Chapter 16 Escaping His Anger
Gracie
I am in my bedroom, hiding. My dad is drunk and in a nasty mood. I am trying to stay out of his way. I already got a slap earlier for nothing. He is still drinking, which means he is going to get worse. I wish I had the money to move out and get away from him.
“GRACIE, WHERE ARE YOU?” I hear him yell.
I can hear him coming upstairs. I am not letting him anywhere near me tonight. He can find another way to vent his anger. I dash around my room, pulling on joggers, grab my cell and make my way to the window. I open it and shimmy down the drainpipe.
“Where do you go, you little bitch?” he hisses.
I dart towards my car, but then realise I forgot my keys. Shit! My house keys are attached, which means I won’t be able to get back in. Well, unless my dad is too drunk to realise the window is open. I can get back in that way if she doesn’t. Until then, I have no idea what to do. I will need to wait a few hours until he passes out. I can’t text Lola, she is at Ben’s place. I have one other option. I take my cell out and open a text to Ryland. I have been seeing him a lot this last week, not only at school.
Hey, are you free? x
Hey, for you? Always! x
I smile when I read it. He is always sweet with me, but seems to be an asshole to anyone else.
Can you drive, or have you been smoking? x
No, I haven’t been smoking. So yes, I can drive x
I am already outside x
Okay. Give me a minute to get dressed. I don’t think the neighbours would appreciate me coming out naked, ha-ha x
No, probably not ha-ha. See you in a few x
I head to his car and lean against it, waiting for him. It is already eleven, but it is the weekend, so there’s no need to be home early. I don’t plan on rushing home anyway. I spot him coming towards me only a few minutes later.
“Hey, sweetness,” he chirps as he approaches.
I smile. “Hello.”
Ryland unlocks the car. “Where do you want to go?”
“As far away from here as I can get, please.” I sigh and climb into the passenger seat.
Ryland climbs into the driver’s seat and turns to me. “Gracie, are you okay?”
I turn away from him to look out of the window. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can we please just drive?”
“Do you want to go down to the lake or somewhere further away? I am sure there is a beach about an hour away from here.”
“The beach,” I answer without even thinking about it.
He is right, the beach is an hour away. I don’t mind. All I want to do is get away from here, away from my father. Ryland doesn’t ask me anymore questions. I hope it stays that way. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even want to think about it or my father. All I want is to disappear with Ryland. There is always something about being around him that makes me feel at ease.
It will be after midnight by the time we get to the beach, but at least it will be peaceful. I close my eyes, trying to take a nap. I am exhausted because I didn’t sleep much last night due to my anxiety being high. It would have been the same tonight. I hate going to sleep when my dad is wasted because sometimes he barges into my room to wake me up and make sure I don’t get enough sleep. So, I will take advantage of the opportunity to sleep.
I wake to being gently shaken and Ryland calling my name. It takes me a moment to come too. I wake up, rubbing my eyes. “Hmm, we are here already?”
Ryland nods. “Yes, you slept the entire ride.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I never got much sleep last night.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. The cold ocean air will soon wake you up.”
I get out of the car, waiting for Ryland. I shudder as the cool air hits my skin. Ryland seems to be taking longer to come out of the vehicle. He finally does, and I realise why, he has a hoodie in his hand, passing it to me.
“Put this one before we go any further. It is way too cold for you only to have a tee on.” He says firmly.
I am grateful for it. I should have lifted one since I am only in a strappy tee. The bruises on my arms are away thankfully, so Ryland doesn’t have anything to see. I slip it over my head, and a comfort takes over me. It is soft and warm against my skin. It smells of him. It is massive on me, but I like that. I am small compared to him.
“It is a little big, but thank you.” I laugh.
“Just a little. It will keep you warm, and you look good in it.” He says with a smirk.
I am glad of the darkness because it means he can’t see my red face. There doesn’t seem to be another soul in sight. It is quiet, except for the waves crashing and the wind blowing. I want to go onto the sand, but it depends on whether the tide is in or not. I stroll over to the wall and glance over it, seeing that the tide is out.
“Come on, let’s go down onto the sand.” I encourage.