Chapter Text
“You snuck out?”
She looked around the floor, eyes moving anywhere but his face. “I-”
“Look at me when you’re talking to me!” he snapped.
Her wide and scared eyes stared up at him. “I’m so sorry. It will never happen again. I’m-”
“You’re lucky I even let you stay here! Where’d you go, huh? To some party? Out of the house? You’re safe here! Is it not good enough? Do I not do enough for you?”
“Yes- yes, you do!, but-” she clenched her fists by her side.
“If you like sneaking out so much, why don’t you stay out then!? Leave me all alone?”
She shook her head vehemently. “No, please, I’m sorry. I’ll never-”
A slap echoed throughout the corridor. Her vision blurred as she stumbled back, ears ringing a little.
“You never listen. You never just shut up, do you? You’re always causing me some kind out trouble! I pay for your school, I give you a roof, I feed you!-”
“Not always,” she muttered, body shaking. She froze as she realised what she said.
“Excuse me?”
She cleared her throat. “You don’t feed me a lot,” she exhaled as she took a shaky breath and straightened her back.
Box fell back as she felt a strike against her ribs. Her breath hitched.
“You’re lucky I feed you at all, you bitch. Talk back one more time, huh? Do it.”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“Stop crying!”
Her body flinched as she froze up at him, wide and shaky eyes. She stifled her sobbing and scooted back on the carpet with her hands.
….
“If you leave your room, I’ll kill you.”
She nodded, closing her eyes and trying to stop her body from trembling so hard which was a little difficult as her chest thumped up and down. It was hard to tell if he was serious or not. It wouldn’t surprise her if he was. She watched the tall man walk past her to her window, where he bolted the window shut, before he walked back. He opened her drawers, taking her phone, laptop, and books. He then reached under her bed and took her violin case out. He reached for her CD player and then walked out.
“Don’t leave until I say so. Maybe you’ll understand you can’t make up rules on your own.”
As the door lock clicked shut, she let out a silent exhale as tears streamed down her face. But she didn’t have any thoughts in her head. Just the distant ringing from the slap. She rested on the carpet of her room, catching her breath. She closed her eyes tightly. As the adrenaline wore off, her face began to sting and her chest ached where she got hit.
The sun was setting.
Her brain felt empty, as she was still processing. She was a little surprised - she thought he would do worse, to be honest. It was nothing new to her really. Which gave her a sense of dread. That can’t have been the worst of it, right? What was next then? Her train of thought came to a stop as her ribs throbbed. She sucked in some air through her teeth as he gripped onto the blanket next to her.
The sky was fully dark.
She reached over to check the time on her phone, but quickly sighed as it wasn’t there. She picked up her journal and her pen, but her brain blanked. She stared at the page. After a few minutes, she groaned and shoved her journal under her mattress again. Her eyes grew heavy after a couple minutes, or hours, of rolling around and she fell asleep on her floor.
The sun began to shine through the gaps in the trees.
She picked up a glass of water on her bedside and downed it, her throat parched. She got up and sat on her bed, finding patterns in the paint strokes of her wall. After she’d looked at every wall in her room, she counted the lights on her ceiling before feeling her body itching with boredom. She let out a couple frustrated whines in her room quietly, but not too loud so she wouldn’t be yelled at.
The sky was bright blue.
Her stomach suddenly rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday, and what, it had to be midday? He had to let her out soon surely. She got up and tried to push down her door handle lightly. Then she pushed a little harder as she felt some resistance. Trying to push her door open, she met some kind of obstacle. Was it locked? She jiggled the handle rougher and rougher, until her arm began to ache. She then slumped down against her wall, her heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach.
The sun began to dip into the horizon again.
She had officially ran out of things to do. She didn’t have any track of the time, so whether everything was going extremely fast or extremely slow. Her body ached with restlessness. She sat and kicked her feet a couple times. She had done some doodling in her journal, but not that it took up much time.
She fell in and out of sleep as the world outside continued to move on. Each hour she grew more thirsty and hungry, the dizziness catching up to her a couple times to the point she couldn’t stand up quickly without nearly blacking out. She’d sat staring at the wall while she was awake, or playing with her fingers, or trying to unlock her door. She would watch the birds outside the window and the trees, watching everything do its own thing as she was stuck inside. She finished her water ages ago, and her banging on the door had been left in silence. All she’d had to think about was how thirsty and hungry she was. She was sat in her own thoughts, before she heard a couple voices downstairs. There was a man stood by the door, talking to her dad. She couldn’t hear much. But she did hear a couple things.
‘ ….hasn’t….two days…’
‘…sick…’
‘….unauthorised…’
It was very muffled. But the man talking to her dad looked very serious and was holding some kind of tablet. He walked away. He looked so happy outside. Walking. In the fresh air.
That’s it. She needed out. But where, and how? Her window was locked, and she had nowhere to go. Except…
Trophy had offered her to stay at his if things got out of hand, which they clearly did. But after what happened at the party, could she even face him? It would be so awkward, and she didn’t know if she could handle seeing him right now.
Screw it. She couldn’t do this any longer. She needed to see someone, no matter who it was. But how would she open her window? She grabbed the pen by her side and jammed it into the lock. When it inevitably didn’t work, she gripped it harder and smashed it into the lock. She did this repeatedly until she saw some metal fly away. She stared at it in awe before she pried it open and it actually worked. She put the pen down and pushed the window as far as it would open, before climbing down, her grip weaker than usual. She hopped onto the floor and started running.
She wasn’t running for long before she was extremely out of breath. She didn’t know where she was going, and she felt sick. Her body was so tired, and she felt like she might pass out. She immediately slowed down and came to a dawdle, grabbing onto any trees or walls she passed by for support. She hoped if she wandered aimlessly, eventually, she would get somewhere surely. It was dark out, so she couldn’t see much other than what was lit up by the streetlights. It felt like forever until she got somewhere. She had to sit down a couple times so she didn’t faint or throw up.
She then saw the road which their school was on. She knew where his house was from here. Well, his dad’s. God, she prayed he was at his dad’s. Box took a deep breath before starting to run again, wanting to get there as soon as possible. Her body begged at her to stop, but she didn’t until she reached the door. As she stopped, she banged on the door with a weak fist as she felt herself begin to go. She grabbed onto the wall beside her, eyelids beginning to droop.
Trophy opened the door. That was the last thing he expected to see. Box, with matted hair and a bruised face, slumped against his wall. Was she drunk? Her eyes were half lidded and she couldn’t stand straight.
“I know it’s awkward but can I please stay th… the.. Urgh…” she slurred a little as she tried to stand up straight. She had tried to talk fast at first, but her brain couldn’t keep up. Her body went limp. Her vision faded to black.
He reached out and caught her in his arms. She felt light. Scarily light. He panicked a little and picked her up bridal style as he carried her in the house, shutting the door behind them. His dad occupied the couch, so he set her in his room. He sat her up against his wall and ran to get a glass of water. As he came back, he poured a little water on his hands and put it across her forehead and neck.
As her eyes slowly opened, she looked around, before spotting the water next to her. She picked it up and drank it quickly like a woman possessed.
“Woah,” he said as he took the cup from her hands. “If you drink too quickly, it can make you sick. Are you okay? How much did you drink?” His wide eyes looked at her with concern.
She squinted at him, feeling the tension in the air begin to curdle. “Um, I haven’t drank… Did you think I was drunk…?” she said in a weary voice.
He blinked. “You’re not drunk?”
She was about to shake her head, but shook her finger instead. “Sorry.”
“Do you need any food or anythi-?”
“Food. Please,” she groaned.
He nodded, a little shocked at her current state. “Okay, uh, I’ll be back in a sec,” he said as he left the room. He opened the fridge quietly, before pulling out a couple protein bars and a ready-made ham sandwich he was going to eat for dinner. He walked back and passed her what was in his hands. She ate quite messily, as if someone was going to take it from her.
“Box, slow down.”
She looked up, her skin immediately looking less pale as she got some food in her system. She wiped her mouth, “Sorry,” she apologised. “Am I making a mess?”
He shook his head. “What happened? Why are you here?”
She took a couple more glugs of the water beside her. “I, uh, I’m sorry, I know it’s awkward, with uh…. Yeah….”
“Yeah. It is.”
She winced a little.
“No, no, it’s okay, sorry, that was rude, continue.”
She nodded. “Um, you said I could come in emergencies, I guess,” she said with a mouth full of sandwich. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
His gaze softened. “…Your face is kinda bruised.”
Her eyes widened. “Is it?”
“Oh, yeah, a lot.”
It fell quiet. His eyes morphed into concern as he eyed the mark on her face. She finished the sandwich in her hands and began to unwrap the protein bar. The silence hung between them both, broken by the occasional crunch in her mouth. He stood up and put his hands in the pockets of his joggers, pacing around quietly.
She didn’t seem to notice the awkward silence between them, too busy focused on eating.
“Did you mean it when I said we had nothing?” he mumbled sheepishly.
Her eyes moved up to meet his pacing frame, half a protein bar in her face. She finished chewing and swallowed before setting it down. “Trophy, I really don’t wanna talk about this right now.”
He sighed. “Okay.” It went silent.
She stood up, then suddenly gripping onto the wall beside her as she did so too quickly. She squeezed her eyes shut.
He jumped over to her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, yes, I just need a minute.”
After a second, she opened her eyes and shook her head a little. “Can you, uh, refill my water?”
“Yeah.” He grabbed the glass in her hand and walked out. As the door shut behind him, he groaned to himself. Why’d he bring it up? It was super awkward now. Idiot. He ran the glass under the tap, exhaling through his nose as he did so. He walked back in his room and passed it to her, who was looking around his desk.
She took it gratefully and drank it all in a couple sips, setting it down on his desk. They both stared at each other awkwardly for a second, before Box cleared her throat. “So, uh, where do you want me to sleep?”
“You can take my bed. I’ll take the floor.”
She pinched her nose bridge. “Come on, I can’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Make you sleep on the floor. I’ll take the floor, Trophy, you take your own bed.”
He shook his head. “No, no, I insist.”
“No. Don’t be stupid.”
“Box, please,” he pleaded.
She sighed. “Fine.”
As their interaction came to a close, they both, again, shuffled themselves tensely in their places. They would make eye contact occasionally, before immediately jolting their heads away in embarrassment. As one would clear their throat, the other would flash a nervous smile.
Box, after a minute, exhaled frustratedly whilst tilting her head back. “Oh my god, fine. Let’s talk then.”
He froze. “Uh- really?”
“Yeah. This is awkward as hell. Come on.”
“Um- okay. Uh…” he sat down. “So. Uh, haha… did you mean it when you said we were… never anything…?”
She looked around, sitting on the floor whilst not making eye contact. “I… no. I didn’t.”
His eyes lit up.
“I only said it because, well, you hurt me. I guess.”
“I hurt you?”
Box rolled her eyes. “Obviously! When you kissed that girl!”
His expression morphed into realisation. “Oh. I forgot I did that.”
“Yeah. You did do that.”
“She kissed me first! I didn’t know what to do!” he said. “She- she was talking, and then she just went for me. I froze, and- and- I’m sorry I didn’t pull away sooner! It made me realise.. I…” He met her eyes hesitantly before glancing back at his fingers in his lap. “I could only think of our kiss. I actually pretended it was you, hah, for a little bit…”
She looked up. “Really?”
His cheeks reddened. “Wh- uhh, god, that sounded weird. Uh- you- sorry, was that-?”
“No! No.” She offered a small smile. “It’s really sweet, actually.”
“Um- I… You…” he trailed off. “Yeah…”
She stared at him for a couple seconds, before getting up to sit next to him on the bed. They both stayed silent, Box playing with her hair and Trophy chewing the inside of his lip.
“I like you,” he blurted out.
He watched her eyes widen as she sat up straight. Her gaze went from straight to him to the bed, sinking under their weight. He felt his heart pounding in his ears and face. His stomach knotted with anxiety as the silence between them strung out longer and longer. In his head, he’d had a big, romantic speech prepared to win her over, but his throat wouldn’t let a sound out.
He fidgeted with his hands in his lap. He was about to rush an apology, before he heard a meek, “I like you too.”
He looked up from his fingers. She was smiling and blushing, avoiding looking at his face. She also had her hands fidgeting on top of her lap, and as she noticed he was too, she laughed nervously and put them by her sides.
He stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. “I mean romantically.”
“I know what you meant,” she said giddily, shy eyes glancing up to meet his.
They both looked at each other before grinning awkwardly. Her gaze flickered down to her hand, which slowly inched to his own. He interlocked their fingers together.
“Does that make you my girlfriend then?”
She nodded eagerly. “Yeah! I mean-” she told a deep breath. “If you want.”
“Yes! Yeah, I- I do want, trust me,” he chuckled breathlessly.
He ran his thumb over her hand in a back and forth motion. He leant his forehead into her shoulder, taking a deep breath before exhaling softly against her arm. He squeezed her hand. “I’ve wanted this ever since you told me off on the detention place,” he whispered. He closed his eyes. “I’ve never really had a ‘crush’ before. I’ve just… kind of… girls. You know? You know what I mean. But uh… you changed that. You’ve changed me. And I don’t ever want to change back.”
A warm smile tugged at her features. “Calm down on the cheesiness, we got together thirty seconds ago.”
“Right. Sorry,” he laughed.
They stayed like that for a minute, before she spoke. “Do you have your camera?”
“Yeah,” he sat up.
“Do you wanna go for a walk?”
He grinned and nodded. But he then frowned a little. “Are you okay walking? Considering you blacked out half an hour ago.”
“Oh. Right.” She sighed.
“Speaking of which, how are you feeling? Dizzy? Nauseous? Hungry? Thirsty? I can get you some more-”
“Hey,” she interrupted, “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I just can’t stand too quickly. But I’m fine.”
“When was the last time you ate?” he asked, tilting his head. “Before uh, before you came to mine.”
She shrugged. “What day is it?”
“Uh, Tuesday.”
She froze. “Tuesday? That would be… since Sunday.”
His eyes widened. “Jesus! What-?”
“I don’t wanna talk about this.” She pulled her hand from his grip.
“You haven’t eaten since Sunday! I want to talk about that!”
“We were having a nice moment. I don’t wanna ruin it,” she offered a small grin.
He didn’t smile back. His eyebrows knitted with concern. “You won’t ruin our moment.”
“No, come on, we were just smiling together.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care, I’m worried about you. Can you please tell me what happened?”
“But-”
“You’re not ruining anything,” he said as he grabbed her hand again and sheltered it with both of his.
She sighed. “It’s not even that bad. I don’t know why I’m making such a big deal of it.”
“It’s clearly bothering you.”
“No- no it’s not!”
He rolled his eyes playfully, smiling. “It clearly is.” His face went back to an empathetic frown. “You don’t have to tell me if you really don’t want to. But if it’s bothering you, and you want to get it off your chest, no matter how small, I’m here.”
She looked over his face before at their hands. “Um, okay.”
He stayed quiet, beckoning her to talk.
“My dad found out I went to the party. He flipped. He hit me a couple times, and he kept me in my room. Big deal.”
He stared at her. “That is a big deal,” he muttered. “What, so he kept you in your room?”
“Since Sunday. I was alone. For hours. He took my phone, he took my laptop, he took my books?- The- the isolation was the punishment. He’s done it before, but normally he slips food into my room once a day.” She felt her eyes well up involuntarily. “He didn't this time. He would ignore my banging and pleading and he’d locked my door from the outside. And my window, he locked my window. I was left alone for days. Days, and I’ve been starving, and only had the water I’ve left in my room, and… he’s gonna find out I got out. He’s gonna find me. And then what? Oh my god…”
Her chest tightened and her heart began to ring in her ears. She felt her breaths getting quicker.
“He’s gonna hit me, and- I don’t want him to hit me,” she whispered as her body began to shake. The room span around her so she squeezed her eyes shut, until her breathing sounded more like wheezing. She was breathing in the air she’d just exhaled. “He’s gonna kill me. He-“
He was a little frozen in place, processing everything she’d just said, until he realised she wasn’t okay anymore. He squeezed her hand tightly. “Woah, woah, Box, open your eyes.”
She swallowed thickly, feeling the nausea swim in her stomach and her heart rattling in her ribs. She squinted open her eyes, her sight blurry and black dots beginning to form in her peripheral vision. “I think I’m dying,” she gasped.
“Follow me. Look, in and out, okay?” he said, taking an exaggerated and audible inhale through her nose, and exhale through his mouth. “Can you copy me? In and out.” He continued to take these exaggerated breaths, as she reached to grip his hand properly. She squeezed until his knuckles turned white, but he didn’t say anything. Her breathing was still erratic, and out of rhythm with his, but with every breath she took, it sounded a little more down to earth.
After a few minutes, and encouragement from him, her breathing slowed. Not to normal, but a less concerning pace. She let go of his hand and took a deep breath. Her eye bags were suddenly a lot more prominent than before and she looked pale.
“Do you need a bucket?”
She nodded exhaustedly. He tossed the rubbish from his bin onto the floor, and passed it to her. He reached over and pulled the hair away from her, as she retched quietly. She felt her stomach churn as she dry heaved a couple times, gripping onto the bin under her with clammy hands. Her throat burned. Eventually, she gagged and something came up, and her nausea subsided. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled as tears streamed down her face.
“Don’t- please don’t apologise, are you okay?”
She nodded wearily. “I’m just tired.”
“No, yeah. Do you want to rest?”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course,” he said as he sat up, laying her down and putting a couple pillows under her head. He pulled his blanket over her.
He smiled as he knelt down. “Thanks for telling me. I’m sorry you have to go through that.”
She shook her head. “Not your fault,” she smiled. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
“Don’t be stupid,” he scoffed lightheartedly. He then thought for a minute. “Before you go to sleep, can you show me where he hit you?”
She hesitated before pulling the blanket off. “There’s here on my face,” she pointed to her cheekbone, where the unmissable greenish-purple mark was. “And uh, the other is around my ribs.” She pulled her shirt up a little, until the bruise was visible.
The one on her ribs was dark and looked much more painful than the other one. But it didn’t look like a medical emergency.
He stared at it for a while, before pulling her shirt back down. “Okay,” he sighed. “Thanks. I just needed to make sure nothing was worth a hospital trip.”
She nodded. Her head tilted to the side as her eyes dropped closed. As he tried to get up, she reached for his hand. He sat by her bedside, holding her hand, until she fell asleep. He then gently let her fingers go, as they dangled off of the edge, and got up to get her a glass of water and some food for when she woke up.