Boys Like You

Chapter 26

Scarlet's P.O.V

I slammed my room door over behind me as my dad angrily followed me up stairs. He was screaming loudly, but I had managed to block out all sound. I was numb and unfocused, unable to concentrate on anything other than Harry. I had been so cruel with my use of words, and they had been haunting me ever since they left my mouth. He was nothing like Charlie. Nothing like him, at all. I threw myself down on my bed, my legs hanging over the edge. It was then that I felt the sudden urge to burst into tears, but not a single drop of water fell from my cold eyes; like I was finally all out of tears, and that itself, was something of a relief.

My dad crashed into the room, my eyes watching him intensity as his cracked lips moved, but still I heard no sound. I smiled, inwardly laughing at his anger, with no idea as to why it amused me the way it did. Maybe I was loosing me mind. I mean, it sure seemed that way. I constantly felt like I was falling into a bottomless pit, and no amount of strength could get me out of it. I could see a vision of myself in my mind-- tiny and frail, clawing my way to the surface, only to be knocked back down.

"Shut up." I mumbled, slowing rising to my feet as he paused in shock. I had never said anything bad, or rude to my dad.

"Just shut the fuck up, please." I choked, shaking my head from side to side as Harry's voice rung in my ears. I love you, Scarlet. Please, don't leave me.

My dad stepped forward, roughly taking my wrists in his hands as all sound came rushing back. I looked up at him and gasped, he was hurting me; physically and emotionally. I knew what he was about to say, and I already knew what my reply would be.

"You've not to see that boy again, do you hear me?" He screeched, and only now could I see Becky, Aunt Kathy, and my mum watching on from the top of the stairs.

"I hear you," I whispered, breathlessly; wincing as he released my wrists from his tight and unforgiving wrists.

"Good." He mumbled, slowly walking towards the door.

"But...i will see him again, and you can't tell me otherwise." I insisted, standing up to my dad for the first time in my life. It felt strangely empowering -- like, finally I was my own person, only I wasn't, was I? I was Harry's, and I wanted to be -- but I couldn't help but think that, that made me weak, and weak was something I never wanted to be.

He turned to face me with a stunned expression, and suddenly my anger had reached boiling point. His lips parted to speak, but I cut him off before he even had the chance. "You can't just show up here after six months of nothing. Not even a fucking birthday card, or a phone-call. I haven't seen you since the day mum and I left, and then you show up, drunk, and think you can tell me that I can't see my own boyfriend? Who the hell do you think you are? Harry made a mistake tonight," I whimpered, suddenly reliving the memory of his angry and unforgiving face. "Actually, he's mad a lot of mistakes, but he owns them, you make mistakes, too, dad. We all do."

"I'm just that, Scarlet, your dad. And he is nothing but a little, good-for-nothing toerag." He hissed coldly, like the though of me being with Harry disgusted him deeply.

I clenched my fists by my sides, wincing gently when I felt my sharp fingernails dig into my already broken skin. I could feel a dribble of blood make it's way across my palm, and it strangely felt good to bleed; it reminded me that I, for now, was still alive and breathing. "You're no dad to me." I breathed, feeling nothing.

"Scarlet!" My mum warned, only now brave enough to step into the room.

"It's true." I screamed, throwing my hands in the air, my anger shaking me to the core. "He never has been. He's a lying, cheating, drunk and his carelessness killed my little brother! You killed him. You. You were drunk and you got behind that wheel, you killed him, you killed me. You took away the one person that I loved, and I wont let you take me away from Harry."