Chapter One

The car hasn’t even stopped moving before I have the door open.

            “Hey, what’re you-

            “I’m late, Dex,” I tell my driver.

            “Your dad would kill me if something happened to you.”

            “You’re preaching to the choir, buddy.”

            “A little warning next time. I’ll drive faster.”

            I thank him and tear up the stone white stairs.

            My heart rate picks up and my breathing shallows. Just being at this door alone scares the hell out of me but not going in is only going to make me later.

            I open the door and see him coming out of the living room to meet me. I slowly walk toward him.

            “You want to get over here today?” he said pointing to the spot in front of him.

            I quicken my pace; anything to keep him calm.

            “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”

            I want to say more but I’m hyperventilating. The fear must be all over my face because he reaches out and brushes my hair back with his fingers.

            “Go get dressed, Kendall.”

            I head for the stairs and my breathing evens but the fear never goes away unless I’m away from this house.

            There’s a white skirt, white long sleeved sweater, and pink camisole lying across my black duvet cover. He says that pink favors my skin tone.

            I grab the fleece blanket from the futon on the right side of my bed and cover the large mirror next to my closet door.

            While I undress and redress, I think about the past three months. It had been a great summer having my brothers home from college. I’d spent almost every day with them and my father wasn’t as physical. Out of the nearly ninety days, he’d probably hurt me ten times; the times they weren’t home, of course.

            I hadn’t felt any fear at all. I knew her brothers would protect me and he must have known that, too.

            “So why haven’t I told them?”

            Once I’m dressed, I removed the fleece and checked my appearance.

            “Kendall!”

            “Coming!”

            I check that the tattoo on my back wasn’t visible then meet my father at the bottom of the stairs.

            “Ready.”

            He touches the necklace around my neck.

            “Do you really need all these rings and bracelets?”

            “I guess not.”

            I take off all but one ring and one bracelet.

            “And these two?”

            “Donny and Derrick gave me these.”

            He stares at me.

            “Hi, Kendall.”

            My father’s girlfriend is coming toward us and I know I have a decision to make.

            I could keep on the ring and bracelet and take a big one tonight, the day before school starts, for blatantly disobeying him. Or I could run the risk of him getting drunk tonight and beating me up anyway.

            “I think I’ll keep them on.”

            He narrows his eyes at me and I almost throw up.

            “Are we ready to go, baby?”

            “Yes.”

            His Audi’s outside waiting so we head to the country club where I’ll have to pretend to be polite and together and happy instead of scared out of my wits like I really am; instead of dreading going home; instead of scared for my life.

 

            After, what I considered, a lovely evening, we go home. I put on my pjs and sit on my balcony. There’s nothing like hearing your father and his current hussy going at it with the knowledge that he’s going to beat you with those same hands later. They’ll be drinking, too.

            I shake my head and lean forward. The thing I love most about Napa is that all the trees and plants keep the air clear so the stars are at their best. They make the vineyard just below amazing. The rows of fruit trees and bushes all evenly line up and lead further back to the mountains. The red woodchips smell of fertilizer. Sometimes the vineyard makes it all worth it.

            I let the rare peace lull me to sleep.

 

            I don’t know how long it’s been but when I wake, I’m in pain. There’s something in my hair so I instinctively move my hands to my head. The thing in my hair turns out to be my dad’s hand.

            “Oh, gosh,” I whisper because he’s caught me off guard.

            “What’re you doing out here?” he slurs.

            “Nothing. Nothing!”

            “Trying to leave me?”

            He pulls me to my feet. My head is throbbing and now my stomach is too because he just punched me in it. It takes everything in me not to throw up on him. My body wants to curl in on itself, protect itself but he’s still holding me up by my hair.

            I don’t have a lot of dignity left but I have to give in this time.

            “Please, dad! I’m sorry. I won’t go anywhere. I swear!”

            He looks at my defeated face, places his foot on my chest and kicks me backwards as he releases my hair.

            I tumble back and hit my head and shoulder on the chair.

            “Don’t embarrass me again.”

            And again, just before he walks away, he give me that look; a look like he’s almost sorry.

            But he just walks away. He doesn’t say anything along those lines and he doesn’t look back. He just walks away as I lay there in pain.

            This is how it went. This is our relationship. 

Reviews

[Samantha Lynn]

OH yEAH. I aslo wanted to ask if there are 2 different POV's??? I hope there are because that would be VERY confusing.

[Samantha Lynn]

" “A little warning next time. I’ll drive faster.
I thank him and tear up the stone white stairs." you kind of jump right here. I would add a sentence saying that you actually get where you are going after a while.

this is REALLY good! There was a big twist that caught me off gaurd and i was all,"OMGOMGOMG!!!!!" which means that I will keep reading.