit you?"

"Are you okay?" Taylor asked. She reached over Miles to place her hand on my knee.

I smiled bleakly at their concern. "I'm serious fine. I just couldn't stay there anymore so I'm staying here, with Spencer, for a bit. Everything just needs to blow over. It'll be fine." I wasn't entirely sure if I was trying to convince them or myself.

Spencer gave me a look that completely iterated that he was not convinced. He had been giving me a lot of those looks tonight, as if he was half-expecting me to break down. What he didn't know, was that I had been mentally preparing myself for this outcome for a long while. I guess I'd always sort of known that things would escalate and I would be forced to leave.

I was oddly at peace with the way things had turned out. I felt as if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I didn't have to hide anymore. Didn't have to pretend. Music was a part of me, it had been from the time I was born, and I couldn't hold it back anymore. This was what I wanted to do with my life and if my mother and Brad couldn't accept that, well, then I didn't really see any reason for me to stick around longer than necessary.

For Spencer's sake, I smiled softly and patted the spot next to me. He sighed but came to sit down beside me. Taylor and Miles, sensing that we needed a minute, turned to Spencer's movie collection and began bickering about what to put on.

In a friendly manner, I squeezed Spencer's hand lightly. "I'm really okay," I told him. "You don't need to worry about me."

Spencer looked down at me, eyes bright. "Things could have been worse," he murmured. "What he could have done to you..." he trailed off and looked away.

"He didn't hurt me badly, Spencer. Just one hit. That's all he got and that's all he's ever going to get."

"I don't want you to ever go back there." His voice was firm, protective.