"I'll text you when I get to the apartment" Mark said blandly as Hannah and he stood in the hallway and he handed the key to her house back.
"Okay" she agreed with him and they looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, not knowing what to say to each other. Since when did their relationship become so difficult?
"I'd best be off then" Mark said and he opened the door. Hannah held it open and watched him before he climbed into his car and shut the door. Hannah closed the front door and turned around, her back leaning against the wood and she slid down it and began to cry. She had just let him go and walk out on her. She didn't want a break. She wanted things back to normal. How long were they supposed to be on a break for?
"Hannah" Don said when he saw his daughter on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees as she laid her head onto them and cried. Don took a seat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she moved her head to the edge of his chest and cried.
"He's gone…I didn't want him to go…but it wasn't working" she sobbed and Don rested a hand onto her cheek. He knew they were having issues. Anyone could see that, and he knew Mark had said he had planned to move out but he didn't think Hannah would be that hurt about it.
"You'll get through it Hannah. You're a strong girl…you two just wasn't ready to live together and with everything that has happened he needs time to breathe…so do you" Don assured her
"No I don't" Hannah denied "I need him back…I want it to be how it was"
Three weeks later
"So you up for a party?" Daniel popped up alongside Hannah as she walked down the steps of the lecture hall and he followed her to the front.
"I don't know" she muttered.
"Come on" he nudged her in the side as she sat down "live a little"
Hannah and Mark had hardly spoken in the last three weeks. Hannah hadn't even been to see him. She had offered but he said that he was really busy with work and needed time alone. His job was going well and he was enjoying it and Hannah said college was going fine. The ridiculous part was Hannah didn't know why conversation was so hard with him, deep down she was still the seventeen year old teenager who loved him crazily but it wasn't showing.
"We have exams on Monday" she reminded Daniel who rolled his eyes;
"Look…you've studied enough…you need to go out…enjoy your life a little…you're an eighteen year old, attractive girl Hannah…just be that girl for one night"
"Fine" Hannah gave in "fine…but I'm not drinking much"
…
"Where are you going?" Jess asked when she saw her stepdaughter walking down the stairs, her hair hung loose around her shoulders and a sequined black dress covering her body along with her black heels. She looked older than the girl who Jess had been used to seeing in large sweaters and skinny jeans.
"Out" Hannah smiled, placing her phone into her clutch bag and looking out the living room window
"You got a date?" Jess sipped her tea and raised a brow as Hannah winced slightly.
"No" she replied "he hasn't phone me since last week"
"So where are you off?"
"To a party" Hannah said "at college"
"Hannah" Jess warned her "does your dad know?"
"Nope" Hannah said, ruffling her hair "but I'm off out to have some fun…I'm not moping around waiting for Mark to come back…I can't do it anymore"
"He just needs time" Jess said
"He's had time" Hannah replied "I love him…he knows I do…but…sometimes things can't work out"
"This isn't Hannah talking" Jess said sternly "You would never give up on Mark"
"I'm not giving up" Hannah shook her head "I'm moving on with my life…and if he wants to come back into it then I'm willing to try…but I'm not staying on a break for months"
Suddenly there was a pip sound and Hannah saw Daniel pull up outside her house;
"I'll see you tomorrow Jess…Daniel is here…I have my house keys" and then she left before Jess could say anymore.
…
Don pulled into his driveway but he noticed there was already a car sat in his place. As he climbed out his car he saw Mark climb from his own car and look over at him.
"Mark" Don greeted the boy
"I need to see Hannah…" he said simply and Don unlocked the front door and Mark followed.
"Hannah!" Don called into the house as he walked into the kitchen and saw Jess making dinner;
"Don't bother" she said "she's gone to a party…"
"What?" Don asked "she didn't ask me"
"I didn't know until she had basically ran from the house…oh…hello Mark"
"Hey Jess…do you know where she went?" Mark asked, checking his watch
"I imagine it is a college party…some guy named Daniel came to pick her up" Jess said and Mark turned red and the couple looked at the teen boy who shook his head and wiped his eyes;
"Right" he nodded "thanks…I'm going to find her…before it's too late"
…
"You having a good time?" Daniel asked Hannah, one of his arms sneaking around her waist as he pulled her closer to him, his head near her ear.
"Not bad" she admitted and he chuckled
"Well you're still sober…come with me…" he said and led her through the house and up the steps, his hand in hers as they passed by couples.
"What's going on?" she asked as he opened up the door to a bedroom and she saw a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses on the bedside table.
"You're going to get drunk and forget about your boyfriend" he told her and Hannah shook her head;
"I said I wasn't drinking much" she said and he smiled at her, resting a hand onto her cheek and looking down into her eyes;
"You're hurting Hannah" he whispered "I know that…but he's not here…just have fun"
…
"You're not bad at this" Daniel observed as Hannah drained off another shot and it burned her throat as it went down.
"Ooo" she cried out and pulled her dress up so she wasn't showing too much of herself. Daniel watched her with a gleam in his eyes and he grinned widely as she drained off another shot and then stood up and wobbled around in her heels.
"Hannah" he said, completely sober as he gripped onto her wrist and pulled her back to him, pushing her gently down onto the bed, she fell backwards as her hair flew out around the pillow. Daniel lay next to her, propped up on his elbow as his hand went over her waist, his hand moving up her thigh, pushing the black material from her skin as his eyes looked into hers.
"You're so beautiful…you know that?" he checked with her and she remained quiet, not knowing what to say in response to the boy above her and the spinning room.
"Come here Hannah" he said and he rolled her onto her side, his hand pulling the zip of her dress down as she remained quiet and almost passed out as he began to peel it from her body.
…..
"Hannah!" Mark shouted as he wandered through the home, pushing past people, shouting for his girlfriend. He received no reply and so began to take for the stairs, he had to tell her how much of a jerk he had been. It had taken him three weeks to realise how cold he had been to her and how she must have felt. He had to tell her that he still loved her. He rushed the steps and flung open doors until he came upon a haunting sight.
"What the hell?" He snapped, seeing his girlfriend laid flat on her back as a boy began to undress her. Mark looked at him and then at Hannah who was clearly out of her face.
"Get the hell off her!" Mark yelled and he made his way over to the bed, grabbing Daniel by his collar and hauling him from Hannah whose dress was down to her waist, revealing her bra.
"You must be the boyfriend" Daniel stated
"Yeah…that's right…so what…you play nice with Hannah to just get into her pants?" Mark snapped, slamming him up against the wall.
"She's attractive and drunk…and I like her" Daniel said, trying to push Mark from him
"And she's mine" Mark snapped back "you took advantage of her"
"I didn't do anything" he denied
"You stay away from her, okay?" Mark snapped "you're disgusting"
"If you're so in love with her then why don't you just tell her…because she had begun to fall for me, you know" he stated and Mark let go of him and he shook his head
"You knew she was vulnerable…you manipulated her…" Mark said, flinging his fist against Daniel's jaw "it's sick"
Mark quickly rushed over to Hannah and placed her back into her dress before picking her up into his arms and holding her close. With one final glare at Daniel, he left with her in his arms, attracting stares from everyone at the party as she slept peacefully in his arms. Once he reached his car he set her in the back seat and drove her back to his apartment. He carried her back up to his apartment and placed her on his bed, kneeling at the side of it and moving her matted hair from her eyes.
"You silly girl Hannah" he whispered "you stupid girl…what he could have done to you…" Mark shook his head as he spoke to her sleeping figure "I could swear you don't think sometimes…you're so clever but so stupid…and I know that I pushed you away…but I'm back…if you'll still have me…I love you, you naïve beautiful girl…I always will"
...
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