debauchery *gawsten* ✓

Chapter Twenty-Seven

1.14.18
edit: 8.19.20
828 words

awsten p.o.v.

this was it. i had my best friend and boyfriend with me, and we were on our way to talk to my dad. i mean, yeah, we also had my best friend's mum and my sister, but i didn't have to think about that. all i wanted to think about was how unbelievably kind and helpful my boys have been to me.

i cried silently on the window on the way to our street. i didn't let geoff touch me as i tried in vain to fight off the blue-violet-black alone. he kept reminding me that i could lean into him whenever i needed to, but i refused every time he did.

no one parked in the line of sight of my house, but we could all see that his truck was in the driveway. when i saw it, i started to panic and try to get back in the car. my boys and gracie stopped me.

"awsten, this is good, you're gonna be okay." gracie said. i shook my head and sat down on the beige and lima-bean asphalt. she squatted next to me. "hey, you will, okay? we literally have the police on our side, and as soon as you give the word they're gonna go in and arrest him."

"daffodil, you don't need to protect him." geoff told me.

protect him? protect that...monster that i had to call my 'father' seventeen years? i couldn't believe it. i wasn't protecting him, at least i thought i wasn't. as soon as the words were out of geoff's mouth, however, i knew that maybe that was what i was doing.

ever since mum died, i've been trying and trying to get away from him. now that i saw that i finally could be, i thought that i could breathe for once.

but i was dead wrong. at that moment, it seemed as if it would be taken away from me as quickly as it was given to me.

free, i signed. geoff nodded. "yeah, kitten, we know. you'll be okay."

i swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded back. geoff went to find the officer. gracie put her hand on my arm. "you sure you want to still live there?" she asked. "you could come live with us."

"his studio is in the attic." otto said. "there's no way in hell that he'll leave that place." i nodded to affirm this.

suddenly, the authorities started to run to my house. i gasped and brought my knees up to my chest to hug them. geoff rushed over to us and gracie made me stand up.

"daffodil, they're goin' in now, c'mon." he tried to grab my arm but i held it away and shook my head. "are you feeling key-lime right now?" he whispered. i nodded.

"um...key-lime?" gracie asked.

"he's scared. he has synesthesia." otto answered.

"what's that?"

"kids!" mrs. wood. snapped. "let's go!" the five of us ran towards my house, me and geoff holding hands.

when we got inside, they had him cornered where he was at the table, with his kit out. he had his arms up. when he saw me, his eyes narrowed.

"you sold me out, boy?!" with no warning, he launched himself at me. i screamed and cowered where i was, squatting down with my hands on my head. the key-lime and blue-violet-black from my throat and memories were so much, too much for me to be able to process. i began to forget that i wasn't alone with him this time.

his hands never reached me, but one hand rubbing the back of my neck did. i whined but still leaned into the touch. "baby, he's not-"

i heard him laugh. "you don't need to call that useless boy that nasty name." his voice said, although it sounded strained.

"aws, three cops have him pinned to the floor." the same boy's voice said. i slowly recognised it as geoff's. "you're okay, he can't touch you."

i very slowly lifted my head up. i watched the four men struggle to stand up because he was fighting so hard to hurt me one more time.

once they had definite control over him, he fired some cuss words at me and surely geoff and otto. i didn't know what most of them were because i was focusing more on trying to keep another panic attack at bay.

"what is something you've always wanted to tell him?" geoff whispered to me as he was getting handcuffed. "you can say anything right now and it'll be okay."

i hesitated before i got up. i held on tightly to geoff's hand.

he turned to me with such a hateful glare that i shrunk back. my backside pressed against geoff. i squeaked and jumped away.

"this what ya wanted, boy?" he snarled. "after all i've fuckin' done for you?!"

now or never, i thought as i took a deep breath.

"you have no power over me." i whispered.