𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 [𝟏𝟖+] ✔

15

Attempting to open my eyes against the blinding light, I wince as I feel the pain throbbing at my temples, my corneas being burnt out by the powerful rays of the sun beaming through my window.

Ainsley is beside me, snoring, her mouth wide open. Mascara smeared down her face, lips dry with cracked red stains from her makeup, her hair crazy, but not as wild and knotted as my own. We're still in our dresses, and I try to figure out what the hell happened, my mind trapped in negative space as I attempt to piece my night together.

Everything hurts.

I can feel the side of my face tighten as I yawn, another surge of pain hitting me behind my right eye. My hand shakily comes up to my cheek, feeling the rough texture of my scraped, shredded skin, my brows furrow as I look down to my pillow and see spots of blood.

What the hell?

"Ains," I whisper, leaning up and nudging her once, twice, three times, and getting nothing in response. Waking her up from a drunken slumber is near impossible. I lie back against the mattress, staring at the ceiling, touching the side of my swollen, mangled face once more.

The night before is coming back to me, like a slideshow of images taking over. I cringe and then I groan. The flashback of Robbie walking me somewhere, his sobs and pleas, and then his hands all over me with his lips fused to mine. Oh, God. But then I remember feeling him shove me off the railing, and my face colliding with the ground as he bolted away from an extremely pissed off Eric.

I think the fall had knocked me out.

And now, thankfully, I've woken up in my own house, in my own bed, with my best friend sprawled out like an octopus beside me, Skye and Diesel curled up at the bottom of the covers.

Wait... the dogs are here?

I have zero recollection of what happened after I hit the ground, so Ains needs to hurry and wake the hell up to explain before I start to make up my own terrifying scenarios as to why Eric's dogs are here.

"How are you feeling?" Skye's head pops up as I jump out of my skin, my eyes wide. Frozen, my heart racing, I look in the direction of my mum's voice, sitting on the couch opposite my bed. Her face is void of any positive emotion, glaring from myself, to Ains, to her nails. "Have a good night?"

Her tone is laced with venom, and I just know that I'm in trouble.

"Mum..." I try to think, try to say something to soften my impending punishment. "I'm, um... I'm sorry."

"You know, Sweetheart? I just don't understand." She uncrosses her legs and leans forward. "Why do you insist on making this new life harder for us? Do you think we forbid you to do things for our own selfish reasons? No, we do it to protect you. We don't have multiple bodyguards, an entire team of them, in fact, for the sake of it. What you did last night was reckless, and quite frankly, I'm starting to think your father was right about wanting you to live with us permanently." Her eyes are blazing into mine, voice shaking with rage. "Anything could have happened to you."

I look down at my fingers, my nail beds filled with dirt. "I..."

When Mum sees that I can't answer, she huffs. "I'm trying my best, Danielle. I want you to have a bit of normality. I had to fight your dad to allow you to live here, to have some privacy from the two of us. But all the things he had fought me on, you're proving him right. I have no grounds to stay on your side anymore."

I stay silent, my wet eyes down, sniffing.

"Your father is losing it. So, I suggest you think of a good apology while you get showered. And tell Ainsley just to wear something of yours. I'll make you both something to eat." Standing, she straightens out her pencil skirt and runs her hands through her wild curls, voice lowering from its pinnacle of anger. "There's a town meeting at midday, and this is the last thing Richie needed." A bitter laugh escapes her mouth. "And this was supposed to be a positive day, something to shed some sort of hope. And all that the people are going to ask is why his security team decided to cause a bloody ruckus."