The Bad and The Broken

Chapter 46

Dawn's POV

We go inside and then Ryder leaves.

Father's truck wasn't in the driveway, which is odd because he's supposed to be home.

We walk through the hall, and as soon as I'm in the lunging room, I'm pressed against the wall with a giant hand around my throat.

"I'm going to have a  guest over in two days," he says, "I need you to go to the store tomorrow and get food."

And with that, he releases me and go to the kitchen.

We go to my room and school work. I help him with geometry and when we're done, we sit in silence.

"If he knows you can talk, then why are you still acting mute?" He asks.

I think about it for a a little bit because I don't even know why.

I wait until I have an answer to speak.

"I guess I just... don't want to get close with him," I say.

He looks at me like I'm dumb and says, "but you're already close with him," as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I mean-" i stop, not sure how to say what I mean, "if I talk to him, I'm scared it will be harder to keep things from him."

"Do you like him?"

I think about it.

I get butterfly's when he takes my hand or says my name. My heart swells when he wants to talk to me. I blush when he says something nice. I like it when he's around me. I know I may like him, I just don't want to admit it. I guess it's time that I do.

"Yeah," I smile a little, "I do."

Jesse smiles at me.

"Would you look at that, Dawn has feelings," he says sarcastically. I blush and shove him off the bed and he laughs.

"Maybe he likes you, too."

"No," I shake my head, "guys like him don't like girls like me."

"What are girls like you?"

I sigh and say, "Girls like me don't have a chance with good, handsome, sweet guys. He wants someone with beautiful skin and soft lips and a pretty face. A girl with a good life like this his. A normal girl. He belongs with a normal girl."

"Dawn what our life is like does not define us," he says quietly.

"Even if he did, we couldn't be together. What if we love again? Out of the blue? Then what? The both of us would be heart broken," I state.

We sit in silence. Thinking.

"Sis, we need to get out of here."

I nod.

"I know."

"Soon," he adds.

I don't look at him.

"I know."

I don't know when we can leave, or where we'd go, or how we'd get there, or what we'd do. I want to leave my father, I just wish we could stay in this town. I like it here, I have friends. I have hope here. Something will change here. Something has to.

We lay down in bed, and try to go to sleep, but there's too much on both of our minds.

****
The next morning, before we leave, I grab the grocery money dad left on the counter so we can go after school.