All's Fair (Lauren/You)

Chapter 1

Y/N'S POV

I lay there on the kitchen floor unable to breathe.

Blood covers my body and the floor I lay on. My body aches and burns as whimpers fall from my mouth. Greg had just given me one of the most intense beatings I had ever received. Right before the first day of school tomorrow.

I had never considered him to be my father. He did things fathers should never even think of doing. One minute, he cried for attention then the next he sat there and verbally abused my mother and I. After my mom left, Greg went on a rampage.

His drinking got worse and he started taking out his anger on me. The beatings were obviously bad, but he says things that I can't help stressing over.

I know I'm a freak.

My mom had always been my savior. Even though I'm mad she left me, I still love her, and I still support her. A coughing fit broke me out of my daze.

The slightest movement made it feel like my body was constricting against itself. My stomach muscles burned and I could barely lift my arms to help myself up. A spot of blood appeared on my hand.

Great, I'm coughing up blood.

I screamed as I finally lifted myself into a sitting position against the counter. It took everything in me to get myself up. I couldn't even think about how I was going to manage getting up the stairs right now. My heavy breathing slowed a little while I sat for a couple minutes.

I reached up and grabbed the counter top. My weight felt like it had tripled as I tried lifting myself up. I barely got a foot off the ground before I sunk to the ground again. "Ow fuck." I cursed as I fell straight on my tailbone. A few stray tears fell down my face.

I had to dig down deep and try again. I made it up slowly and leaned over the counter. Another coughing fit struck taking my breath away, literally. My body swayed side to side.

I straightened myself out a little and wobbled towards the stairs. My foot caught the bottom edge of the first stair sending me to the ground. The wind was knocked out of me when I fell right on a higher step of the stairs, straight on my ribs. I cried out in pain.

I slid the rest of the way down the stairs and more tears came streaming down my face. I had to make sure I got to my room before Greg comes back.

My fingertips barely grazed the railing. I tried leaning up higher and finally managed to grasp the railing with my right hand. My back faced the stairs and I used my left elbow to set on the next level and push myself up. My hand grabbed higher as my elbow and foot propelled my body up.

After an agonizing fifteen minutes of pain, I finally got to the top. My crying got more intense and sobs filled the silence of the house. "Fuck." I muttered.

My crying quieted down enough to hear a car door slam shut. I knew that meant that Greg is back. I scrambled and crawled towards my room. The front door opened and slammed against the wall. His heavy footsteps echoed and the door slammed shut again.

By the time I made it to the front of my room the footsteps were making their way up the stairs.

I rolled the last few feet and shut my door before locking it. I began to hyperventilate as I panicked. The loud footsteps faded and eventually stopped. I waited a couple minutes to see if he came back out of his room. He didn't.