Daisies || Max Mayfield

2: Home

We dropped off Max first. Then Dustin. Steve was serious after that.

He was quiet for a little bit, then began talking. "When you get to the house, just go straight to your old room." He explained. "Ignore dad. I'll deal with it."

"What?"

"I'll bring your bags in and up to your room." He said. "But you have to ignore dad, no matter what."

"Why?"

"Daisy, he's a lot worse." He went quiet. "Don't even talk to him, it won't end well."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Not your fault." I replied.

The last time I saw our dad, he was drunk as shit, flipping my stepmom off as she drove away from that house. The last time I talked to him, he called me a worthless little shit and threw a can of beer at my head. That was it. He was being a bitch, so Steve's mom left with me. Not my brother, her actual child. Me.

We pulled into the driveway. It looked like shit. The windows were coated in dust, the one-story roof chipped around the edges. The door had a fucking hole in it. Bullet hole. Awesome.

Steve had my suitcase. I had the duffel. He walked in first, holding the door for me. I went through the kitchen to my room. I didn't look in the living room, where all the lights were dark and the tv was flashing loudly.

The door squeaked for a few seconds as Steve closed it. Then it clicked shut.

He followed me through the dark kitchen, the suitcase wheels rolling on the tile floor. 

I continued down the hall, opening the door at the end of the hall, to an outdated room. The bed still had pink sheets, and there was a ballerina figuring on the bookshelf, along with fairy tale books and fantasy novels.

I glanced at Steve.

"He doesn't talk much." He said, placing my suitcase near the door. I dropped my duffel on the bed and sat next to it. "I'm usually out. You probably should be too."

"Where?"

"I don't know yet. Join a school club. I can't take you to work with me. Make friends, go to their houses. Please." He kicked an empty can under the bed. "This house is shit if you can't tell." He sat next to me, on the other side of the duffel.

"Is your room still in the same spot?"

"Yeah."

"Do you even sleep here most nights?"

He shrugged. "I'm usually here." He replied. "But you need to know some stuff. About living here."

"Same rules as before?"

"Do you remember them?"

"Yeah, hide important stuff, don't talk back, and do everything he says," I replied.

Steve glanced at me. "You're going to want to cover up more. He's gonna try something if you don't." He didn't even look at me when he said that. "Long sleeves only. No shorts." He pursed his lips. "Don't say anything to indicate that or anything else like that. Got it?"

I nodded.

"Seriously, Daisy." He warned. "It's not just because you're a girl or anything. I'm not trying to be sexist."

"Okay."

He wiped a tear away.

"And I can't always be here." He replied. "If I'm not here, you shouldn't be here either. Don't bring anyone over either."