𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭 ~ 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧

𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

Sebastian woke up early the next morning, chest feeling heavy, like a boulder was pressing against his heart. His throat was dry, a lump clogging his air intake. He was beyond frightened to walk down those stairs, go passed the very place it had happened and walk out the door like nothing even happened. At least that's how his father was acting.

Sebastian takes his time getting ready, dressing himself gently to not brush the large slices in his back or the bruises covering his skin. He does his best covering his face in makeup, trying to hide the welt that covered his entire nose and under his eyes.

His heart was hammering against his chest and he could hear it in his head. What if his father was up? What if he was waiting for Sebastian to come down those steps so he could corner him and take his sanity once more and smash it to pieces.

Sebastian places his shaking, fretful hands on the doorknob of his door and clicks it open. He winces at the squeak it makes as it swings open and grabs his bag, shaking legs carrying him down the steps. He felt physically sick going down, like he would vomit all over the carpet and not ever be able to stop.

Sebastian runs past the living room and straight for the door. His hands are on the handle when he hears someone clear their throat from behind him. Sebastian almost faints.

"Where do you think you're going?" His father growls with a slight slur to his words, smirking. He could see the violent shakes Sebastian's body was making, how that if he stayed any longer, he might just fall to the floor.

The colour drains from Sebastian's face as he turns around, sweat covering his white skin. His father was stood, looking him up and down, all the while clicking his knuckles. Sebastian's legs were ready to give out on him already, his lungs tightening, panic clouding his vision.

He slowly approaches Sebastian, each step shaking the ground underneath his feet. Sebastian leant against the door for support. He couldn't speak, nor could he make himself open the bloody door and run. He was frozen with fear.

When his father reaches him, Sebastian fell forward, a hand catching him by the throat before he fell to his knees. The grip tightens, a strangled gasp leaving Sebastian's lips and he looks up at his father, gritting his teeth. He felt so helpless. Not being able to fight back, beg for him to let Sebastian go.

He wore that smirk on his lips, seeing his son sobbing, down on his knees, scratching at his wrist. It gave him power, seeing how much he scared the boy. He let Sebastian go once the tears started to soak his skin and fired his fist at his stomach, forcing a strangled yelp from Sebastian. He throws him onto his back, stepping over him and throwing open the door.

Sebastian stays on the floor, frozen, trying to gasp down air into his lungs. Pain swarmed through his stomach and he could feel the bruise growing. Tears continued to stream down his cheeks. Sebastian didn't care though. He didn't care that the makeup he had put on was probably smudged off, he didn't care that his eyes were red and puffy, he didn't care that their were handprints on his throat. All he cared about was that his father left him on the ground. That his father left. That he didn't do it again.

Sebastian gets up on shaky feet and gathers his things from off of the floor. He takes those few steps out of the house, wiping the tears from his cheeks, rubbing off the rest of the makeup, and begins his walk to school, trying to calm his panic.

Everything had changed. And it was going to continue changing every time Sebastian got home.

When Sebastian arrives at school, head down to cover his battered face, shaking hands stuffed inside of his pockets, everyone seems to leave him alone. He walks up the steps, bringing his hands out to open the doors, but is stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder.