Why Don't You Want to Get Murdered?

Chapter 2: Facing Him and Meeting HIM

CONTAINS SCENES OF ABUSE

Tailia's POV 

"Tailia fucking Waddell! Get your ass downstairs right now!" I heard my step father yell. 

"Shit," I whispered to myself. I look over at my bedside clock to see that it's 7:30 in the morning. I must not have heard my alarm go off this morning.

I throw my covers off my body, almost getting whiplash with how fast I scurry out of bed. Swinging my door open, I rush down the stairs at a wickedly fast pace. I can feel Anthony's emotions hitting me at full force like a title wave. I already know what's going to happen before I step foot on the tile floor. I see it in my head clear as day, but I'm still not able to duck quick enough. The blow comes hard and fast making me fall into a helpless heap on the cold ground.

"Why isn't there breakfast on the God damn table?!" he questions me furiously.

"I woke up late. I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again," I mutter quietly, keeping my head down so not to anger him further. 

"You're damn straight it won't happen again!" he bellows. 

Before he has a chance to hit me again, I hear a strong voice to my right. 

" Leave her alone!" my younger sister, Scarlett, screams at Anthony.

He turned to her with a deadly look in his eyes. " What the hell did you just say to me!" he seethed.

" I said leave her the fuck alone," Scarlett responded. 

All of a sudden I feel a hard kick to my side, knocking me down even further. An immense pain flares in my right side. I'm pretty sure he just bruised my ribs.

"Get up and make me the best damn breakfast I've ever had or this won't be the only beating you receive today," he grunts, leaving me breathless on the floor.

END OF ABUSE

                                                                                    * * * * *

I made him the quickest extravagant breakfast I could think of. I throw on a black and white checkered dress, a silver head band, and silver flats before rushing out of the house. Between the beating, making Anthony's breakfast, and getting ready, I arrived at the office of the school 10 minutes into third period.

" Good morning, Tailia. Wake up late again?" Ms. Bring inquired with a bright smile.

" I sure did. Those pesky alarms never seem to want to go off," I tried laughing, but my stomach starts to throb with pain. After the morning I've had, I'll be lucky to hold down my lunch. That is, if I even had enough money to buy something.

" Well here's your late pass honey. I hope you have a great day!" she piped, handing me my pass. I quickly snatch it out of her hand before bidding her a thank you. I rush down the hall not caring if I get yelled at by a teacher. This is my fifth time being late in the past two weeks. I promised the principal I wouldn't be late again, but it's hard not to oversleep when I have so much on my plate. Between my job, being student council president, captain of the debate team, sports, cleaning, cooking, taking care of my little sister, and my daily beatings, there was no time to sleep. I honestly can't afford to get a detention, but I also can't drop any of my extracurriculars because I need them for my college applications.

I swing the door open to AP Calculus, out of breath, with the whole room looking at me. 

" I'm sorry Mrs. Stanson. I woke up late, and my parents weren't able to drive me to school," I manage to get out tiredly, trying to catch my breath. 

I almost fall over from the amount of feelings coming at me in waves. I always forget how overwhelming others emotions can be. I almost didn't recover until I felt anger coming off of my teacher. 

" I don't care if you're an A+ student! If you're going to come into my class late again and not listen to what I have to say, I will have no choice but to give you a detention!" she seethed.

" What?! I can't afford to get a detention!"I argued.

" Well you should've thought about that before you were late to my class for the third time," she ground out.

I sigh as she writes out a detention slip and hands it to me. I slowly trudge to my seat, only to realize that it's been taken. 

" Excuse me?" I question him calmly. I want to yell at him to move because of how shitty my day's been so far, but I decide against it. Yelling won't solve anything, and I don't want to come off as rude.

" Yes," the stranger answers, looking up from his notebook. 

My breath catches in my throat once I see his face. He has tan skin and dark brown almost black short, curly hair. There was a little bit of stubble on his defined jaw. I looked further down to see that he also had muscular arms and wide shoulders. All in all he was the definition of perfection. As I slowly look back up, I see a handsome smirk on his face.

" Are you just going to stand there looking at me?" Mr. Handsome asks. I almost snap out of my trance until I feel happiness, worry and loneliness wash over me. They're coming from him?! He doesn't look like he would be having such an internal battle with himself. Then again, neither do I. 

" Are you ok?" he questions, looking at me with furrowed eyebrows.

" Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little distracted," I answered back, " Anyway. I just wanted to let you know that you were in my seat."

" You do know there's one right there," he spoke still looking at me but pointing at a seat to my left. 

" Yes, but I always sit where you're at," I stated bitterly. I tried to keep my voice void of all emotion, but it seems my body didn't want that. I need to sit by the window in case I break down. The last thing I need is for someone to see me crying in class or for my concealer to come off. They can't find out that Scarlett and I are being abused at home. We would be put in foster care and get separated. I refuse to let that happen. 

There must've been something in my voice or the look I was giving him because he said," Ok."

I sighed in relief thanking him profusely. He stood up with a gentle ease towering over me. I saw him begin to grab his things, and that's when I saw it. The cane.

" Oh my God! I am so sorry! I didn't realize you were blind. Shit! I didn't mean to say that. You probably get enough crap about it. Here, let me help you," I ramble on reaching out to help him move his things. As I go to pick up his notebook, my hand accidentally brushes his.

"Tailia!" I hear Marcus screech, but I can't see him.  All I see are flames and a black abyss.

I blindly search the forest, hoping to see any part of him. There's blood rushing to my ears as all I hear are the flames of the fire and my heart beating a thousand beats per minute.

It feels like it takes forever for me to stumble upon a clearing. When I do standing, surrounded by flames, is HER with Marcus kneeling on the ground, a knife to his throat.

I take a step back once the flash passes through my system. All I can think of is

"What the fuck," the guy in front of me whispers, who I now realize is the guy from my vision.

Marcus