-Gabriella-
I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I just knew when I read his text, something was going to happen. Carly reckoned we'd be cute, and she always seemed to know who I'd end up with.
"I'm free all day tomorrow, text me if you're free and wanna hang, yeah? No clue what we'll do aye and no biggie if you can't just whatevs ae?x"
Now to wait, I thought to myself, deciding to have a shower, honestly I needed it.
I chucked on my black and silver satin dressing gown and padded down the hallway, the smooth wooden slats of the floor thankfully not too cold on my feet. I slipped through the bathroom door unnoticed, shut the elegant white door behind me and turned on the shower before shutting the glass doors to the shower dome to keep in the splashes.
Turning to pull a towel off of the towel rack, I placed it on the ground near the shower, and let my dressing gown slip from my shoulders to pool around my bare feet. I scrolled through my playlists and selected my latest favourite, before placing my phone on the edge of the shower and pulling apart the shower doors. A blast of hot air rushed at out me, spreading a hot flush over my naked body.
I took a deep breath and stepped into the shower, pulling the doors shut behind me, letting the hot water pound across my tender flesh, easing the tightness in my muscles. I then reached out and grabbed my shampoo, the sweet scent of apples filling the air as I massaged it into my scalp. I turned to wash it out, heard the sound of Eminem, singing 'When I'm Gone', and zoned out, relaxed by the familiar comfort of my routine.
-Lukan-
My phone vibrated again as I headed home, and I hurried to check it.
A smile broke out over my face as I read her reply and I texted back immediately.
"Ofc i can, and im sure we'll find something. just lemme know what time and where to meet up yea?x"
Smooth Lukan, nice.
I was still in a good mood as I wandered back down my driveway, breezing through the front door, hoping to get by unnoticed. No such luck, and judging by the bottles already on the floor, Dad had started drinking.
"Boy, where are you, I know you're home. Get your lazy ass over here," He growled at me, just as I placed my foot on the first step. Damnit.
I walked into the lounge, remembering to keep my eyes lowered until he spoke to me. The smell of alcohol in the air was so strong that it was clogging my airways. The cigarettes didn't help that either.
"Who said you could leave you cheeky little son of a bitch? Look at me boy, damnit!" His words are like knives, driving into my skull, making me wish I'd stayed out long enough for him to pass out on the couch.
I raised my eyes to meet his carefully, noting how dark and bloodshot his blue eyes were. I could always read his anger in his eyes, then again though, you could count the empty bottles to gauge his mood as well.
"I went swimming, Mum saw me leave," I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Mum doesn't rule this house though, does she?! Neither do you, you little upstart, don't forget your place. Next time you ASK me, you hear? You don't just leave whenever you want," He spits at me, anger threading through the glaze in his eyes.
"Yes Dad, of course."
I knew he'd have completely forgotten this conversation by the next day, but I also knew that in this state, you had to agree with him. It made life eaiser.
I walked up the stairs quietly, wincing as I hear him yell out "Brandie, where the fuck did you get to?!"
That was when I saw Mum coming out of their bedroom, a dark bruise already forming below her eye. She hastily wiped tears from the corners of her sad brown eyes when she saw me, trying to turn her bruised face away from the light.
"It's too late Mum, there's no point trying to hide it," I whispered, feeling a familiar dread lodging itself in my stomach.
"It's okay Lukie baby, I shouldn't have provoked him," She whispered back.
It's then that I got a decent look at her face, and realised how stoned she was. My parents actually disgusted me sometimes.
I pushed past her and flitted up the rest of the stairs, having long since perfected the art of missing creaky floorboards. I had only just shut the door to the safe haven of my room when I heard my Dad yell again, more irritated this time "BRANDIE!", followed by a hasty "I'm coming honey," from my Mum.
I knew she'd made it to the lounge when I heard a slap, followed by the sound of my Mum shrieking in pain, before hitting the floor. The cruel bastard must've hit her in the same place. Looks like there'd be no food bought this week, Mum couldn't go to the shop like that, and Dad sure as hell wouldn't go, that was a women's job.
I took a few deep breaths to try calm my shaky hands, and plugged my headphones into my phone, flopping face down onto my bed, letting the music take over me. All thoughts of Gabriella had disappeared, checking my phone never once crossed my mind. In a way, I guess that's where the next day's trouble started.
