Taunts
1248 Words
REY
The night air was chilly and it wasn't unusual to experience this frigid climate in Sunny Height during May.
I didn't feel it though until I came out of the car. I rubbed my palms together as my eyes went heavenward.
The stars shone in all their brilliancy, illuminating the cloudless night sky. It looked glamorous as they lined the atmosphere. At least it did until my eyes settled on the same car that sat in the garage yesterday. Meaning, the owner would be inside too.
I grimaced as I walked to the door, did a mental note either to concede to whatever he hurled at me since he wouldn't and couldn't keep his mouth shut as far as I was concerned or dismiss each of his statements and act like he didn't exist.
I went with the latter as my hand reached the metal handle of the entrance door.
The living room was partially dark due to the dimness of the light from the chandelier, yet, I could see everything and everyone in it.
Nora, sat in the middle of his lap as he watched the cartoon currently ongoing on the TV screen with her. She pointed at something and he chuckled, mimicking it which made her laugh in the process.
Was this daddy's goal or what?
It looked like it in other people's view that didn't know him. To them, he was watching one of his kid's favourite cartoons on the couch, with popcorn on the coffee table drawn close to them. I knew him, so I wasn't fooled by it.
My mom sat farther away, her eyes glancing at the screen and them every second. She noticed me first, as her eyes rose to meet mine.
An infectious smile graced her lovely face and I reciprocated it. The gloom I felt after seeing the car, evaporated into thin air as she beckoned me over.
I walked to her side and sat heavily beside her on the loveseat.
"Ma, " I said.
"Hungry?" "How is Lee?"She asked.
Apparently, my mom knows about everything I do. Okay, maybe not. I mean I couldn't and wouldn't tell her how active I have become since the past years but she still has a way to know as she kept on ringing it in my head that she was too young to be a grandmother whenever she saw a girl going or coming out of my room.
"No. Lee is fine." I clasped my hands at the back of my head, resting them on the sofa.
"Rey!" Nora shouted as she noticed me after the closing credit of the carton she had been watching. I held out my arms and she jumped into it.
"Ain't you a cheerful little one?" I teased.
She bounced her hair, attempting to stop me from ruffling it.
"I missed you." She pouted, folding her tiny arms on her chest.
"I was only gone for a few hours," I said.
"More like the whole day." He said.
Ignore one, I counted in my mind.
"Aww squirt, I miss you too," I said, still patting her hair.
"Rey, stop calling your sister that." Mom chided, glaring at me.
"He probably learns that from you. You are bad at training kids." He tutted, shaking his head.
Hurt flickered in her eyes and she blinked back tears. I wanted to retort that instance but held my tongue to continue ignoring as I didn't want Nora to witness any uproar.
Any more lewd comments from him to my mom, he would make sure he had stayed put and never visited or whatever he thought he was doing.
Nora's head lolled as she dozed off in my hand. Soft snores came out of her slightly, opened mouth.
I handed her to mom and she rose, walking in the direction of Nora's room to lay her in bed.
I moved towards the fridge as my stomach grumbled to fetch some snacks.
"I passed by your school today." He said.
I scoffed whilst opening the fridge. He didn't and hadn't been inside the school, talking more of knowing the gate was painted a pale yellow like the sun. He was bluffing.
"I can't help but notice a girl that looks like her."
He wasn't bluffing.
"She's cute, I mean cuter than the former version."
God, please no.
I slammed the fridge shut, swivelled to see a nauseating grin on his face.
How could I keep resisting him when he knew all the buttons to push in me. Now he knew about Winter. The sick bastard f*cking knew her.
I needed to call her, to plead with her to be cautious and never go out in the dark because the beast always lurked in it at night time, looking for prey to pounce on but I couldn't.
How could I start explaining to her she looks like someone I once cherished?
How could I start explaining I stalked her on purpose because I wanted to keep her safe?
How could I say, I have a beast of a father seeking to devour her because of me?
I didn't know if she was angry with me earlier or not, though I didn't give her reasons to be. She rejected all my calls as I kept calling her number.
I had noticed the confused and irritating expression on her face when in the hospital but she didn't utter a word and I didn't either. Even if she had spoken, I might not have replied to her because of how grumpy I was the night before.
I let out an exasperated sigh as she could be irking too most times.
"She is cute." He said again, coming forward.
Rey, ignore
Ignore!
He was only trying to infuriate me which was the facts. I was not going to lose myself even though I felt like flattening his face onto the tiled floor.
I sidestepped him as he drew closer, to where I stood in the kitchen. I walked back to my room, tuning everything he was saying out of my mind as I went up the stairs.
Only that way, I wouldn't feel like ramming him against the kitchen fridge.
I flung the top drawer in my nightstand open, immediately I got in and took out the container filled with weeds. After wrapping neatly in the Rizla, I took a long drag. All the tension in my muscles loosened as I puffed out the smoke.
I let out a slight cough signalling I needed to stop smoking per the doctor's instruction- my mom. She had examined me, after a non-stop cough lasting for about two months. I was seventeen then, making it two years and I had begun smoking a year back then. She listed cigarettes as one of the major reasons for the cough.
I stopped for some months but took it up again since the person that pushed me into it at first kept resurfacing, frustrating my life in the process.
Since he knew Winter existed now, he would stop at nothing to do what he did before.
Groaning, I flicked the ash off and stubbed the butt of the cigarette which was halfway to it becoming finished in the ashtray.
Life would have been perfect if it was only mom, Nora and I but not everything could happen the way we wanted right?
I played with my phone for a while before resigning to the fate of slumber as my eyes grew heavy.
- Writer
