Letters To My Mate

Chapter Thirteen

This is my longest chapter yet, wow... Just over 3000 words haha:') I'd just like to quickly thank everyone for 5000 reads and almost 200 votes! I never expected my story to get nearly that amount! Anyway, here is the chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! <3

Oh, also I'd like to dedicate this to Maria who I've luckily made friends with on wattpad and she has helped me a lot with LTMM by helping come up with ideas! So thank you :')

THIRTEEN

Over the past few weeks, the letters that Ethan and I have been sharing have made me a lot happier than I would have been otherwise. He manages to make me so happy - he allows me to ignore the situation I am in at home for a while. Although many of his letters are starting to sound sappy – I feel like he may have been listening to his mother talk about finding a girl for too long, or maybe watching romantic films such as 'The Notebook' on a daily basis – he manages to put a large smile on my face and the thought that someone cares so much about me and loves me warms my heart.

"Rachel." I heard the teacher say, causing my head to whip up as I was previously staring down and doodling in my notebook rather than paying attention.

"Y-Yes?" I stuttered.

"What is the answer to this problem?" He asked. I looked at the board, reading the mathematical equation slowly in my head to ensure that I don't mess up and make a fool of myself.

After a moment of thought I answered, "The answer is thirty-two xy."

"Oh, yes, that is correct, well done." He seemed surprised that I managed to get it right without having someone else tell me the answer. Maths was my second best subject and I did not find algebra as hard as many others did, so I was lucky this question was algebra.

After this incident, I realised that Ethan takes up way too much of my time and my mind. I thought about him way too much – he was invading every thought that I had. I needed to pay more attention in school or I would fail my exams at the end of this year and I wouldn't be able to graduate and get out of here. Also, I think that most of the teachers are starting to notice and not all of them understand or find it as amusing as Mrs Greene does.

* * * * *

I hid the letter I had just received from Ethan in my bra, folding it carefully so it did not look uneven – don't judge, it was the only place that my father wouldn't find it if he happened to be home today. I brought my hand up to the top of the door-sill, feeling around for the spare key as I did not have time to find my own key in the morning. Once I felt the small, cold key come in contact with my fingers I unlocked the door and closed it quietly behind me. I heard someone clear their throat loudly behind me in order to gain my attention and my entire body tensed – he was home.

I know that I needed to turn around, but thousands of thoughts were circling through my mind and my body refused to turn. I heard what sounded like a growl come from my father's throat and suddenly everything came back to life. Feeling hands wrap around my throat, I refused to struggle as it would make things a lot worse. My father lifted me up and threw me against the wall, resulting in a sharp pain in my head. There was no doubt that I would be unconscious very soon and in a lot of pain when my body managed to recover and wake up.

"I came home to find an empty house and no dinner on the table!" He yelled, pacing up and down in front of me as I lay helplessly on the ground, against the wall I had been thrown against. "I bet you were out whoring around, that's why you were late!" He accused, ignoring my pain-filled stare and attempts at explaining that I was at school.

"You are a useless and worthless daughter!"

"You were a mistake!"

"Your mother would be disappointed in you!"