Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Romance

ch 1 
I just wanted the pain to stop but I knew it wasn`t going to stop until my parents were satisfied. I received another punch to the stomach and a kick in the leg as well as a hard slap to the face. This is what my parents called “ good discipline “ and they always did this whenever I got a bad grade in a subject or if I didn’t do something they asked me to do. My parents have been abusing me since I was 10 years old and then I thought I was the problem for not pleasing them but as the abuse continued I realized my parents liked hurting me for no reason whatsoever. The only person who knew about this was my best friend Kate and she wasn’t happy when I told her. She kept saying I should tell a teacher or the principal but I knew if I did things would not end well. That`s why I can’t until I get my driver’s license and graduate that why I can stop the abuse and when I have my own kids I will never ever treat them the way my parents treat me.
“ Earth to Dawn are you there ? “ my best friend Kate asked me snapping me out of my daydream 
“ Oh yeah sorry “
“ Are you okay ? “ 
“ I will never be okay as long as I’m living with my parents “  
“ I wish you didn’t have to live with your abusive parents “
“ Me too but I don`t have a choice I don`t have any relatives who live close by and even if I did my parents would convince them that nothing is wrong and that I’m just acting out “
“ That`s so sad “
“ It is but for now my only hope of freedom is graduating and getting my driver`s license “
“ Yeah plus I`m sure you will pass the test for sure “
“ I have to “
“ I know so what are you going to do this weekend ? “
“ I don`t know I didn`t plan anything “
“ You want to watch a movie with me ? “
“ Sure that sounds good “
“ Great it will be our Girls Night Out “
“ Yeah “
“ So have you seen Drew during his swimming practice , he is so hot “
“ I have and he`s pretty good looking but I`m not really attracted to to him “
“ Come on Dawn you need someone that treats you right and makes you smile when you`re down “
“ I know I just don`t think that person is Drew “
“ Then who ? “
“ I don`t know “
“ Fine but you should consider it “
“ Yeah I will “
“ But how are you dealing with everything at home ? “
“ I`m managing “
“ Do you want to stay at my house this weekend ? “
“ Yeah I definitely don`t want to stay at home “
“ Now it will really be like a Girls Night Out “
“ Yup “ we went to our first period classes and started the day. All throughout the day I dreaded going home and tried to prolong it as long as I could. Afterschool Kate and me went to our favorite funnel cake shop. The smell of all different types of funnel cakes made my mouth water. 
“ Everything smells so good “ I said 
“ I know “ Kate agreed as we got in line to order 
“ So what are you going to order ? “
“ The usual “ it was eventually our turn 
“ Hello welcome to Funnel Cake Delight how may I help you ? “ a guy asked with a smile
“ I`ll have one regular funnel cake with strawberries and powdered sugar please “
“ Anything else ? “
“ One cinnamon funnel cake as well please “ Kate added 
“ Okay that will be 10.72 “
“ Here “ I gave him the money 
“ Thank you your order will be ready in 10 minutes “
“ Okay thank you “ I took the receipt 
“ Hey I was going to pay for it “ Kate had a look of guilt on her face
“ It`s fine I don`t mind paying for it “
“ But I know your parents don`t give you a lot of money “
“ Yeah but it`s not a big deal so don`t worry about it “
“ Okay “ our number was called and got our funnel cakes then left 
“ That funnel cake was good “ Kate licked her lips 
“ Oh yeah “ I could probably eat a dozen of those funnel cakes 
“ So do you want me to drop you off ? “
“ Yeah that would be good thanks “
“ You`re welcome “ we went out into the parking lot and got into Kate`s car driving to my house 
“ I`ll see you tomorrow “ Kate waved 
“ Yeah “ I got out of her car and went to my front door. I didn`t know what to expect but just in case I opened the door slowly after I put my key in the door 
“ Where have you been ? “ my mom was holding a glass of wine 
“ I was hanging out with Kate “
“ You were supposed to be back here an hour ago “ she threw her glass at me and I luckily dodged it hearing it crash against the wall 
“ Sorry I lost track of time “
“ You`re old enough to be able to tell time “
“ Yeah sorry it won`t happen again “
“ It better not so I need you to go clean the kitchen “
“ Yes mom “ I didn`t want to get hit so I just did as she said 
“ If I find one speck of dust there I`ll beat you until you can`t walk ! “ I had homework to do but I decided to clean the kitchen properly so I didn`t make my mom angry. I started cleaning slowly and it took me a good two hours before I finished. When I finished I was worn out so I decided to do it in school tomorrow and as soon as I got on my bed I was out like a light.
“ Dawn get the fuck down here ! “ I heard my dad yell obviously high and angry. I went downstairs quickly to see what he wanted.
“ Yes dad “
“ Where the hell is my stash ? “ my dad had a bag of heroin that he kept at home 
“ I saw it and thought someone might find it so I - “ he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and I was scared I would get hit 
" Don't you ever touch my stash again unless I tell you understood ? "
" Yes " 
" I can't hear you ! " he yanked me by my hair 
" Yes ! " my hair really hurt but I didn't complain and just sucked up the pain 
" Good go get it" he let go of me and I dropped to the floor in pain . I got up quickly and went upstairs to my parents rooms and got his big bag of Heroin  that I hid in the closet under some clothes and took it downstairs before my dad got really pissed off . 
" Good " he took some of the contents of the bag and got a syringe and a rubber band before injecting it into his arm " You can go now " 
" Yes " my hair still hurt but I ignored it and walked up to my room again and this time when I got in my bed and I fell asleep instantly dreaming peacefully . 
ch 2 
" Dawn ! " my mom yelled waking me from my peaceful sleep . I was still tired but I knew if I didn't answer her it wouldn't be good . I quickly put on my robe and slippers and went downstairs .
" Why didn't you come down when I called you ? " my mom was irritated 
" I was sleeping "
" I don't care when I call you come down " 
" Yes mom "
" I want you to make me breakfast " 
" But I still have to get ready for - " she didn't like hearing that so she slapped me digging  her nails into my skin 
" So what I don't give a damn when you're done making me breakfast clean the kitchen " she turned and walked out of the kitchen .My cheek stung from my mom`s slap and I really wanted to go back to sleep but to avoid getting in more trouble I started making food for my mom trying to keep my eyes open. I somehow managed to finish making the food , cleaning the kitchen, and getting ready for school all at once. 
“ Dawn, Dawn “ someone shook me continuously
“ Huh ? “ I said still half asleep 
“ You`ve been sleeping for more than half the period “ I realized Kate was the one who woke me up 
“ I have ? “ I didn`t even know I had fallen asleep 
“ Yeah is everything okay ? “
“ I`m just tired that`s all “
“ What really happened ? “ Kate could always see through my lies 
“ Fine my mom made me make her breakfast at four in the morning and clean the kitchen after “
“ That`s very excessive and I honestly think you should tell someone about this “ 
“ I can`t and you know why “
“ If you don`t you`re going to get seriously hurt “ 
“ I don`t have a choice “
“ I know you`re scared but you can`t keep this to yourself forever it could have serious consequences “ 
“ You have a point but I still don`t think it`s a good idea “
“ Alright let`s make a deal if your mom does something like that again I want you to tell someone everything that`s going on “
“ If she doesn`t ? “
“ You still have to tell someone but only when you`re ready “ 
“ Fine “
“ So do we have a deal ? “
“ Yes “ part of me was hoping my mom would do it again and the other part was hoping she wouldn`t “
“ There is one thing to look forward to “
“ What ? “
“ Your driver`s test “ I couldn`t contain my smile 
“ Yeah you`re right about that “
“ I know you`re going to pass for sure “
“ I hope so “
“ You will stay positive “
“ You are an awesome friend Kate “ 
“ And you are an even greater friend “ as we hugged the bell rang and we went to our next period.
“ Dark Romanticism was a time period when people began to focus more on their intuition. Examples of dark romantics would be Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and so many others. They believed people were prone to sin and self-destruction, not as inherently possessing divinity and wisdom “ Miss Lane said 
“ Why did these people call themselves dark romantics ? “ I asked 
“ Good question they called themselves this because they focused more on the dark side of life than the good side “
“ That makes sense “ I imagined myself as a dark romantic and my parents as the evil of the world and I was trying to understand why they treated me so horribly. 
“ Dawn is everything alright ? “ Miss Lane called my name bringing me out my thoughts 
“ Oh yeah I`m fine “ I knew everyone was looking at me 
“ Are you sure ? “
“ Yes “ I wish I could tell her what was really bothering me but I decided not to 
“ Alright everyone grab a textbook and begin reading the poem on page two hundred forty-nine “ I tried to concentrate and not get lost in my thoughts again 
“ Ha you lose again “ I bragged a little 
“ You know I suck at pool “ Kate groaned 
“ Yeah I know so quit complaining “ 
“ Ugh “
While we were playing pool my phone beeped 
“ Who texted you ? “
“ I don`t know let me check “ I took my phone out and saw a text from Lily asking if I wanted to meet up at her house to finish the project we were working on. I texted her back saying yes and that I would be there in a little while 
“ It`s Lily “
What did she want ? “
“ She wanted to know if I could come to her house to finish our science project “
“ You should go then “
“ Are you sure ? “ 
“ Yeah if you leave that means I don`t have to play this miserable game of pool anymore “
ea“ Haha okay as long as you`re fine with it “
“ You want me to drive you there ? “
“ You  don`t mind ? “
“  No you`re my best friend of course I wouldn`t mind “
“ Okay then “
“ Let`s go “ we went to Lily`s house 
“ Have fun “
“ We`re working on a project that`s all “
“ Alright if you say so “
“ See you later “ 
“ Yeah let`s play something else later just as long as it`s not pool “
“ Okay “ Kate waved as she drove off and I went up to Lilly`s doorstep and rang the doorbell “
“ Dawn it`s been awhile since I`ve seen you “ Lily`s mom smiled
“ Hi Mrs Daniels “ 
“ How have you been ? “
“ I`ve been okay “ it was the partial truth but not a lie
“ That`s great Lily is upstairs in her room “
“ Okay thank you “ I walked into the house and went up to  Lily`s room. She was on her bed in her room listening to music on her phone . I decided to   sneak up on her and scare her so I quietly went behind her and touched her neck which made her scream 
“ Relax it`s just me “ I laughed really hard 
“ Dawn what the heck you scared the shit out of me “ 
“ I just wanted to get your attention “ 
“ So trying to scare me to death is your way of getting my attention ? “
“ Yup “
“ Fuck you “ 
“ Okay then “ 
“ Let’s just finish the science project already “ 
“ Okay “ we spent the next two hours researching and writing then coloring 
“ Finally finished “ I was exhausted 
“ That’s the most work I’ve ever done for a class “ Lily panted 
“ Yeah but it looks pretty good “ 
“ It does it should get us an A or B “ 
“ A B is just as good “ 
“ I need to get an A I can’t get anything less than that “ 
“ Why are your parents like straight A freaks or something ? “
“ You have no idea “ I was scared to death of what my parents would do to me if I didn’t get an A 
“ So do you want to keep it until Wednesday ? “ 
“ That depends will you take care of it ? “ 
“ Since this is really important to you and this is a big portion of our grade I will “ 
Okay I’m trusting you “ 
“ You won’t regret it “ 
“ I hope you’re right “ I knew I could trust Lily but I still had a little doubt
“ So did you and Lily get your project done ? “ Kate asked 
“ Yeah “ 
“ Is she going to keep it ? “ 
“ Yeah “ 
" Are you sure it will be okay ? "
" She said she would take care of it "
" Okay because if she can't I can always hold onto it for you "
" Thanks but I trust her " Okay " Kate drove me home 
I put my key in the door and walked into my house .
" You're home on time today " my mom said 
" Yeah "
" Good now I need you to do some chores  for me "
" But I have homework - " she kneed me in the stomach and slapped me 
" Don't you ever disobey me " she threatened . I nodded in a lot of pain and let the tears I had been holding in slide down my cheeks . I quickly wiped my tears not wanting my mom to see me crying and got up starting to do the chores she wanted me to do . A couple hours later I finished and went upstairs to my room to start my homework . I put my ears phones in my ears and listened to a couple songs by Zedd and danced a little to the music getting into it . I got off my bed and started full on dancing forgetting all my worries . My door swung open suddenly and my dad was standing there high as usual but very angry for some reason . 
" What the hell did you say to your mother ! ?" 
" Nothing " he responded by throwing me against the wall hard 
" She said you disobeyed her ! "  
" No she asked me to do a few things for her and I told her I had homework to do " he punched me in the ribs making me wince in pain and then started punching my legs furiously 
" Don't ever disobey your mother ! " he punched my legs harder and I wanted to scream but I held it in . About 30 minutes he stopped and left my room slamming the door . As soon as he left I slowly limped to my bed and started crying wondering what I did to deserve this
Ch 3
I woke up feeling sore especially in my legs. I painfully got up and went into my bathroom taking a nice, warm shower. After I finished I wore a pair of blue jeans and a red tank top, then my sneakers. I ran into the kitchen and warmed a bagel before I bolted out the door.
“ Dawn are you okay you`re limping a little “ Kate looked concerned 
“ My legs hurt “ 
“ What happened ? “ 
“ My dad punched my legs repeatedly “
“ Why did you wait until now to tell me ? “
“ I didn`t think it was that big of a deal “
“ Of course it`s a big deal your legs could be broken “
“ I can still move it so I know it`s not broken “
“ Let me see the injuries on your leg “ I knew where this was going 
“ Now ? “
“ Yes if it`s really then I know what to tell my parents “
“ What ? “ I started shaking 
“ You obviously aren`t going to tell anyone so I am “
“ You said I would only have to tell someone if my mom made me do something insane “
“ Yes but I changed my mind because at this point I don`t think we can wait for that to happen “ 
“ Please don`t tell them “ I was desperate 
“ Give me one reason I shouldn`t “
“ I have my drivers test today and you know how long I have been looking forward to it “
“ Fine when you get your drivers license no more keeping quiet about this “ 
“ Okay “ I was scared of what would be happen but hopeful 
“ Good “ 
“ Today we will be learning how to find the roots of polynomial “ Mr Connor wrote on the board 
Unfortunately math was not one of my favorite subjects so I was bored out of my skull and the only thing that actually keeping me awake was the thought of taking my drivers license and of course Kate telling her parents I was being abused which scared the life out of me 
“ Miss Dimatre could you please solve the problem on the board ? “ Mr Connor said to me 
“ Sure “ I slowly walked up to the board and luckily  this question didn`t require a lot of work so I quickly wrote the answer and went back to my seat
“ Correct Miss Dimatre thank you “ he continued teaching. My legs were killing me but I ignored it because I just needed to take my drivers test and pass it then I could rest my legs until it healed completely. I really wanted this class to be over mostly because I didn`t like math at all. Finally after what felt like ever the bell rang and I rushed out of the classroom. The last two periods of the day passed by rapidly. 
“ Someone is in a hurry “ Kate said 
“ You know why “ 
“ Yeah when you`re done with you`re test don`t forget what you`re going to do “ 
“ Yeah I won`t “ I couldn`t even if I wanted to 
“ Dawn Dimatre “ a woman called out my name 
“ I`m here “ I had been sitting waiting for over an hour and I jumped right out of my seat 
“ The driving instructor is ready for you so go straight up ahead then take a left “
“ Thank you “ I walked outside not wanting to be late. I saw a blue Toyota parked in front of me but I didn`t see my driving instructor. I went straight to the got in the driver`s seat thinking the instructor would show up eventually.
“ Hello I`m Miss West and I`ll be your driving instructor today “ I nearly jumped out of my seat as I turned and saw a young woman sitting there. She was tall, had curly reddish brown hair, thin lips, and very mesmerizing violet eyes a color I never thought was humanly possible to have.
“ Did I scare you ? “ Miss West asked 
“ A little “ I was really nervous and could hardly speak “ Wow she`s absolutely breathtaking “ I could feel myself becoming nervous and less confident 
“ Sorry so we will start your test now first start the car “
“ I did as she said and tried not to look at her. I adjusted the mirrors, put on my seatbelt, and put the car in drive. The test lasted for a good two hours 
“ So did I pass ? “ I asked nervously 
“ Let me check “ Miss West wrote a couple things down on the clipboard she was holding while I was praying silently that I passed 
“ Alright you made all the right turns, stopped at the right time, paid attention to the cars behind you and parallel parked correctly so you passed with a 100 “
“ Thank you so much “ I couldn`t stop smiling 
“ You`re welcome and you should have your license within a week “ I could have sworn I saw her smile just a little. I got out of the car, thanked Miss West again, and pulled my phone out to tell Kate the good news 
“ Hey girl “ Kate said 
“ Guess what ? “
“ You passed your driver’s test ? “
“ Yes ! “ I was jumping up and down like a kid with a sugar rush 
“ I’m not surprised I knew you would “
“ Yeah thanks for having faith in me “
“ I will always have faith in my bestie “ 
“ Aww thanks “
“ So I’ll come pick you up and we’ll go do what's been long overdue “
“ Do we really have to do it today ? “
“ Yes we do it's for your own good “
“ Okay “ the thought of telling someone what my parents had done to me was overwhelming but relieving because all this abuse would end soon. 
“ You ready ? “ Kate asked 
“ Not really “ I had trouble speaking and breathing correctly 
“ Don't worry everything will be fine “ Kate squeezed my hand 
“ Let’s hope so “ we went to Kate’s front door and Kate put her key in 
“ Mom, Dad are you home ? “ Kate shouted 
“ Is something wrong honey ? “ Kate’s mom came into the room from the kitchen 
“ Yes there is and it’s important “
“ Okay why don't we all sit down and then you can tell me “ they sat in the living room “ Okay what did you want to tell me ? “ 
“ Do you want to tell her or should I ? “ Kate asked me 
“ You can tell her “ my voice was still shaky 
“ Okay Dawn is being abused by her parents “ the truth was now out and there was no going back at this point “ 
“ Why didn't she ever tell someone ? “ 
“ She did but her parents always lied about it “ 
“ How long has this been going on ? “ 
“ This year would make it eight years “ I watched as Mrs Lance’s face changed into an expression of horror and pity 
“ Oh my goodness how have you been able to keep quiet about it all this time ? “ 
“ My parents would threaten to beat me until I couldn't talk anymore “ I finally had the courage to speak 
“ Do they beat you everyday ? “ 
“ Not if I don't make them angry “ 
“ That's awful “ 
“ And she has some pretty bad bruises on her legs “ Kate added 
“ Can I see them ? “ 
“ Okay “ I trusted Kate and her parents so I rolled up my jeans and showed my bruises which had started turning purple 
“ That does not look good you definitely need to have that treated “
“ What's going to happen ? “ 
“ First we’re going to treat your bruises , secondly you will be staying here for now “
“ But if my parents find out I didn't come then they're going to get angry and try to find me “ 
“ Even if they do we won't let them hurt you or take you back home “ 
“ Are you sure anything could happen “
“ I promise nothing will happen “ Kate`s mom smiled which made me feel better
“ Okay “
“ Let`s treat your bruises then plan what we`re going to do tonight “ Kate helped me upstairs to her room. She gently placed me on her bed. She left for few minutes then came back with bags of ice. She placed a few ice bags on each of my legs. 
“ That`s cold “ my teeth chattered and I winced in pain a bit 
“ Yeah do you want any painkillers ? “
“ No I`m fine “
“ Okay how do you feel ? “
“ A little better “
“ Good so tonight we could bowling, mini golfing, or dancing “
“ I don`t really feel like going out tonight “
“ Or we could celebrate tomorrow “
“ It`s not that I don`t want to celebrate I`m just terrified that my parents will find me and I`ll continue being abused “  
“ It`s okay no one will hurt you anymore “ Kate hugged me and I put my arms around her feeling tears of frustration roll down my cheeks
“ Do you feel better now ? “ she handed me some tissue
“ Yeah thanks “ I wiped my eyes and blew my nose 
“ So we can celebrate tomorrow if you want “ 
“ Yeah I think that would be better “
“ Who was your driving instructor “ I remembered Miss West who made me so nervous and uncomfortable I could hardly breathe 
“ Dawn are you there ? “ Kate waved her hand in my face snapping me out of my daydream 
“ Oh yeah sorry “
“ Did you hear what I asked you ? “
“ Um no can you say it again ? “
“ I asked you who your driving instructor was “ 
“ Oh her name is Miss West and you should have seen her she looked like a model for VIctoria`s Secret or something “
“ Wow I`m jealous “
“ Don`t be she was only my driving instructor and plus I`m not going to see her again since I passed my test “
“ You never know life is full of miracles “
“ It would be a miracle if I saw her again “
“ Yeah it would “
“ Can I borrow a pair of your pajamas ? “
“ Sure “ Kate opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of blue shorts and a red tank top
“ Thanks “
“ No problem “ I changed in front of Kate since we did that a lot when we were in middle school 
“ I`m so glad you`re safe now “
“ Me too “
“ I just can`t understand why your parents would hurt you “
“ I don`t understand it either but at least I don`t have to worry about that anymore “k
“ Yeah “ for the first time in years I actually slept well without having a nightmare 
ch 4