Beauty & Her Bruises

Chapter Five

I cringed hearing Liam and his mom arguing together in the kitchen. They weren't trying to hide the fact that they were both equally mad at each other and that they couldn't stand each other at the moment. I just stared blankly at the wall with my knees curled up to my chest as Liam's dad watched TV. I could tell that he wasn't really watching it either though.

"So you knew?" he questioned me. I looked over at him confusingly until he jutted his chin toward the kitchen where the yells were getting more violent.

"Yeah, I knew. He wanted me here for the support," I whispered. I buried my face in my knees and knew that the dad was much nicer than Liam's mom.

I hated hearing people fight.

"So, are you a lesbian?" he questioned me.

"No."

The dad shook his head in understanding and stared the TV screen. Instead of staring at the wall anymore, I decided staring at the TV would be better and might help take my mind off of the fighting that was going on in the other room.

"Are you okay with it?" I asked. The dad looked at me startled and I couldn't blame him. He didn't necessarily hate me but I've never tried to even talk to him or his wife. I've always been the shy, quiet one.

"It will take time to get used to," he said. My heart crippled and died. I'm the one that was always telling Liam that his parents would love him even when they find out and I'm the one who pushed Liam into telling his parents. He finally gets enough courage and they might not even accept it. "His mother though..."

He shook his head and I knew what he was thinking. It was so obvious that Liam's mom wasn't going to forgive him or ever accept his decisions. She would be the parent who sends her child to a psych ward and try to change him. She was the mother that I feared even though I had it worse at home.

She was the reason Liam didn't want to tell anyone in the first place.

As the yelling increased, I felt my heart crumble and tumble down inside my body until it was near my feet. The things she was saying to Liam were repulsive and disgusting and I couldn't help but wonder how Liam felt.

"Liam, get back here!" his mother yelled.

My back straightened and I instantly got my feet off of the couch. I heard stomping coming towards us and I knew Liam was coming towards us from the other room. I looked at the dad and he nodded his head.

He went to the kitchen without another word and no doubt, tried to calm down and comfort his wife.

When Liam came in the room very angrily, he stared at me and I thought he was just mad at his mother. I was dead wrong.

"Liam, I'm so sorry that—"

Without saying a word to me, Liam grabbed me by my elbow and marched me towards his front door. I couldn't keep up so my feet were dragging on the floor from how powerful he was and I couldn't help but be a bit frightened at how angry he was.

When he opened the front door, he let go of me and stared at the front door. When I looked at him confusingly, he looked mad at me and his rough voice scared the crap out of me.

"Leave right now, Zara." I looked at him with confusion and he picked me up by the waist and dropped me on the porch. Thankfully, I landed on my feet and when I looked back, he was about to slam the door before dropping the heaviest weight ever. "This is all of your fault."

The slam of the door was probably worse than hearing the door slam at my house. Because I knew that at my house, I was just going to get beaten. At this house, this meant the end to our friendship.

This meant nobody at school was willing to protect me.

Nobody was going to be there for me.

Nobody was going to help to protect me.

Nobody was going to care.