Diana Ramirez, a talented but softly-spoken artist, has shared nearly two years of her life with her boyfriend, Billy Hargrove. Their relationship, once a source of joy, has gradually cast shadows over her vibrant spirit.
In the midst of this dimmin...
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And I know I I gotta take control now But I sold my soul a long time ago I feel like a ghost now
- The Neighbourhood
✶✧❃✧ ✶
Thursday - October 15th, 1986
DIANA
The quiet creak of my bedroom door brought me out of my sleep. I let my heavy eyelids flutter open, hearing the sound of quiet shuffling across the plush carpet of my bedroom floor.
"Diana, you awake?" Dad's voice spoke in a hushed manner, just loud enough for me to hear.
"Yeah," I hoarsely replied. It was probably due to the crying and smoking I'd done the previous night. It seemed like those were the only two things I had the motivation to actually do.
"I'm gonna head out for the day. I'll leave the truck here for you so you can go get your things. If you need anything, call me, okay?"
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you too," he said, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll see you later."
I gave him a lazy wave and let my arm flop back onto the mattress, trying to force myself back to sleep. I didn't want to think. All I wanted to do was sleep until I forgot about everything. And if that took forever, I guess I would've slept for eternity.
I laid there for another 5 minutes or so, staring up at my ceiling and listening to the occasional car drive past my house. Sleep was definitely not happening, not unless I had something to help out with it. I sat up, suddenly recalling the dimebag of weed that I had left. I kicked my feet over the edge of the bed and sat there for a few seconds, replaying the events of the other night in my head.
He really cheated on me. Then got physical with me because I was rightfully upset.
My eyes started to burn, signaling that tears were soon to come. I felt weak and ashamed that I couldn't defend myself against him.
Billy, much like his father, was a coward. He believed he could lay his hands on me without any fight. I refused to let him think he won, however, I was determined to handle the situation with caution. I created a plan: patiently waiting until he left for work, typically around 8:30-ish, to take the opportunity to gather my art supplies and essentials.
I just wanted to be away from him. I never wanted to see his stupid fucking face again. He was a liar, a backstabber, and a coward. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him ever again. I didn't want to hear his excuses, I didn't want to be fed more lies — I just wanted to disappear from his life forever.
