Boys Will Be Boys

When the song ends, I look at Afton and laugh. He looks at me and does the same thing. We're such goofballs. Seriously though. Who does the party boy to a techno song in the middle of a dressing room? Well, apparently we do. If we haven't made that obvious already.

"Let's go change." He says. "I wanna pay for this and get something to eat.
"Sure thing. And it's about time you feed me." I tease.
He takes it seriously. "Rae, baby. If you were hungry all you had to do was say so. I would have stopped looking so we could get you something to eat."
"Ash, babe. I was kidding. I am hungry though, so let's get a move on."

He grins at me and we go back in to our changing rooms to change. I finish before him and wait quietly outside for him to finish. When he does, he comes to me and kisses my nose then grabs my hand and drags me over to the check out counter. He pays for our tuxes with the credit card his father left with us, and we exit the shop. We head down to the food court.

"What do you want to eat, Raegan?"
"You." I tell him, smirking.
"No, really. What are you hungry for?"
"Your kisses."
"Raegan Travis. I'm serious. I want to know what you wa-"
"My dad." I say. A voice in my head tells me to run. But I can't move.
Afton gives me a crazy look. "What?"
I stare in the direction of the man who is my father. "M-my d-da-dad. He's... here."
He stares in the direction I'm staring in. "Are you serious?!" He says.
"Afton." I start hyperventilating. "I can't do this. I can't be near him. What if, what if."
"Shh, baby. You're okay. You're with me. We can do this. All we have to do is go get something to eat. We don't have to talk to him."
I think to myself for a minute. "Ash. Don't leave my side."
"I won't, baby. Come on, just don't look at him."

Afton grabs my hand and drags me over to the line for the pizza place. I can't help but be paranoid. What if he comes to talk to me? What if he wants me to come home? What will I do then? I know he's my father and I know I have to listen to him, but I can't take anymore abuse. It's just too much. I'm already broken to pieces and I hate that Afton has to be there to help me pick up the pieces. I love him, really I do. But he shouldn't be with someone like me. He deserves better. So much better. He doesn't need to be mending pieces of my life forever. I can't do that to him. I won't do that to him.

A lone tear rolls down my face and when I turn around, my father is staring straight at me. Afton turns to me and shrieks. "Baby, what's the matter?"
I turn to look at him and say, "I can't do this to you. You're free." Then I drop everything and run.

I run cause it's all I'm good at. I run away from my dad, I run away from Afton, I run away from everything I know. I can hear the shouts that come after me, but I don't listen to them. I don't slow down. I run away from all my problems.

Raegan Travis Daniels. Once a runner, always a runner.

Afton

What?! What happened there?! One minute we were happy, the next minute he's setting me free? I blame his father for this. If it weren't for him, Raegan would be happy and never have to run away. That boy is so afraid of his father that he won't ever let someone in far enough to show him that he's better than the lies he's been told. But no, his father just had to abuse him. Raegan, out of all people. The sick twisted freak.

I run, leaving our tuxes where ever they've been dropped. I don't care about the people throwing odd looks in my direction either. They don't know what's happening. So maybe they should just back off instead of being so gosh dang nosy! UGH!

"Raegan! Raegan!"

I scream, still running. I feel the tears run down my face. I want my baby. I want him to know that we're in this together. He won't ever be alone again. Ever. He needs to know that. I stop as soon as I see him hunched over on the sidewalk outside the mall. People are standing all around him. I push through the crowd and the sight that meets my eyes is angers me. No ones helping him. He's just curled into a ball, hands bloody, and face pale.

I drop to my knees by him and look up at the people. "If you weren't going to help him, you should have found someone would! Get out of here! The shows over, you heartless bunch of nobodies!" The people start to disappear.
I pull Raegan into my lap. He flinches. "Shh, Rae. Calm down. It's just me. We're going home."

I pull out my phone and call my dad. When he answers, I tell him the story and he says he's on his way. Until he's gets here, I'm just going to hold Raegan. It's what he needs. He needs me, but he doesn't know that I need him just a little bit more.

"I'm sorry." He says.
"No. You have nothing to be sorry for. Raegan, you're dad hurt you. You're extremely broken, I can see it in your eyes and your actions. But you must never feel as if you don't deserve me. I only want you, Raegan. No one else. As cliche as it sounds, it's true."
"I'm still sorry. I embarrassed you. I just, I just-"
"Shhh, everything will be fine. We're gonna get you some help. We're gonna make you better. I meant what I said when I told you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you again. And I'm still sticking to it."