Drive Home
1613 Words
As the time drew near the cold wind becomes far less bearable. He couldn’t sit on the freezing bench so the best he could do was prop myself up against the wall poster, letting his eyes move over the scars on his arm, as he had raised up his sleeve.
He has been waiting for the bus for for over twenty minutes and it never arrived. He wished he could stay for the next bus, which would arrive in about half an hour but it was getting colder as each hour passes and he would surely be dead when he got home.
A long sigh left his mouth. He backed up from the wall, applying pressure on his feet as he pulled his hoodie on. As he stepped from under the wooden plywood came the rain drops heavy and harsh, falling from a sky of dark grey. They came altogether and yet as pioneers. And though he was soon quite wet, it did feel like it was raining. Perhaps because the good was covering his ears from hearing as each drop hit the ground and colorful roofs of the buildings.
He groaned thinking that he had to walk all the way home just to receive his father angry punches. Why hadn’t he left walking from the start? But he was already late so no rush.
Just as he got to rhythm of walking home, he heard a honk behind him. He turned around and saw a sleek black car with tinted windows.
Squinting his eyes, he tried figuring out whom the not so familiar car belonged to. As reading his thoughts, the windows started to slide down, and the minute he saw the person inside his body froze.
It was the town’s new walking devil, Denies Santiago. She was wearing black sunglasses giving her an even more shady look than she already had. It was kind of better if she kept her eyes covered; they gave him the creeps in a sort of good way and he hated feeling those emotions while staring into her orbs.
“You need a ride.”
If Louis was taken aback , he made it successful not to let her know. It was clear what she said wasn’t a question...more like an order.
A full made its way down his throat as his arm raised and with an index finger, it pointed backwards.
“N-no”he shook his head negatively. “My home is just one...one b-block away.”
The lie slipped out, to his dismay not easy and smooth like ice running down a straight surface.
A cold laugh left her mouth as her hand reached in slowly to take the shades off and have a better look at him.
“You know I don’t take no for an answer… right? Anyways I wasn’t even asking.” As always, her smirk was the only emotion she showed as her hands were stretched on the steering wheel.
He knew he had made a mistake when he stared into those gorgeous eyes, but it wasn’t like he could’ve help it. In class, his eyes had formed a brain on their own and decided to disobey his requests and freeze, gazing into hers.
”Look”he sighed, clueless on what to say. “I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t have played the brave guy role and stare at you like a...pervert”.
A long silence was the first reply he had received. He scowled more, catching that little hint of curiosity in her eyes. They were clouded for some reason, like they just unfocused as her brain traveled through hundreds of thoughts.
She then focused her attention back at him and her smirk reappeared. He wanted to roll his eyes but held the urge of doing so and stood still.
“I didn’t realize you were staring at me.”
‘Oh dammit’ he said silently. ‘And now she knows’ he huffed mentally. What was he going to do then after getting himself into an even more embarrassing situation?
Her smirk was starting to irritate him. It wasn’t a normal teasing smirk for him. As the left side of her faint red lip tugged upwards creating a sinister smirk on her god like face; it was immediately casting a spell of l**t to eyes that dare look his way. That was more how he perceived it.
“Get in”she ordered, putting her shades back on.
As she did so, he could have sworn he could see something shine from behind her sunglasses. That make her even creepier.
He was just standing there silently calculating the steps he had to take to make a sprint home.
“Seriously, there are only three seconds left for you to be here, beside me” She patted the seat beside her as she mouthed the first number to him.
Without thinking, he jogged towards the car. He had never been that scared in my life more than when his father unleashed his wrath. Not even his father had that much authority over him. It was a bit normal though, she was one of the biggest mafia leaders. He wondered how was she so strong at this age. It was like she was a fictional character who jumped out of a fairytale after playing the role of the villain everyone despised for no exact reason.
A heavy silence settled over them, thicker than the uneasy tension in the atmosphere. His unsettled eyes glanced unceremoniously around and tried to avoid catching hers.
The whole ride was silent. He didn’t know if it was as awkward for her as it was for him but he kept side glancing at her trying to figure out what she was thinking. Honestly, he was glad she didn’t start a conversation, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to utter out a word and speak. The only thing he could do was to calm himself down from having a heart attack. The ride didn’t feel long at all, it didn’t end as quick as a snap of fingers easier, just likes he had chose the right speed. When they arrived, he stayed inside for a few moments. Not knowing whether to bid her goodbye or just leave, he found himself immediately jumping outside.
As he heard her car speed away, he felt his body finally relaxing. He let out the breath he was holding. Then it hit him hard. He had never told her his address, she knew it already.
He stood there, eyes focused on the door in front of him as he was still shocked. He was trying to remember how to breathe, unable to move, totally stunned as the idea bounced around inside his skull like a curse a witch had just chanted.
His legs started move, feeling like if he wouldn’t go somewhere, she would come back and find him.
He reached in, trying to open the door but he found he couldn't fit the key in the lock. Her fingers were jumping rhythmically, it was the wrong one. He had taken his room’s keys by mistake.
His knuckles stopped on the door as they hit it rather quietly and hesitantly than anything like harsh.
It was as if someone had been standing behind the thick wall, waiting for him to arrive. The door flew open, a hand dragging him inside and throwing him down at the first chance it got.
He winced, arching his back as it hit the ground. Yet, the pain was nothing compared to his father’s loud booming voice.
“WHY ARE YOU THIS LATE? YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN COOKING DINNER AND CLEANING THE HOUSE BY NOW” he screamed.
Louis was busy trying to lessen the pain by rubbing his back and crawling away from the mad monster standing in front of him. He was never as scary at the before. Maybe Louis’ fear just doubled after the day he had, or was it really that his father looked scarier
He looked up, not expecting for a punch to throw him back down. His hand involuntary made its way to his chest as he held that place on his right, feeling a kind of the worst pain a person could experience from their father.
Punch after punch, he started losing his consciousness slowly. Flashes of her face showed up as other memories of his lovely uncle filled his eyes. He closed them tightly, remembering how much of an important person he had in his life. Perhaps he wasn’t all alone and had both his uncle and his wife to stand by his side.
But what could two old people do in his situation?
- Writer
