𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐚 ⇀ 𝗆𝗂𝖽𝟫𝟢𝗌

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

chapter eleven.

THE only noise made when I jumped up from my sleep was a creak from the bed frame and a gasp of air I desperately tried to get a hold of. I hunched over, my hand shooting to my chest to feel my rapid heartbeat and irregular breathing. Moments passed before I realized how quiet the room became, making me look to my left and see that Ray wasn't asleep next to me.

I furrowed my brows, but felt relieved that he didn't fall witness to my nightmares. That's probably why he left, I thought, quickly jumping out of the bed and his room. The floor under my bare feet sent chills up my spine as I headed towards their living room, though I stopped midway when I heard my name down the hallway.

"She can't keep living there, mom," I heard Ray input, "Especially her brother, he has to watch how that man treats Drew!"

"Ray, listen to me, Drew is in a circumstance where if she goes to the police about it, they'll place her and Matt in foster care and probably separate them. That could be the main reason she hasn't spoken about it," His mom explained, "And what kind of friend would you be to go against what she wants and call child care services? Did she ask for you to?"

"No," He grumbled, "But I can't just sit by and-"

"Do you remember the last time you chose to go up against that man?" She asked him, making me briefly think of the incident, "It took everything in me to not press charges on his ass!" Quiet then followed briefly before she spoke up again, "This, for now, is the best way we can help her. She knows that she- and Matt are always welcomed."

"Her having a place to crash after the damage is already done does nothing," He huffed out, "This can't be the only thing I'm good for, mom. There's gotta be more that I can do."

"Drew is a lot tougher than you think-"

"Mom, you weren't there..." His voice suddenly went hush before a door was shut closed and their voices were now muffled. Hesitantly, I turned on my heels and went back in his room, slowly shutting his door behind me. I sat back on his bed and thought of how Ray must of felt last night seeing me like that. His parents were always there to help me too, always showing warmth towards me despite how Ray tells me their so negative to each other.

Their conversation made me fall deep into my thoughts, though I snapped out of it when I heard a knock on the door, "Come in!"

At my answer, the door swung open for me to see Ray with a smile on his face and a plate of breakfast in his hands, "I thought you were still sleep."

"Nah, I couldn't," I sighed, shaking off my tenseness when he hummed and passed me the plate.

"It was another nightmare?" He asked and I cautiously nodded, "You okay?"

"Yeah.." I nodded again, my eyes locked on the plate in my lap, "You?"

"I will be when you start eating," He then handed me a fork as I stared at the plate full of eggs, slices of bacon and a few slices of French toast.

I smiled at him, giving him a soft thank you as I began to eat. Though after a few moments, I put down my fork and sighed, "Raymond?"

"Hm?"

"If I asked you to promise not to do anything about my father, would you do it?" I asked him, meeting his eyes as he stared at me with furrowed brows.

"I can't keep promises like that," He scoffed, "Come on, eat up before it gets cold." Before I could answer, he left me in the room alone with my food and thoughts. I knew that I wouldn't get the answer that I wanted, and I knew that if he did make such a promise it wouldn't hold. And it didn't.

"Ray!" I yelled, trying to chase after him as he stormed out of his house. He found out the truth, I told myself, fuck! "Ray, slow down, please!"

"Go back upstairs, Drew!" He shouted at me, causing me to since very briefly before ignoring his words, "He can't keep doing this! Fuck making peace, I'm done!"

Ray's pent up anger towards my father only boiled over a few weeks later after I went back home. When I got the call to come back home, my father wasn't in his right senses because once I got there he beat me senseless and told me not to come back. I did my best to hide that from Ray and everyone because I knew what would be the end result. I couldn't let anyone else suffer. But he saw a bruise- one out of the many I tried so desperately to hide from his point of view- and that's when he'll broke loose.

"Ray, please! Just calm down!" I pleaded, my exhausted body still trying to meet up with him, though he was already at my door. He banged on it harshly, soon not even waiting for my father to open the door before bursting through.

"Hey, asshole!" Ray yelled and I finally got close enough to him to watch my father pick his head up from his tv, "What makes you think it's okay to put your hands on your own daughter, huh?"

"Get the hell out of my house, if you know what's good for you," My father grunted, taking a long sip from his beer before laughing, "Drew, go tell your dog to go home."

"Ray," I mumbled, tugging on his arm, "Please, let's just go."

"No," Ray seethed, ripping his arm from me before storming up to my father and tossing his can across the room. No words were shared besides my gasp when Ray pulled my father out of the chair by his shirt. I watched in panic as Ray threw my drunken dad onto the floor, towering over him as he punched him repeatedly. My father would try to push Ray off, but Ray was too pissed to let that happen and hit him with twice more force when resistance was shown.

I felt frozen in place as everything played in front of me in slow motion. How did it get this far? How could I let this happen? The tv drowned out the grunts and blows, but I swore I could have heard a bone crack as I watched blood spew from my father's mouth.

"Raymond!" I yelled, causing him to stop mid punch, his fist still balled up and ready to swing. He looked up from my dad and at me, causing me to see how angry he was- there was only a slim chance that I could get him to stop. "He's unconscious, alright? Look at him!"

Ray then looked down and noticed that my dad was limp and swollen in the face, quickly retracting himself. He pushed himself back against my wall, his eyes locked on my dad, "Ray.."

He sat in shock, as if this entire moment had just dawned on him. He then stared at his hands, flipping them over and over to see them covered in splattered blood and bruises. Slowly, I approached him and knelt down in front of him, raising his chin in order for him to meet my gaze.

"Are you okay?" He didn't respond, only watching as the tears streamed down my face. I didn't want it to get this far. I didn't want Ray to risk his life fighting for mine- it won't change anything. I rested my head on his chest, "I didn't want you to find out.."

Ray only saw my bruise because I had to change my shirt after spilling sauce on it at school. He offered me a spare at his house and didn't know I was still changing, so he walked in and saw the one bruise I could only hide with a shirt as it was large and darkened on my back. I had no explanation to give- no excuse to keep him doing this. I knew this day would come, but never so soon. I wanted us to be different from my father and not choose violence to escape his hell, but you can't stop the inevitable.

I just wanted to stop by his house today.