Page 168 of Collided

“Don’t hurt him,” I whisper, my eyes closing from the pain in my head from all the hair pulling. I’m half unconscious.

“I fucking knew it.” Dad slaps me again. I fall and hit the side of my head against the edge of the bed.

I slump on the floor.

I don’t know when he leaves, but the shift in air allows me to catch my breath.

I clean myself and then curl up on my bed. Lying on the side, I look out of the window.

The hills hide the view of the other side. I wonder what it’s like out there. I’ve never been to the city before. From the whispers of the townspeople and the knowledge I’ve gained from books and TV, I bet it’s wonderful there.

I’ve never wished to go to the city before. But tonight, I do. I wish to go away from here.

In more than a month Dad has traumatized me enough to be afraid of sleep. He’s breaking me little by little. I’m losing pieces of me. Or maybe he’s already broken me.

Tears drip down my chin and wet my T-shirt.

I'm in pain. So much pain.

The thing is, I don’t even know why he’s abusing me. Ever since he’s come back, I’ve become his target, and Mom has become his biggest supporter. Everything has taken a three hundred and sixty turn around. I can’t make sense of anything.

Dad threatened Heath. I can’t let him hurt the one friend I care about the most. The person who makes me feel safe. The person I can share stuff with. The person who cares about me.

Heath is a good guy, despite what the school says. I don’t even care what anyone says.

I see him, and I know he sees me too.

The mere thought of him accelerates my heart. The kind I’ve read about in books when a character starts to catch feelings.

Am I catching feelings for Heath?

You can’t,my mind warns me.

After what Dad did tonight, I can’t.

I care too much about Heath to get him hurt because of me. I won’t allow it.

Even when the idea of being away from him makes me weep hard.

The next day at school I avoid Heath at all costs. It starts with the locker and then our first class together which is Math. I take the furthest seat from him, but he moves the guy sitting next to me and takes his seat. His stare burns my face throughout the class, but I refuse to acknowledge it.

Luckily we have different classes. I’m in AP classes for most of my subjects so I don’t see him until physics. Like before, he sits next to me but I’m quick to change the seat. The lecture starts before he can do anything.

Marie and Sebastian don’t say a word during lunch, but they know something is up.

By off time, Marie pulls me to her car.

“What’s up between you two?” she asks.

“Nothing.” I tightly hold my book to my chest.

“If there’s something, you can tell me.” She touches my arm, and I flinch.

She frowns. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” I smile.

She shakes her head. “It wasn’t nothing. Youflinchedwhen I touched you.”

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