Her Savior

Chapter 8

*Harper’s POV*

The rest of breakfast was consumed with talk of football, as usual. Talia and I were just observers of the conversation. Though, Tyler did attempt to include her multiple times. I, however, preferred to eat silently without any attention drawn to me.

Taking a few opportunities to glance her way, I noticed Talia seemed quieter than normal, no doubt thinking about something. Most likely, processing our earlier conversation that was quickly stopped by Tyler. I am hoping she doesn't continue to pursue it because I think Tyler and dad are already getting suspicious that she might know something.

I instantly regretted not shutting it down at school, when she asked me. But I was caught off guard. I was used to putting on a face and telling a good lie to the teacher or counselor, but not to Talia. She would see through all of my lies.

After breakfast, I started cleaning up the dishes as Tyler, Talia, and Cole left to meet up with the rest of their friends. A mall outing, I guess. It must be nice to actually go out and do things on the weekend. . .I missed having friends and actually being able to do fun things. Now, I'm just stuck at home cleaning, cooking, and waiting on dad hand and foot.

With dad still seated at the table, finishing his breakfast, I carefully and quietly made my way around the table, cleaning up all of the other dishes. I tried to keep my head down and stay out of his way as much as possible. I glanced over at him out of the corner of my eye ever so often, trying to stay alert. I wasn't sure exactly what he was thinking after Talia mentioned wanting to get together again, but I was worried he was suspecting something by the way he reacted.

“What the h**l was that about?” Dad demanded as he stood up from his seat. It was almost as if he heard my thoughts out loud. Just as I feared, I knew he was referencing Talia and my breathing hitched as I took a step back. Fear was a common emotion when dad was around, and he seemed to enjoy being feared by me. I wish I had the confidence to stand up for myself, but that never worked out for me. I tried that months ago when all of this first started and I was sore for weeks.

"Wh-what do you m-mean?" I asked in my normal soft, innocent voice. My breathing quickened as he got closer. Before I could react, he grabbed me by the throat and threw me up against the wall. I instinctively reached my hands up in an attempt to release his grip, but it was no use.

"Why does Talia all of a sudden want to hangout with you again? What did you tell her?" He questioned in a harsh tone.

"I d-don’t know…I didn’t t-tell her anything" I responded, which came out more like a breath. His hand closes tighter around my throat, diminishing my ability to breathe.

"P-please" I pleaded. He let go of me and watched me crumble to the floor. I clutched my throat, coughing, in an attempt to regain my breathing.

"You better not open your mouth to anyone, do you hear me?" He commanded with a swift kick to my ribs. I winced, holding my breath to alleviate some of the immediate pain, holding back tears. I curled up in a ball, arms protecting my face, anticipating the next blow.

"Y-yes"I gave a weak reply. He continued kicking me in the stomach, face, and sides. My sight became blurry after a blow to my face. I could feel blood trickle down my lips.

"Yes what?" He yelled, in total control.

"Yes sir" I broke down and cried relentlessly, holding myself on the floor.

He seemed satisfied enough with my response, so he gave me one more kick to the stomach and then turned and walked away, mumbling under his breath.

"...And bring me a g*d d**n beer!" He yelled from the other room.

I slowly made my way to a standing position, wincing. I can barely breathe without leaning over or holding my stomach. I went to the sink to wipe my face, instantly regretting all of my daily tasks I had ahead of me. I am given more daily tasks on the weekends, naturally. I’m not sure how quickly I will be able to complete them today. . .

After giving dad his beer, I started working on the laundry to begin my chores. I have six hours to get everything done, but since I'm moving slower today, I know it's going to take much longer. I grab an ice pack from the freezer and nurse my ribs for a few minutes, in between tasks. Usually, ice packs help numb the pain, which will help me move that much faster.

I made my way from room to room, cleaning every inch, top to bottom. I finished the laundry and started putting dishes away when Tyler and Cole came back. My body instantly tensed up as I heard footsteps getting closer to the kitchen. I was putting a glass away in the cupboard above my head when I saw them both stalk towards me. I immediately shuttered, wondering what I did now. I cower back, against the counter, body shaking.

Tyler walks right up to me, grabs me by the throat and pushes me hard against the counter. I winced, terrified, as my back scratched against the edge of the counter. I grab his hands, desperately trying to pry his hands off my throat, but it’s no use. His grip is tight around my throat, causing me to choke, gasping for air.

“What the hell did you say to Talia!?” He demanded, squeezing my throat tighter.

“I can-can’t breathe,” I responded in a whisper.

He loosened his grip on my throat just enough so I could speak. His laser eyes were trained on me and my every move, waiting for my response.

“I didn’t s-say anything..” I cried out, not able to hold back my tears any longer.

“Then why the h**l is she interrogating me about you!?” He demanded. I knew he wouldn’t let it go until I said something, so I decided the partial truth might save me.

“B-because she saw the b-bruises on my wrists, b-but I d-didn’t say anything. . .” I defended.

He threw me to the middle of the floor by my throat.

“You stupid b***h! Why didn’t you deny it!?” He stalks over and kicks me hard where my ribs are already pained. I cried out, holding my stomach, curled up in a ball.

“I’m sorry! I p-panicked” I cried. That was the truth. I let her believe what she wanted to because I couldn’t come up with an excuse in time. Cole joins in and together they take turns kicking me. All I can do is hold my head for protection and wait until it's over.

"This is all your fault. We wouldn't have to punish you if you weren't such a useless piece of s**t!" Tyler shouted as they kicked me hard in the side. I yelped as I grabbed my side.

Tyler leaned over, grabbed me hard by the hair and brought me up to his level. I winced from the pain as he forced me to look him directly in the eyes.

“Don’t ever talk to her again, do you hear me?”his tone was dead serious, which terrified me. I nodded my head profusely.

“Y-yes, I hear you” I responded. He let go and I was left alone, on the floor, in a heap. I let myself cry for a moment to myself before getting back up to continue my chores.

Not talking to Talia again makes me incredibly sad. . . I was hoping we would reconnect, but that seemed a mute point now. I had to let it go... There was no way I could chance it with Tyler constantly being around her.

The rest of the day went by without incident. Before I knew it, it was time for dinner. Cole went home since there is school tomorrow, so I was just plating food for dad and Tyler. I dropped it in front of them and waited, even though I knew I wasn't getting any dinner tonight.

“No dinner tonight for you. Get out of my sight” dad stated, matter-of-fact. I wiped new tears from my face as I nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. After cleaning up everything, I vanished to my place in the attic. Despite the pain all over my body, I was hungry. I grabbed a few crackers under my mattress before tending to my bruises and crying myself to sleep.

*Dawson’s POV*

“No way, Cassie is way hotter than Ashley”, Blake’s voice echoed throughout the car.

“No way!” Zeb argued from the back seat. "Although, I would do them both" He laughed, giving off his normal, cheesy grin.

"Oh, yeah. For sure!" Blake agreed.

I rolled my eyes, irritated by the direction of the conversation. I turned the radio up in an attempt to drown out their voices, but it was no use. They just talked louder.

“Both of you just need to shut up.” I stated, pulling my Land Rover into the school parking lot.

“Oh, that's right-Dawson doesn’t care because he already has a girl. Right Dawson?” Zeb elbowed me before turning to grab his bag from the car.

“Oh, right!” Blake agreed “what’s her name again? Harper?” He said in a cheesy voice.

“Yeah, she’s definitely a sight” Zeb smiled, raising his eyebrows up and down. All I had to do was give him one cold, hard look and he shut up.

“Ok, ok, sorry!” Zeb puts his arms up defensively, waiting to get smacked.

We all grab our bags and head into school. Walking in, I noticed some people cowering away from me and others wanted to be my friend. Girls kept bugging me to hangout with them or date them, but I had zero interest in them. It was all really of no consequence to me because I was only interested in one girl. Harper. Ever since I first saw her in English class, I have found myself looking for her in the hallways before and after every class.

She was absolutely beautiful, but it was clear she didn’t realize it. Her forest green eyes, long red hair, and shy smile pulled me in from the start. From the moment I first saw her, I knew there was something about her. Something that made me want to be around her, talk to her, and know everything about her.

She definitely doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends, and she seems to be very tight-lipped about her personal life, but I’m not sure why. She’s gorgeous, and she seems very smart and likeable. . . I figured I would have to ward off some guys, but everyone seemed to avoid her, which was odd. There must be something there that I’m missing.

Walking to our lockers, I looked for her, but I didn’t see her. She’s normally here by now. I glanced around once more before turning to open my locker. Zeb and Blake are by my side, talking my ear off as usual. Only, I'm not really paying attention.

“So are you going to do it?” Zeb asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Huh? Do what?”

“Football. Remember? Coach Ray says we have a week to decide whether we want to join or not.”

“Oh, yeah. I think it’s a good idea”, I responded half-heartedly. My mind is clearly somewhere else.

"Great, so let's meet on the field tomorrow after school, then" Zek suggests, and we both nod in agreement.

"Sure" I said, "Sounds good."

I shut my locker and looked for Harper one more time before heading to class. I was a tad disappointed I didn't see her, but I was sure I would see her at lunch and in English class later. I don't know why I was already so attached to her when I've only known her for a little over a week now, but there was just something about her that I couldn't really explain.

“Hey boys!” I rolled my eyes, unimpressed as I saw Cassie walk up. She is your stereotypically tall, beautiful blonde with daddy’s credit card in her back pocket. Every guy in school is in love with her, except for me. She wears too much makeup and her high-pitched squeal of a voice is hard to ignore.

“Hey Cassie!” Blake responded, all-too-eagerly, putting his arm around her as she twirled her hair, happy with any kind of attention. I shake my head. Blake has been trying to get with her since we moved here, but of course, she likes to play hard to get. I don’t have time for that.

“Well, see you guys later.” I stated before walking off.

“See ya later man!” Zeb and Blake both called after me.

“Wait!” I heard Cassie say as she tried to catch up with me. I rolled my eyes, stopped and turned towards her.

"I was hoping...maybe we could get together this weekend?" She fluttered her eyelashes and grabbed onto my arm.

I shook her off my arm and shook my head. "No, Cassie. I told you. You and I are never going to happen." I turned and walked away, without looking back.