When I Get Home, You're So Dead

Two Days Later

"Isobel...Look, it's just a bruise." I muttered, shaking my head as she gave me a worried look and stared down at my bad bruised up ankle.

Alex pushed me down the stairs. Yep, you heard right. He. Pushed. Me. Down. The. Stairs! All because Maria was over and he wanted me out of our room!

"Are you sure, Mae? Maybe we should take you to the hospital." Isobel said, touching my ankle making me flinch.

"I-it's fine. Believe me." I stuttered, pushing her hand away.

"Jeff! Hurry up with that ice pack!" Isobel yelled as I rolled my eyes and she propped my ankle up on a pillow.

I know she's trying to be a mother to me but it's just not what I want.

My dad came out of the kitchen with an ice pack in hand. He laid it on my ankle as I clenched my teeth together and tried not to squeal from how cold it was.

"I got it." I muttered as they both stared at me.

"Can you move it?" My dad asked as I shrugged and laid my head back on the couch.

"I'm sure Alex didn't mean to." Isobel said.

"Whatever. All he did was yell out sorry and went back in our room. He is such a...I hate him!" I yelled out as Isobel gave me a look of sympathy and my dad gave me that stern look.

Here it is a week and a half before graduation and he hurts my ankle! It might even be broken and he's upstairs fucking Maria at the moment!

"Is there anything we can get you?" Isobel asked me.

For you and Alex to get out of my life and leave me and my house alone. Sure. Hell, I would love that. More then anything.

I shrugged.

"I don't need anything." I muttered.

I lied.

"Are you sure?" My dad asked again as I nodded and they turned on the TV while I sat there in complete agony with my fucking step mom and my stupid dad who married too early to a woman I barely even knew.

My dad was watching the Discovery channel while I dazed off out at the patio door while a wasp was bumming up against it.

I gulped and licked my dry lips.

I put some of my hair behind my ear and looked down at my swollen ankle and then all of a sudden I heard someone gasp. I looked up to see Isobel staring at my neck...

Oh, boy.

"What is that?" Isobel asked me as I cocked my eyebrow.

"What is...what?" I said, acting like I was confused.

"That on your neck." She said as she moved closer to me and I tried to back away.

"Mae,...Is that a...hickey?" She said in shock as I gulped and shook my head.

"I haven't been near a boy in ages." I muttered as my dad looked over at me and cocked his eyebrow.

"That is a hickey...Mae, where did you get that?" He asked me as I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"I have a hickey? Where?" I chuckled as Isobel continued to stare at my neck.

"Mae, I know when you're lying and playing dumb. Tell me where you got that right now." My dad said, his face turning red.

"Got what? Dad, there is no hickey on my neck!" I yelled as I felt my cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

Oh my god. I can't say Alex gave it to me. Then what would happen?

"Mae, come on. I got hickey's at your age too." He said as I grimaced at the thought. Oh, mom. "Just tell me who gave it to you?"

Alex.

"No one." I muttered.

"Mae..." My dad said shaking his head as he looked up, his sea green eyes staring me down.

"Dad." I sighed as the room got silent except for the TV playing on a low volume.

"You can tell me anything, Mae." He said as I gulped.

I looked up at Isobel who gave me a look of concern.

"Alex..." I said shaking my head as the room continued to grow more silent.

"What's wrong with Alex?" My dad asked as I looked up from my ankle and met both of their eyes.

"He's not studying upstairs with Maria...They're having sex." I said as Isobel's eyes popped out of her sockets and she jumped up off the couch.

My dad followed behind her as I smirked.

Oh, Alex...You dirty dog you.

~

We were all sitting at the dinner table later that night while Alex stared at me with angry brown eyes.

I shrugged and picked around at my food as my dad and Isobel stared at us both.

"Mae, you still didn't tell us how that hickey got on your neck." My dad said through clenched teeth as I looked over at Alex who's brown eyes popped out of his sockets and he looked down at his food.

"I was just making out with this guy...That's it. We didn't do anything." I muttered.

"Yeah, um. He's a cool guy." Alex spoke up as I looked at him, knowing he was talking about himself. My dad cocked his eyebrow.

"His name is Derek. Don't worry it was just a friendly mark. He is one of my friends I am close to." I said as Alex nodded and took a sip of his drink.

Derek is a fucking ass. I will never go on another date with him again.

"When were you with him, Mae?" My dad asked.

"Um. At school. We were at lunch and uh...yeah." I sighed.

"What am I going to do with you? Letting some boy nibble on your neck is not what I want for you!" My dad shouted as I eased back in my seat and I felt Alex's hand grab mine from under the table, making me relax a little bit.

"I'm sorry, dad. Please...don't be mad at me. It won't happen again." I said as my dad relaxed in his chair as he continued to have that pissed off look on his face.

"Go to your room." He said sternly.

"But dad-." He cut me off.

"I said go to your room!" He shouted as I nodded and Alex let go of my hand.

"Yes, dad." I mumbled, walking upstairs and shutting the door slowly behind me.

I sat down on my bed and stared around me and Alex's room. My eyes landed on a picture of Alex when he was little holding his dog. I smirked and looked away.

I picked at my bed sheet when I seen the door come open slowly. My dad came in he still had that dirty look on his face. He shut the door behind him as I stood up.

"Dad, look-." He cut me off.

"Let me do the talking here." He said in a low voice as I gulped and stood there frozen.

"How could you do that, Mae?" He said as I rolled my eyes.

"Do what? It's just a fucking hickey! You need to relax!" I yelled as he got closer to me, making my heart beat faster.

"Watch your language! Mom would have never wanted you to do this! Next thing you know you'll be having sex!" He yelled in my face as a smile played on my lips.

Too late, dad. I already have with my own step brother and if you ever found out you would probably kill me.

"Wipe that smile off your face!" He scolded me as I shoved the awful lump down my throat.

"Do you think mom would have wanted you to replace her with that woman downstairs?" I said as he slapped me hard across the face, making my cheek burn. My hand flew up to my cheek trying to stop the burning sensation.

I looked at him with hurt in my eyes.

What did I even do to him?

"How-." He cut me off once again.

"Mae, is this what this is about? Because I will never replace your mom." He said as I rolled my eyes as tears stung them.

"You already have, dad. You already have." I whispered as he gave me another dirty look and grabbed my by my arms, shaking me as my heart rate sped up.

"What makes you think that?! Huh?!" He screamed in my face as a tear slid down my cheek and I shook uncontrollably of how scared I was.

"You married her! You replaced mom and you married her!" I shouted as he clutched me tighter and then released me, pushing me back hard as I stumbled into my wall.

"I still love your mom and I love Isobel! That is never going to change." He said giving me a look of hatred as I gulped and let my bangs fall in my damp eyes.

"Stay in here all night for all I care! And don't come crying to me when a boy gets you pregnant!" He yelled walking out of the room and slamming the door as I stood there for a moment and then I pressed my back up against the wall and slid down it slowly.

This is hopeless. Everything is hopeless.

I didn't even do anything to him. After my mom died he has always had episodes like this before...but it has never been this bad.

It's just a hickey...I imagined what might have happened if I told him Alex gave me the hickey.

A few minutes later I heard Alex yelling.

"You can't just go in there and slap her across the god damn face! She didn't do anything! I know girls who do worse things then Mae!"

I gulped as I crawled closer toward the door. I then heard my dad's voice.

"Alex, just stay out of this!"

"Alex, please...just go upstairs." I heard Isobel say.

"No! What is wrong with you? Mae didn't do anything! And I can imagine how Mae feels right now. I mean it must feel like you did replace her mom with my mom. I know you love my mom and all but just think about how Mae feels right now."

I can't even believe Alex would stick up for me like this.

"Alex! Go upstairs!" Isobel yelled as there was a moment of silence and then I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I crawled back over by my night stand as Alex came in the room and shut the door behind him.

"Hey." He said quietly, giving me a look of sympathy as soon as he seen me.

"Hi." I said, clearing my throat. He sat down beside me and put his arm around me tyring to comfort me.

"You have me."

And those three words made my heart stop. Because I would never forget them...