Pain;Living

09

She didn't know when she closed her eyes and her mind paused.
What woke her wasn't the arms wrapping tighter around her waist but the pounding on the door.

"Iris Jean Milan! Open this damn door now!"
Her eyes popped open and she sat up waking the boy next to her.
He opened his mouth to speak but she quickly slammed her hand over his mouth.

Her dad continued to pound his fists against the wooden door.

"You have to go out the window" she whispered to him.

"Sorry Daddy I was napping! I have to get changed!"

"You call your dad daddy," he said in the quietest voice.

"Shut up and get out" Iris went and opened her window and pull him towards it.

He crawled through the small space and got off the roof while she wasn't looking.

She slid on a pair of shorts and opened her bedroom door.
It creaked loudly and barely opened before her dad slammed it the rest of the way. 

"Where did you get the idea that you could skip school?"
He screamed into her face. His breath reeked and spit got on her face.

She stayed silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry" she started to say. Her father pushed her on the floor.

"You're sorry!? You skipped two days of school!"
The old floorboards made an obnoxious noise under his weight.

"And then you ignore me the ten minutes I knocked on the door?!"

He looked down at her. Or she thought he looked at her. Her father went silent.

Anger evident on his face.

He bent down harshly, scaring the girl and making her flinch.

"Who's shoes are these!?"

She looked up and cringed seeing the pair of tatted up high tops.
How'd he leave without his shoes?

He began his yelling once more.

He threw the shoes at her and pulled her up so she was standing.
"Since when did I raise my daughter to be such a slut!?"

Tears formed in her eyes.
"Daddy I'm sorry" it came out as a whisper.

"You're sorry? That's all you say is sorry, sorry, sorry. You aren't sorry! You don't care what you put this family through!"

He bent and grabbed her face in his hand.
"You haven't been sorry since the night you left the house in that outfit and ruined our family's name" he pushed her back and she fell on the floor.

Tears flooded her eyes and as soon as her father left she began crying.
Iris closed the door and locked it.

"So is that why you're afraid of your dad?"

Her head snapped towards the window.
"Take your shoes and leave Hocksetter" she tossed the all black shoes at him "and don't talk to me in school, don't follow me home, and just pretend I don't exist."

His playful smirk dropped for a millisecond before returning.
"Why would I do that?"

He was still on the roof.
She wanted to push him and watch him fall.
Watch him hurt.
She hated him, but mostly she wanted him.

She didn't love him, she didn't love anything. Hell the only thing that scared her truly was her father.
His black hair was blowing slightly from the wind outside.
She was surprised it was so smooth looking. He smelled like he never showers.

"Iris, come make dinner!"
She pushed the boy slightly and closed the window, locking it.