Managing Boys

Managing Boys (31)

When Grim rolled to a stop in front of my house, I didn’t get out of the car right away. It wasn’t because of the cop car parked in front, or the fact that my mother was inside and had been informed of everything. It was because my father’s car was parked up the street. He was already here.

I didn’t know if I’d be able to face both of my parents at the same time so soon. I didn’t want to talk to anyone; I just wanted to hide away until I finally felt safe again. But right then, it seemed like that time would never come.

“Come on, Aria,” Grim whispered, reaching out for my arm, but I recoiled away from him. He frowned. “Aria...”

Some of the blood on his face had dried, but not all of it. He still had cuts and bruises, and it was painful to look at him. Not because he was ugly, but because I had been the one that had caused him these injuries.

“They know,” was all I was able to croak, staring out the window at my house. “They know...”

“Aria, it’s good that they know,” the blonde beside me assured, but I didn’t believe him. “Now that they know, Ian can’t hurt you anymore. He’s gone, and you’re safe.”

I didn’t feel safe. I felt like Ian could have showed up at any time to finish where he had left off, and this thought made me shudder. I felt like I was going to throw up in Grim’s very expensive car.

“What if they’re mad at me?” I squeaked, tears brimming my eyes. Grim looked at me in shock. “What if they’re mad that I never told them? It’s such a serious thing and I kept it a secret from them for so long. He’s been in my house, and he’s had dinner with my family. What if they’re mad at me for letting him in the house? What if they’re mad that I let him get so close to me again?”

Grim moved to reach for me, but then thought again it. “Aria,” he sighed, simply turning toward me and staring right at me. “They’re not going to be mad at you. They’re going to be shocked and glad that they finally know. It’s not a secret anymore, and that’s a good thing.”

I agreed with him, but I still found it difficult to push myself up and out of the car. My knees were wobbly, but other than that, I could walk just fine without Grim having to help me, though he was right by my side just in case.

I found myself ringing the doorbell to my own house, and I didn’t even know why. When the door opened, it revealed my red-eyed mother, who simply gaped when she saw that it was me at the door.

There were cops behind her, which made me feel very uncomfortable. I did not want them to be here. I did not want to talk to them.

“Oh, Aria,” my mother sobbed once I got into the house, immediately wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I cringed slightly, but didn’t push her away. “Oh, Aria... Oh, Aria... Oh, Aria!”

I said nothing. I only let my mother continue to hug me, though I still did not want to be touched. But I knew that she was glad that I was safe—that I was alive—so I wasn’t going to ruin this for her.

My father then joined in on the hug, and it was the sweetest, most awkward thing that I had ever experienced. My parents were friends, yes, but they were still divorced. They hadn’t had contact like this ever since they’d been married, and being in the middle of it was a little strange.

When they finally pulled away from me, they turned toward my savior. My mother gasped when she saw him, slapping a hand over her mouth. Grim seemed to forget about his appearance once again.

My mother seemed to try to forget about it as well as she step toward Grim and hugged him tightly. “Thank you so much,” she cried, and I now made my way onto the couch and hugged my knees. “Thank you so much for saving my daughter.”