My jaw drops a little. “Johnny Davis, are you being… adorable right now?”
“Don’t act like I’m notalwaysadorable, and don’t use my first name. Only my mother gets to call me that.” His tone is serious, but the slight tilt at the corner of his mouth tells me he’s partially joking.
The two of them say nothing else as I’m thrown into the backseat of my rental car and locked in by the child locks. Blair takes the drivers seat while Davis sits shot-gun, the two of them ignoring all my questions as they rip down the quiet street.
I swear to god if I end up at some stupid hazing event or something I might actually kill them.
Slowly they come to a stop at the American Airlines Centre, and all that pending doom feels like it’s rushing out of me all at once. Why the fuck did they bring me here, and what absurd bullshit am I about to walk into?
“Words anyone?” I ask.
Neither of them speak as they grab my hands and yank me inside. I start to shake, nerves getting the better of me as my mind spirals into infinite possibilities.
The panic sets in a second later, the world starts to tilt on its side. My lungs turn to steel —hard, unmovingsteel. Memories rush in, every time I was forced to attend an event without warning, brought to unfamiliar places with no knowledge of what I was walking into, the way my father would beat me when we got home if I didn’t live up to his expectations… I can’t breathe.
Six Years Ago
“You look beautiful” my mother smiles softly at me. Her white teeth and subtle dimples flash against the mirror I’m staring into.
A white dress hangs off my shoulders, long sleeves covering the aching bruises on my wrists from my fathers intense hold. The delicate fabric hugs my curves and brushes against the floor with every step I take.
My back throbs, a constant reminder to keep my perfect daughter facade in place tonight. Father didn’t like my ‘stunt’ last night.
Three days of endless events, three days of disappointing my family, three days of wishing to be hit by a fucking truck.
It looks like I’m getting married, and the thought of that makes my gut twist. I don’t see myself ever getting married, so my mother better soak it in now while she can… it’s the only time she’ll ever see me in a wedding dress.
I’ve been paraded around, introduced to so many people that my head is hazy with names. Part of me believes my father is trying to set up an arranged marriage, but the other part of me knows that he’ll never let anyone take me away from him.
In any other circumstance, those words may seem sweet.
But in my case, they taste bitter.
“Let’s go!” My father barks. “Stop wasting time staring at yourselves.”
Bile creeps up my throat.
My palms sweat.
My world starts to fade at the edges.
A sharp slap stings my cheek.
Copper coats my tongue.
“Clean that up in the car, I don’t need anyone asking why my daughter is bleeding like a stuck pig.”
Present
“Clarity?” Davis’s broken voice breaks through my walls like a sledgehammer. His hard, calloused hands grip my face and forces me back to reality. “Clarity what’s wrong?”
I shake my head, “just- I need a second” I manage to force out.
I watch both Blair and Davis taking deep breaths in front of me, trying their best to have me mimic their actions and calm down. I suck oxygen into my lungs, finally easing the pain in my chest and floating back down to earth.
“Want to talk about it?” Blair asks softly.
Shaking my head, I grab his hand, “sometimes ignorance is bliss my friend.”
