Glass Houses || [Noah Sebastian]

01. Cover your ears and shut your eyes

acceptance is the first step.

and accepting the facts is never easy.

My mind does not stop running as I stand over my bed looking at the contents of my, now empty, closet as I debate my next step. My entire body shakes as I let out harsh and precarious breaths, my hand tracing over the aching blemish on my cheek. My attempt of covering it failing as I know the purple still bleeds through the abundant layers of foundation.

I am sure for most people it is hard to imagine that leaving someone so virulent would be such a difficult task, but it truly is. I have spent the last five years of my life with this man, allowing him to be my only source of stability. I moved myself over 300 miles away from the only place i ever called home. My world, as sad as it may be, revolves around him and the life we created together. The small routine we found ourselves in after all these years. My heart aches slightly at the thought of not waking up next to him, or seeing the goofy smile etch across his face when we have laughing fits together. Even though his rage scares me to no end, the love i have for him is as deep as it was before we began this treacherous nightmare.

With a sigh I proceed to gather my clothes and stuff them into the large blue duffel bag I have sitting at the edge of my bed. I pack only the essentials, not caring to bring the expensive gowns, and bags that jasper splurged on in attempts to make up for his actions.

Currently he is out at work and will not be due home until around ten or eleven, depending on if he goes for drinks with his friends, which he usually does. The time is currently 6:45 giving me three to four hours to get my things together and find a way out of here. Which will prove to be a difficult task considering I have no one outside of him. My mother has never been apart of my life and my father passed away a few month into my senior year of high school. The only other people I ever really had in my life was my old best friend and his grandmother, Missy, to be more specific. However i have not talked to them in nearly four years. Her number is probably not the same as it was..

My eyes wonder over to my phone that sits alone on the nightstand that is on my side of the bed. For a moment I contemplate it, how this could possibly turn out. But what would I say? She has not heard from me for years, and she was not fond of Jasper to begin with.

However, it may turn out better than I expect and to be completely honest she may be my only hope. I chew on my lip for a moment, my head bouncing around the different scenarios. My heart begins to throb against my chest, so loudly I swear I can hear it over the faint chirping of birds outside.

Before I can talk myself out of it I walk over to grab my phone, my hand trembling violently as I do so. It takes me a moment to unlock it and scroll down to her contact. The only number that sits in the M section. Slowly, my thumb hovers over the green button that allows me to dial her. It rings for a moment, a few moments too long that I fear I made a mistake, but before I can even think to hang up a light voice picks up on the other end of the line.

"Veronica..?" her questioning tone laced with concern and curiosity.

"Yeah... it is me" I choke out as strangled sobs finally break from my mouth as the sound of her voice hits me. It makes me feel less alone. My heart begins to swell with unbearable emotion as the calls falls silent, the only sounds coming from my heavy breathing.

"Oh, Veronica" she cries out

"I need to come home..."

______

Richmond Va

It's been five and a half years since I last stepped foot in this town. The growing city almost unrecognizable as it's decorated with new stores and restaurants. People of all ages walk in both directions down the sidewalk, most of them wrapped in conversations either on the other end of their phones, or with someone standing next to them. My eyes take in every new additions to my hometown as the cab slowly makes its way to Missy's single family home that sits about 5 miles outside the busiest part of town.