Olivia's POV

I walked across the stage in the auditorium, my footsteps echoing throughout the empty room.

There it stood, the reason I had come. The big, black, beautiful instrument, looking glossy in the dim lighting, stood proudly on the opposite side of the stage, her ivory keys aching to be pressed.

I sat at the piano and pressed a key. A high, clear, perfectly pitched note sounded and I smiled. Then, my fingers were playing across the beautiful keys, note after wondrous not sounding out, blending together into a beautiful melody. With a deep breath, I sung.

Four years old
With my back to the door
All I could hear
Was the family war
Your selfish hands
Always expecting more
Am I your child
Or just a charity award.

I was 4 when it started. My parents fought at any possible second. Usually over me.

Then, when I was 5, my mom caught him.

In an alcohol induced stupor, he had started yelling at me because I had left my toys on the floor when I went to the bathroom. When my mom tried to stop him, he hit her, and she fell down the stairs.

He had hurt my mother.

A few weeks later, she had contracted severe pneumonia, and died. My dad had always blamed me for her death. He would drink and drink, then he would get abusive. But he kept claiming he loved me, through all the pain.

You have a hollowed out heart
But it's heavy in your chest
I try so hard to fight it
But it's hopeless
Hopeless
, you're hopeless
Oh father, please father
I'd love to leave you alone
But I can't let you go
Oh father, please father
Put the bottle down
For the love of a daughter

It's been 5 years
Since we've spoken last
And you can't take back
What we never had
I can be manipulated
Only so many times
Before even I love you
Starts to sound like a lie

He was arrested when I was 11. For 6 years, I had put up with his abuse because he was my father.

But one night, he went too far.

He had come home very drunk. Like he always did when he was drunk, he started hurting me. Eventually, he shoved me and I flew down the stairs. That was when I snapped. He had done this to my mother.

My fingers danced over the buttons on the phone, pressing those three, lifesaving buttons.

The police and an ambulance arrived shortly after.

The trial was the last time I spoke to him.

You have a hollowed out heart
But it's heavy in your chest
I try so hard to fight it
But it's hopeless
Hopeless, you're hopeless
Oh father, please father
I'd love to leave you alone but I can't let you go
Oh father, please father
Put the bottle down
For the love of a daughter

Don't you remember
I'm your baby girl
How could you push me
Out of your world
Lie to you flesh and your blood
Put your hands on the ones
That you swore you loved
Don't you remember
I'm your baby girl
How could you throw me
Right out of your world
So young when the pain had begun
Now forever afraid of being loved

Oh father, please father
I'd love to leave you alone
But I can't let you go
Oh father, please father
Oh father, please father
Put the bottle down
For the love of a daughter
For the love of a daughter

I ended the song with tears streaming down my face. Every exhale was a shaky sob.

I felt arms wrap around me and I looked up to see Wen, Stella, Charlie, Mo, and Scott hugging me. Wen and Mo started to softly sing More Than a Band.

This only made me cry harder. I turned into Wen, who was sitting next to me on the piano bench and buried my face into his chest. He stroked my hair, whispered soothing words into my ear all the while. The others resorted to rubbing my back and trying to calm me down, as my current position made hugs impossible.

Slowly, my shuddering slowed and my cries quieted.

"Are you okay?" Wen asked when I resurfaced.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah," my voice sounded weak, broken and cracked, even to myself. I winced at the sound of it.

"Was that about your dad?" Charlie asked.

"No…" Stella said sarcastically. "'Father' referred to something else."

"Okay so it was a stupid question. No need to bite my head off."

Scott glared at the two bickering friends and they quickly shut up. I wasn't surprised. Scott may have reformed, but he was very scary when he wanted to be.

Suddenly, Mo and Stella started crying.

"Why are you guys crying?" I asked them.

"Because you are!" They said together.

I smiled. They sent watery grins back.

Suddenly, it didn't matter that my dad was an idiot or that my mom was gone forever.

I had the best friends in the world and that's all that mattered.

Song used- For the Love of a Daughter by Demi Lovato

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