03. Sink or Swim: Falling in Reverse

*Abigail*

My parents relentlessly yelled and argued until they decided I wasn't gonna change my mind. So, they forbid me to go anywhere and forced me to marry him. I wasn't given another choice, because where else could I go? I'm only seventeen, and I have no job. No one would want to hire me, because I'm a runaway with no work experience. Just a "spoiled rich girl" to the world.

That's just what my parentsthought, though. I wasn't getting married. I had less than a week to figure out how to get out of is, but I wasn't getting married to Robert.

As they were turning to leave, Maria quickly rushed into the room and stopped them. "I have the most horrid news! It's absolutely dreadful! Nicholas Mosley just dropped a letter by for Abigail, and it is so horrid and disgusting! It's offensive and sinful! He's trying to make her disobey you and marry him instead, on top of talking about her figure in such a sinful manner. Oh, Father, it's absolutely dreadful!"

"I told that boy he could not marry her when he tried courting her this morning!" he exclaimed. "No means no! I didn't accept any of his offers to avoid confusion!" He snatched the paper from Maria's hand and quickly read it before turning and lividly rushing out and downstairs, probably to head right over to the Mosley's house right now.

Momma followed after him, probably to talk to him about being reasonable and keeping a cool head. Maria, on the other hand, stayed behind and smirked.

I was beyond confused but surprised. "He . . . he tried to court me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," she snorted. "It's only because I told him I wasn't interested. He's just trying to marry up. Don't let him use you like that. Marry Robert. At least he's willing to sink to your level."

I grabbed the piece of paper out of my floor and took one glance at it. That's all it took to know that this wasn't Nicholas's handwriting. It was Robert's.

"This isn't even his handwriting!" I exclaimed desperately. "What are you trying to pull here, Maria?"

She snorted. "It's not, but Pa don't know that, and your chances are still ruined. He knows you were dumb enough to grow feelings for him, but he also knows Nick's just trying to marry up."

The atmosphere changed suddenly, but I had no idea why. Maria did, and she was staring at my window with wide eyes and hatred burning deep within them.

"You know damn well that's not true, Maria."

I jumped at the sound of Nicholas's voice, but I wasn't worried, unlike Maria. I was thrilled, especially hearing him defend himself, like he had the right to. "Nicholas! You . . . you wanted to court me?"

"Yes," he murmured. "I wanted to court you that first day I saw you. It was summer. You saw me and started watching me through the window. You didn't know I had seen you, but I had, and I knew that day I wanted to marry you."

I probably melted into a pile of goop right about then, but almost as quickly as he had shown up, he disappeared back out the window and disappeared into the night. At first, I didn't understand why, but when my father stormed back in and began tugging the two of us roughly down the stairs, I understood why.

"We're going to the Mosley house, and you two are gonna tell 'em what their rotten boy has been up to!" he snarled.

I yanked my arm away from him. "I'm gonna do no such thing! That is not Nicholas's handwriting, and his family will tell you the same thing! He would never write something so horrid! That is Robert's handwriting. Have the idiot write something down for you. You'll see I'm telling you the truth! There is nothing wrong with Nicholas having feelings for me, and if you've got nothing better to do than show up and try and ruin people's lives, you should get a hobby. Nicholas didn't write that. Maria's just upset because he wanted to court me."

Pa's eyes narrowed slightly. "How'd you know that?"

"You told me," I thought quickly, and it was true. He had. "You said he tried this morning when Maria brought the letter."

Maria snorted before she burst into tears—sobs, shaking, and waterworks. "She knows, 'cause he's been sneaking into her room at nights. They've been sinning together since this summer, and I tried to stop them! She just threatened to kill me if I told you! I can't hide it anymore, though! It's eating me alive!"

I gaped at her. "I'm the one sinning? Says the one who's probably slept with every male in the county but Nicholas and John! She's lying through her dirty teeth! I haven't done any of that!"

Father wasn't even listening, though. Maria's statement had been enough for him, because he was out the door headed to his car before he even heard my part.

Momma heard it, though, and she was pissed at Maria. It wasn't hard to figure out who was telling the truth, because Momma knew how Maria was. She also knew how I was. I valued my virtue, where Maria didn't see it as a big deal at all.

"Are you mad at Nicholas because he wouldn't sleep with you?" she yelled furiously. "Do you realize what your father is about to do? He's gonna kill that boy! Get down there and tell him you lied, now!"

"I would if I did!" Maria shouted back, but I was bawling as I ran back into my room. Hidden deep within my drawers were a pair of men's sweatpants. It wasn't ideal, but neither was running after my father in a dress.

Momma gave me one of father's t-shirts too, and with a pair of working flats, I took off running out the door. We had another car, but I had to try and beat Father. On the road, I would never make it, but if I went through the woods, I actually had a chance.

Nicholas had already made his way home, and his parents were sound asleep. He was, on the other hand, getting ready for bed. When I frantically began beating on the door, he barely had time to slip a t-shirt on.

His eyes widened. "What are you doin' here, Abby? Your parents are gonna—"

"You and your family need to get out, now," I interrupted quickly. "Maria told Father we've been committing adultery together since the summer, and he's on his way here to kill you! Literally! I don't know what he'll—"

I could hear the car pulling up in the driveway behind me, and Nicholas was quick to yank me inside and bolt the door shut. We both ran back to his parents, who weren't asleep anymore due to the commotion.

When my father began pounding on the door, Nicholas's father grabbed his shotgun and snuck out the back door, whereas Nicholas and I rushed his mother to the basement and hid her there. When she was safe, we came back out right in time to hear a loud gunshot ringing loud and clear.

I had no idea who had been hit, and I didn't want to know. Nicholas probably had a guess, because he could probably tell the difference in the two gunshots. All I could hear was a loud pop ringing in the silence of the night.

Nicholas locked the basement up tight, doing everything he could to protect his mother. I knew why he wasn't locking me down there. If I was in the way, my father wouldn't kill him. I knew it too, and I was glad he decided this way.

When my father kicked in the front door, it took careful maneuvering to sneak back out the back. As we got out, Nicholas began running for the woods. I, on the other hand, knew I had to try and save his mom. Father would find her and kill her in the midst of his rage.

Nicholas looked back to me with wide eyes. "A—"

"Go!" I exclaimed desperately. "I'll save her. Go now before he gets out here!"

He disappeared into the darkness of the woods just in time for my father to snatch me up. I yelped in surprise, and I was bawling. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize what was now happening to my life.

My father was a murderer, my sister was a liar, and my love was now running for his life.

"Where'd he go?" my father sneered through clenched teeth. He didn't even give me time to answer before he punched me in the eye. "You little lesbian whore, tell me!"

"I'm not a lesbian, or a whore!" I screamed back through tears. "You want a whore? Look at your older daughter! Your wife will tell you the same thing. I had never even spoken to Nicholas until the day he picked Elizabeth up to inform her she had been courted! You've killed a man now out of stupidity and quick outbursts of rage! If you want to kill another, do it in prison, because I'm not telling you where he's at!"

He grabbed me roughly by the arms and shook me violently. "Tell me!"

"Daniel, stop it this instant!" my mother cried out, and my father threw me down on the ground. "She's telling you the truth! She hasn't been with that boy a single night in her life! Just look at what you've done! You're lucky Mr. Mosley is still breathing, because I have a doctor working on him right now! Get right back in your car and go back home!"

"I'm the man of this house!" he yelled back at her. "You don't tell me what to do!"

Her eyes tightened. "If you want to continue being the man of this house, you will do what I say! I can drop you quicker than I picked you up! Let your daughter go, get out of town for a few days, and cool yourself down before you kill another innocent person. That's not a request. I've got your stuff in the back of your car. Go, now. I don't want to see you again until Maria's wedding."

Father looked vehemently at her. "You mean Maria and Abigail's wedding."

"No," she disagreed. "I don't. That man you're tryin' to make her marry wrote that wretched note, and he almost got a man killed for it. No daughter of mine is marrying a man like that. Now go on."

And after the two glared at each other for another minute or so, Father stormed his way out of the house and into his car.

We didn't see him again until Saturday, like Momma had demanded.