Hey everybody! Thanks for coming back! Look, I have got to be honest with you guys. I feel as if this story is getting too out of control and out of focus. From this point forward, I'm gonna attempt to be more direct. And yes, very, very soon, there will be bori. Please be patient with me. Thank you.

Tori locked eyes with her father, who was standing in the door way, his keys in his right hand and his jacket over his left arm. However, one look at him, and she knew he was not her dad. Not really.

His eyes had that glaze over look of someone who had had too many drinks. There was a slur to his voice, and his shirt was untucked messily, his tie loosened. Tori knew that if she had been closer to him, she would be able to smell the alcohol on his breath.
Tori's father clenched his jaw, and with almost blinding speed, he stalked forward, stopping only when he was standing directly in front of Tori.

"Have you gone INSANE?!" He growled, and Tori winced as his spit landed on her face. All of her previous anger that had made her so bold vanished, leaving her terrified once more. However, she knew that she couldn't put up with one more day of her father's drinking.
So, she squared her shoulders and, staring at her father right in the eye, she said,

"Nice of you to show up, dad. And here I thought you were getting drunk in some bar!"

Tori saw her father's jaw clench, and a he was standing so close that she could see a small vein pulsating on the side of his neck.

"Victoria Rebecca Vega, you will not stand here, in MY house, and disrespect me like that. Watch you-"

"Your house?!" She asked incredulously. She knew that she should calm down before she said something she would regret, but she didn't care. He was gonna hear what she had to say.

"You spend most of your time at some bar with your buddies, and when you are home, you're either passed out drunk or drinking yourself to oblivion!" When he didn't say anything, she continued. "You think that you can come in here now and try to tell me to respect you? Guess what, dad? You lost my respect years ago."

Tori saw her dad's eyes start to water, but she was on a roll.

"Admit it dad. Ever since mom left, you've avoided me like the plague. You left me, alone, when I most needed you."

"Tori.." he said warningly, his eyes flashing with anger. Tori knew she ws crossing the line, but she didn't care. She had passed caring a long time ago.

"You know what? I'm starting to think that maybe this is why mom left."

The statement hung there for a second, and Tori felt the temperature in the room drop. She had crossed a line. A big one.
And then everything happened quickly. She could his left arm swing back, his hand clenched into a fist. But Tori was so sure he wouldn't hurt her - at least physically - that she didn't move. So the first thing she felt when his hand made contact with her face was shock. Her head rattled, and she fell to the ground. After the shock came the pain. It started right in her eye the stretched all the way to her brain. Involuntary tears sprung to her eyes, and she raised her hand to her face. Then she looked up.

She saw her father, standing absolutely frozen. He was staring at his still clenched fist in shock. The two of them stayed like that, frozen, until Tori's shock wore off. Swiftly, she got to her feet and ran up the stairs. She was vaguely aware of her father calling after her, but she ignored him. Instead, she slammed the door to her room shut. moving half mechanically, she looked around her room untill she found what she was looking for.

Opening up the duffel bag, she began shoving clothes in, making sure to take what was necessary. Her father started banging on her door, shouting her name. Whether he sounded remorseful or not, she wasn't sure, ut she didn't want toy stick around long enough to find out. Zipping up her duffel bag, she swiped away the tears that were falling from her eyes. A dull pounding had begun behind her injured eyes, but she couldn't stop to examine it. Instead, she turned to her open window.

Her room was on the second floor, but the height wasn't that bad. And she had jumped out her window countless times when she wanted to escape. So, making sure she had her phone in her pocket, she sat on her windowsill. Taking a deep breath, she turned to give her room one last, parting look. Then, she let go. Jumping down was simple. Once her feet hit the ground, she ran around towards the front of the house. Then, she ran.

Her feet pounding on the pavement were the only sounds she heard. At 12:30 in the morning on a Thursday, her neighborhood was deserted. She ran until her lungs couldn't take it.

She was running blindly, and she wanted to run, run, run, but her lungs felt as if they would burst any second. Finally, she had to stop.
Bending forward, hands pressed against her thighs in an effort to remain upright, she panted wildly. Her heart was beating so fast that it caused her physical pain, but she ignored it. Running her hand through her knotted hair, she worked on getting her breathing under control. A lone tear escaped her eyes, but she swiped it away angrily. She refused to cry. Not out there, in the middle of no where.

With that thought, Tori looked up, startled. She hadn't payed attention to where she was going, but Tori had grew up in that neighborhood. She knew it like the palm of her hand. Looking around, she realized she was just outside Trasin Park. It was like the neighborhood's own little Central Park. Tall, sturdy trees made up most of the park, with the exception of a small lake somewhere near the north side of the park. A small waterfall made the lake a beautiful sight, and the whole thing made Tori feel relaxed.

However, it was past midnight already. And like all beautiful things, the park had a dark side to it. One that came out at night. Shady characters lurked around every tree, and Tori did not want to be caught in there.

She had three options. She could either keep walking the direction she was headed, which led to another, rougher neighborhood, or she could go back. Neither options appealed to her, which left her with on final option. Reaching into her back pocket, she took out her slim, blue pearphone. She knew she should call Cat, or Andre, or even Jade, who she had gotten much closer to since Jade started dating Andre. But instead, she scrolled past those names until she saw the one name that made her heart thump. Wether that was a god thing or a bad thing, she did not know. But as she pressed the okay button, she knew she had made the right choice.

Her eyes peered down at the screen and read the small box that she knew would appear.

"Call Beck Oliver
Yes or No?"

I am soooooooo sorry for the late update! School had been insane, and it isn't getting easier. Esprcially now that midterms will be happening the next couple of days! Oh well... Update pleeeaase!