Chapter Eight
1266 Words
Lola
I shut the door firmly behind me and locked it before I crept towards the window and took a sneaky peek through.
To my relief, Jack had been as good as his word and had driven away hopefully back to school.
Taking a glance at myself in the mirror on the wall in the living room, I saw what a frightful state I looked.
As well as the obvious wound on my head and dried blood caked all around it,
My eyes were red and puffy from crying and my clothes were all torn from the brambles.
I decided it would be best to have a shower and at least try to clean myself up a bit.
Thankful that nobody was going to be home, I made my way upstairs and undressed in the bathroom.
Stepping under the hot water I winced as it hit my head causing pain to flow through my entire body. It didn't help that it stung my arms and legs which were scattered with scratches.
I stood under the water for a long time watching as the red colour of my blood mixed with the water flowed away down the drain.
Wishing I could wash myself away with it.
Just float away from my life and start somewhere new.
Away from Ruby and her gang, Away from George.
I turned the water off and dried myself.
Making my way to the spare room, I grabbed a spare set of clothes that the Bensons let me keep here, in case I got dirty while cleaning for them.
Throwing them on I pulled my phone from my bag and saw that it was just past lunchtime at school.
A big yawn escaped from my mouth and a sudden tiredness crept over me.
The soft mattress and the fluffy blankets on the bed in the spare room looked so inviting. George wouldn't be expecting me home for a few hours yet so what harm would a quick nap do?
I climbed into the bed and lay my head down on the pillow. It didn't take long for my eyes to close and sleep to take over me.
A loud knocking on the door roused me and I looked around the room for a few moments trying to figure out where I was.
Another knock on the door and suddenly I remembered where I was.
I wondered how long I had slept and who was knocking at the door.
The Bensons don't have any visitors from what I have been able to tell.
Shit! George! What time was it?
He would go berserk if I wasn't home in time to make his food, and after this morning I had no desire to anger him any further.
I leapt out of bed like it was on fire and grabbed my bag, checking the time on my phone I saw it was just past 4 pm.
I could hear voices outside and took a quick look out the window.
Jack was at the end of the drive talking to one of Benson's neighbours.
Fuck, he is going to know I lied to him.
Never mind that you have to get home, I thought to myself. But how?
I needed to leave now and Jack or the neighbour were sure to see me leave through the front door and I couldn't afford to wait until they left.
I would have to go out the back way.
I crept down the stairs and stooped down low as I snuck to the back door and out into the back garden.
I hurried towards the back gate and was just pushing it open to leave when I heard the sound of a car starting.
Hopeful that Jack had left and more concerned about what would happen if I was late home, I took off running towards my house as fast as I could.
Dread filled me as it came into view.
A tiny house, almost, a cottage, sat inside a small clearing in a large forest on the edge of town.
It suddenly dawned on me that it was just like grandma's house in Little Red Riding Hood and just like grandma's house a big bad wolf was waiting for me inside.
" Why are you late?" George demanded the minute I stepped inside.
" Whole class detention." I lied.
" Someone pulled a prank on the teacher and nobody would admit it so we all got kept behind."
" Yeah right. I don't care. I'm starving. Get my dinner made now." He didn't even turn away from the TV to look at me.
If you are so hungry why don't you make it yourself? I thought to myself as I busied myself in the kitchen.
" Do you have to make so much noise in here?" George appeared in the doorway swaying with a beer in his hand.
" I am trying to watch TV."
" Sorry, almost done," I answered in as cheery a voice as I could muster.
" What the f**k happened to you?"
He gestured with his beer towards my head.
" I walked into an open locker. The nurse had to shave a bit of my hair to get a better look at it."
" Sounds right, clumsy b***h you are."
He turned and staggered back to the living room.
I heard him collapse back onto the sofa and let out a deep breath.
I finished making the steak and chips and carried his plate through to him along with another beer. I knew he would ask for it anyway so I may as well save myself some time.
I put them down silently on the table next to him and started to walk away.
" About this morning...." I stopped in my tracks. I couldn't believe he remembered.
I waited for him to carry on speaking wondering if he was going to apologise for once.
" Never mind. Get out of my sight."
I ran up the stairs and slammed the door.
I wished like I had so many times before that it had a lock. I wish I could lock out George and the rest of the world.
Instead, I made do with propping a chair behind it.
It wouldn't stop him from getting inside I knew that from experience but it would slow him down. Sometimes he even decided it wasn't worth the effort and would just yell at me from outside.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to scroll through it.
I soon wished I hadn't because the social media was filled with people talking about what Ruby had done to me today.
Laughing emojis were everywhere.
The whole school thought it was hilarious. Because we moved about so much I stopped trying to make friends at new schools so I didn't have any friends there.
Some of her little posse were even talking about how I hadn't been seen for the rest of the day and how they hoped I was dead.
I shouldn't have kept reading it all but something inside me kept going.
Deep down I think I must deserve this.
I could take it no longer and I threw my phone away. I heard it crack as it hit the wall before landing on the floor.
I didn't care anymore.
It's not like there is anyone who wants to call me anyway.
I turned on my side and pulled one of my pillows close to me hugging it as I began to sob into it.
Maybe I would be better off dead?
- Writer
