Page 90 of Run Away Home: Tempered

I pretend not to hear her.

“I SAID I GUESS I’M NOT WATCHING ANYTHING. YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST FORGET I’M EVEN HERE!” She yells.

I power off the vacuum and turn around quickly. Carpet’s clean enough, anyway.

“Oh, I will. Didn’t need the invitation. I’ll forget you’re here just like how you forgot about me.”

“How could I forget about you when you’re so fucking obnoxious?”

I laugh and turn the vacuum back on.

“There’s nothing on the floor!” she yells.

“I like to clean!” I yell back.

“Yeah, when I’m trying to watch my shows.”

I turn the vacuum off again. “You like to fuck other men when you’re in relationships. Which one of those two things is worse?”

“I thought you were pretending I’m not here?”

“Oh, I absolutely am, but I won’t pretend he’s not here. I’m warning you. Do not bring him here!”

“You know what? I’m not going to sit around and be threatened.” She stands, pulling a throw blanket off of the couch, and walks down the hallway.

I follow her.

“Don’t think you can pull a fast one on me! If he comes here while I’m at work, I’ll know it, and I’ll make sure—”

She slams her bedroom door in my face. That won’t stop me. That door isn’t soundproof! I keep going, and going, and going.

“I’ll make sure you’re both out of here! He’s been fucking with me long enough. I’ll call the fucking police. I’ll get an order of protection. I have proof that he threatened to show up at my job. It’s all on my phone. That will keep him the fuck out of here!” I proclaim.

She opens the door. “Why? Because you know he’d kill you? If you two had a fight, you’d be fucking dead, and you’re scared.”

“I AM NOT SCARED OF HIM! I just want him to leave me ALONE. Do you think the way he’s been antagonizing me is okay?”

“I already told him he’s not going to fight you. That’s fucking ridiculous! So, calm your tits, and get away from me.”

“These tits will not be calmed! I’d fight that STUPID, GRIMY, FUCK any day of the week! I don’t want him in MY house. I don’t want him near DANNY. What don’t you understand?”

“I don’t understand why both of you are so obsessed with each other. That’s what I don’t understand, okay? I have to listen to him bitch about you when I’m not home, then when I come home, I listen to you bitch about him. Just shut the fuck up already! He’s not going to hurt Danny or even say two words to Danny. No one gives a fuck about Danny besides you. Get over yourself!”

She slams the door in my face again. I want to say something else, but I have nothing else to say. I walk away from her room with my hands in the pockets of my jeans.

Yeah...I think I made myself crystal clear. Time for work.

Hayley

“WHAT THE FUCK?” TRISTIANasks as he digs through our fridge. He moves meats and vegetables to the counter until he reaches the back.

“What’s wrong?” I stand from the kitchen table.

“There’s nothing to eat in here. Only stuff you have to cook.”

“Yeah, Peter cooks it for us.”

“What about microwaveable stuff?”

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