To stand by him
Hey, so this is a bit of a filler, Its not the best chapter ever, Its really casual and not very emotional or indepth at all i just needed something to explain the relationship cause i didn't want to have to fit it all in when Anna goes to meet Chris. either way i hope you enjoy it, if not sorry . . .:(
Sneaking into the house wasn't hard, it was getting out, It was eleven when I arrived home after my lose against Chris Chambers. The house was dark so I knew my dad was either asleep or not home yet, either way I wasn't going to take any chances. Unlike my old house I didn't have a trellis outside my window that I could climb up.
Instead there was a tree, It wasn't meant to be a climbing tree, it had a very thick trunk so I was thankfully able to carve small foot holes into it.
I shimmied across the branch towards my window and awkwardly balances on it as I tried to pull my window open. It slid up with a creak and I was able to slide into my room.
I hastly closed the window and listened for a few moments, if my dad had heard me I would need to dive into bed, if not I was okay for the night.
I didn't hear any feet on the floor so I let out my breath and pulled off my boots, and slipped into pajamas. The room was still dark, my eyes not adjusting yet so I couldn't see the whiskey bottle that I tripped on.
"Damn it." I whispered holding onto my knee since it took a hard hit off the hardwood floor. I heard the bottle slide across the floor and hit the wall so I knew I wouldn't be tripping over it soon.
What the hell was a whiskey bottle doing on the ground anyways? Dad's friends must've come over today or something. I found my way over to the light switch and turned it on.
When I looked in the mirror I did my best to pull my mousy brown hair from its rats nest of a ponytail. It was too matted, and I was too tiered to deal with it so I just slipped into bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning I when I walked downstairs I was surprised to see my dad sitting at the table, he usually left early in the morning.
"Uh hi dad." I said walking over to the counter and pouring some cereal, being the klutz I am I spilled about half of it on the floor. I rolled my eyes and started to pick it up.
"Where were you last night?" my dad asked.
"Huh?" of course I heard him, I was stalling to come up with some kind of excuse.
"Last night, where were you?" I picked up the last bit of cereal and carried it to the trash. I brushed off my hands and looked at my dad, he was still waiting for an answer.
"I was here." I replied.
"No you weren't Charlie went up stairs and said you weren't there." he said narrowing his eyes at me. . . .Charlie, one of dads best friends, but also one of the most abusive, well that explains the bottle of Whiskey in my room, that I had removed before I came into the kitchen.
"Oh, well I was out looking for a tutor you know just in case when-"
"You're not going to school right now." my dad said still staring at me, he was waiting for me to crack, I knew it, but I wasn't going to.
"I know, I was going to say in case when I get to school my grades go down."
"Now you're concerned about school?" he had me there, I was never the best student, sure my dad would like me to get good grades but he was more concerned in making sure I wasn't around any guys and stayed out of trouble. . .
"Well I'm sixteen dad, colleges will be looking at marks, I thought I could get it together this year."
my dad snorted.
"You're a straight C student, you can't just pull it together after years of slacking off." his voice was tight and stressed.
"You never know, just thought it was a good idea. . . .anyway, I got home around Ten, so maybe you were asleep before I got home." He didn't answer so I knew that he must've been. I poured some milk and sat down at the table, as soon as I did my dad stood up, putting his coffee cup in the sink and turned back to me.
"So did you find one?"
"A tutor? No." I said hoping to move on from the subject.
"You know I don't like you going out." he crossed his arms and stared down at me, my dad was about a foot taller then me but in this moment he looked twenty feet taller. My dad was one of those people that always had a look of pure hatred on his face, My aunt used to say that was the only he seemed to have given me other then a place to live. Since he wasn't REALLY my dad I never really liked the idea that he had an effect on me in any way.
My "dad's" name was John, and he was a complete control freak, a drunk and abusive, I called him dad rather then John because when my actual mom skipped out I wanted a parent figure In my life and calling John "dad" helped with that. I don't know who my real dad is, mom had a lot of guys it could be anyone, I always wondered why John kept me and didn't just send me to a home, but I was grateful he never did. I think he just liked having someone to control, or at least try to control.
"Yes I know." I said taking another bite out of my breakfast.
"I have some friends coming over later, I don't want you out of this house understood?" I nodded and he started to leave but looked back at me.
"If you're not here when I get home I'll have Snap deal with you." he said and then went out the door, I waited for the front door to click shut before moving again.
Snap was the name I gave the stick when I was six.
It made a snap noise whenever it hit me so I started calling it snap. There was also Buck ( as in buckle) , for the belt. And Pad for the Paddle.
My dad used to take me shopping and it was easier for him to threaten me and get me to behave in public if it just sounded like he was talking about a person.
I hadn't called the weapons that in years, I just referred to them as abusive materials, Belt, stick and paddle, but dad insisted on it. I think it brought back memories when I was a little girl and could be easily frightened by him.
Back then I got caught for a lot more things since I was taught that lying was a bad thing, and I thought if I lied about the other bad things I did, I would get it worse.
Soon I realized that was ridiculous and just stared lying about the trouble I got in.
Even though I was threatened I just couldn't stop from being a hoodlum when I was I had freedom, it was like my own little rush and I wasn't going to give up my little bit of freedom after being in a prison.
The day went on slowly as I cleaned, did laundry and remained in the house.
I had changed into a simple blue dress and finally managed to get a brush through my messy hair.
When the clock read 7:04, I knew that I would have to meet the Chambers kid soon. . . I hated when other people didn't go through with bets so I was going to go. You never know I could go and Chris might not even be there, just thought it would be funny to mess with me.
I looked down as the sheet of paper he had left on the table.
27 Riddler Lane. Riddler. . .this would be the only town with a street named after Batman's enemy. I heard multiple cars come up the driveway and I sighed sitting on my bed.
My dress didn't have long sleeves which worried me a bit, it was exposed flesh, it would show more on bare skin, I hadn't even thought about putting a long sleeve on but it was too late now.
"Anna!" my dad called. I got up from the bed and ran down to see him, and four of his friends sitting on the couches, their eyes pierced through me when I entered the living room. It was usually the same four men. Charlie, Kevin, Oliver and Frank.
"Anna go get us some glasses." I nodded and headed to the kitchen, I grabbed five glasses and went back to the living room handing one to each other men trying to avoid any eye contact with them.
One shot, two shot, three shot, four shot, five shot. . .
I watched anxiously as the bottle emptied more and more.
"Uh dad. . ." I asked cautiously.
"Don't call me dad, I'm not your dad!" he slurred. Yeah, he's drunk enough.
"Sorry, John. . . um can I go now?" I asked, I just stood there awkwardly waiting for them to need something, usually my dad would have asked me to leave by now.
"No, go put this away." he said as he shrugged off his jacket and handed it to me, his friends followed suit and tossed them to me. I nodded and carried them to the closet and hung them up.
"ANNA!" my dad screamed I quickly ran into the room.
"Whats wrong?" I asked.
"pour us a drink." he said. I held back a sigh and grabbed the almost empty bottle and poured them each another shot, their glasses were on the table as I poured, someones was already half full, and me with my clumsiness knocked over the glass with the neck of the bottle. The liquid spilled all over the table, onto the floor and onto my dads shoes before I could do anything
"What did you do?" my dad demanded shooting up from his seat. My eyes widened and put to bottle down.
"S-s-sorry." I stuttered.
"God damn useless kid!" he said advancing on me, with each step he took I took two backwards.
"Dad stop!" I begged before I backed up into the wall. My eyes flicked to The other men who just watched in either straight faces or amused looks. My eyes then flickered to the stick, which sat like a prize on the mantle of the fireplace. My dad followed my gaze and I snapped my eyes back to him quickly.
He moved back snatching "snap" from the mantle and twisted his fingers around it.
"Dad please." I whimpered. He drew his hand back.
The first hit was on my left arm. It stung. The next was on my back causing me to fall to the floor, two more to my back and I bit my lip to keep from crying. One went to me ribs and I curled into a ball, I could heard my dad talking but I could only heard some words.
"You . . . . .useless. . . . . dead. . . . . ugly. . . . . idiot. . . . . . .i . . . . .break . . . ." the blows got weaker and weaker as he seemed to become tiered but after delivering over 30 hits to my lover back, upper thighs, hands back of head and a couple managing to get to my stomach it made sense he would be tiered.
I was screaming, begging for him to stop, and soon after he did. I heard the stick hit the ground, my breathing was deep as I layed on the ground, the pain becoming its worst as my body relaxed and took in what had just happened.
"Well clean up the mess." my dad said as his footsteps retreated to his seat.
I was able to pull myself off the ground and trudge to the kitchen grabbing a towel and returned to the living room. The men were laughing again as I cleaned up the alcohol and refilled the glass.
"Good job making the kid cry." Frank laughed taking a look at me. I touched my cheeks and sure enough they were streaked with salty tears. John shrugged.
"She cries over everything."
"Can I go?" I asked my voice tight with pain. My dad took another sip from his drink without looking at me, he continued to talk with Frank and I think he didn't hear me. But he then responds to me.
"Yes go upstairs." he said without looking at me. I quickly left the room before he changed his mind. Up in my room I couldn't help but throw my brush across the room and into the wall. I let a cry of pain, sorrow and anger.
It was always like this after a beating, but it was the first time in a long time he actually used the stick. I looked into the mirror so see that the hits to my upperarms were bright red, thick streaks across my arms, my back was the worst though, it stung and I knew it would bruise. My face was red and blotchy, I gripped the dresser harshly my knuckles turning white. I took deep ragged breaths. I was finally able to calm down and run a hand through my hair, sure my dad had beaten me before, but I still didn't get used to it.
He wasn't my real dad but he had been there for as long as I could remember and was the closest thing I had. I was lucky non of his friends joined in.
When morning came, John wouldn't remember what happened, not well anyways. He would insist on me calling him dad again.
Tell me not to leave the house, and become the same controlling person I've always known. Things weren't going to change, tonight was probably the lightest beating I have gotten in a long time and for that I was grateful.
Because I had to go meet Chris.
So there it is, I'm sorry I know its probably not the best but I just needed some inside look to how John is but so she would still go see Chris.
Next chapter will be entertaining I promise.