Trail of broken hearts and slimy snakes

2

*I counted the ants that were marching in a line on the floor beneath our kitchen table. Last time, dad found me under my bed so I switched my hiding spot.
One. Two. Three.
I could hear mom screaming at dad and dad was stomping around the house, tossing chairs and throwing vases.
Four. Five. Six.
"Where is she?! KATHERINE COME HERE!" Dad shouted.
I knew he was angry but mom always said when dad is yelling I need to hide until she sings our song.
"Katherine! You little cunt. I have told you TIME AND TIME AGAIN to stay out of my FUCKING OFFICE!" He screamed.
I could hear his footsteps getting closer as he stormed down the stairs and into the kitchen, mom hot on his heels.
Seven. Eight. Nine-
I was grabbed by the ankle and yanked out from under the table. I dug my nails into the floor to try and stop him from pulling me out. Hot tears began streaming down my cheeks as I let out a loud scream.
"Daddy no! I'm sorry!" I cried and begged but to no avail.
I felt his fist connect with my chest and all of the air was pushed out of my lungs and the world began to spin in slow motion as he continued landing blow after blow to my ribs and stomach. He never hit my face or arms because people would see the bruises so he normally opted for punching or kicking my stomach or pulling me by the hair. I could taste blood in my mouth as I began coughing and wheezing on the floor, grabbing my stomach to protect myself. I could hear mother screaming behind us for him to stop but after awhile those cries were drowned out by the sound of me gurgling and choking on a mixture of spit, tears and blood. Finally dad tired himself out and stood up, wiping the sweat he had worked up from his brow.
"Stay OUT of my office!" He growled, pointing his finger in my face.
I couldn't breathe let alone move so I laid there on my side, half under the table and half out in the open of the kitchen floor.
"Hang on kitty kat. I'm calling for help!" My mother cried out as she ran for a phone.
Ten. Eleven. Twelve.*
I sat up in bed, feeling beads of sweat running down my face and back. I took a deep breath and reminded myself of where I was and that it was just a dream. I swung my feet around and sat on the edge of my bed, looking out the window to see the sun was just beginning to light the dark sky and break the night into dawn. I sighed and stretched my arms high above my head before getting up and collecting a few things I needed to go shower. Once I had all my clothes and toiletries, I headed out into the common room, not even caring I was still in my sleep clothes which consisted of a large white shirt that reached down to my mid thigh so I didn't need shorts, and my black fuzzy slippers. My hair was up in a messy bun and my skin was shiny from sweat. There were a few kids sitting around the common area. They looked like new students and maybe a few 2nd years. I ignored them and groggily walked into the hall way where I bumped into someone, dropping my clothes, towel and soaps on the floor. I let out an irritated sigh while staring at my things sprawled across the hallway floor.
"Watch where you're going." Draco spat.
I rolled my eyes, too tired to respond or even care. I looked up at him and realized his hair was a mess and he had large black bags beneath his eyes. He looked like a dead man walking.
"Do you ever sleep?" I snarled.
He looked away and quickly began gathering my things off the floor and handing them to me in a messy pile. Then, silently he turned and walked into the common rooms. I shrugged my shoulders and continued my way to the girls lavatory. I quickly showered, got dressed, brushed my hair and teeth and made my way out into the hall just in time to run into Alice.
"There you are!" Alice beamed with joy.
"Good morning." I smiled sleepily.
"Guess what happened last night. No, better yet, guess who visited me last night." Alice smirked, linking arms with me as we headed to the great hall for breakfast.
My eyes grew large as I looked up at her.
"No?!" I laughed.
"YES!" She squealed.
"Did you two?" I raised my eyebrows.
"I can't kiss and tell. Or lick. Or suck-"
"Okay okay I get it!" I interrupted with a grossed out expression on my face. "So are you and Draco a thing now or are you the new Pansy?" I asked.
"I have no idea but right now I just want to ride this high like I rode his-" she began to drool when Draco caught up to us with Zabini and Pansy, so she quickly shut her mouth.
I let out a loud laugh and shook my head at her.
"Well that's a sound I'd love to wake up to every morning." Zabini smirked at me.
I blushed and smiled at him.
"Good morning!" I said.
"Good morning Draco." Alice sang.
Draco nodded at her and just glared at me.
"Well now I know why you don't sleep Draco." I teased, glancing up at Alice who widened her eyes at me.
"What I do is none of your business." He growled at me.
"Then next time watch where you're going when you're running back from your late night booty call." I snapped back at him.
We glared at each other for a moment before Alice broke the tension and tried to hold Draco's hand. Pansy noticed and rolled her eyes before falling back away from us to walk with someone else. She was in love with Draco and he used her for sex and now it seems he's doing the same to Alice and Pansy can't even look at them.
Draco looked down at Alice's hand that was now entangled in his, then shot a look over at me as I too watched their hands meet. He ripped his hand out of hers and shoved both his hands into his pockets.
"The only thing your hands are allowed to touch on me is my cock. Otherwise, keep your hands to yourself." Draco snarled before speeding up to get away from Alice.
Alice dropped her eyes to the floor and crossed her arms over her chest. I began chewing on my lip and placed my hand on her shoulder sympathetically.
"He's an ass." I whispered.
Alice just nodded as we entered the great hall. We sat down, Zabini on one side of me and Alice on the other. Draco ended up sitting next to Alice and Pansy sat in front of me.
"We still set for the book store?" Zabini asked.
"Book store?" Draco scoffed.
"What I do is none of your business." I smirked at Draco as he rolled his eyes.
"Yes! I brought my stuff so we can just leave from here." I smiled at Zabini.
We finished up eating, Draco and Alice began whispering about something and Alice was letting us all know the jest of it with her loud giggles. As we all stood to go our separate ways, I pulled Alice to the side.
"Don't tell me you're leaving with him." I whispered, throwing a look over to Draco who was laughing at something Zabini said but had his eyes glued to us.
"I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. I know he's a twat but he's a hot twat and I've dreamed of this since 4th year." She smiled. "I'll be fine. You and Blaise have fun!" She winked.
I hugged her and placed an exaggerated kiss on her forehead. She smiled and walked out following Draco like a little puppy. I turned to Zabini who was standing back a few feet with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. I turned one last time to watch Alice leave when I noticed Draco was also looking back. He looked so damn tired still and when he noticed me looking, he threw me a nasty look. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Zabini. I sighed to myself and was ready to just curl back up in bed with my new book but first, I had to get through this date with Blaise.