Stories Yet To Unfold

S E V E N

“Just get your stuff and we’ll go. Just grab what you need.” As soon as they walked into the house the yelling started. And Rian automatically went into protective mode.

“Where have you been?!” Jake yelled at her.

“I was at Sarah’s house.”

“Bull shit!”

“I’m not lying to you.”

“Sure, you were with your band boyfriend! Don’t lie to me you little bitch!” He took a step towards her and the second he did Rian stepped up in between him and Sam.

“Samantha go get your stuff.” Rian told her, never taking his eyes off Jake.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?! She isn‘t going anywhere. Get the hell out of my house!” Rian socked him once in the face left him behind in the room, while he left to go find Samantha.

Sam was already in Hannah’s room working on the third bag.

“You about ready?” He felt bad for her, watching her toss things into bags as she was trying to keep her crying down and trying to keep the tears at bay. Even in her current state with tears falling down her face and her busted lip that matched her blackening eye Rian couldn’t deny that she was a pretty girl. He thought she was pretty the night he met her, he thought she was pretty when he brought her back to their tour bus, he thought she was pretty two months after when she asked to meet him at the coffee shop downtown where she broke the news to him about being pregnant, and she was just as pretty now as she was then.

Not too long after they left the house Sam’s phone was going off constantly. All of it was from Jake. Calls, text, voice messages saying anything he could think of to hurt her and scare her. “We’ll go get you a new number tomorrow.” Rian told her on their way home.

“He’ll probably turn it off before then, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Well I’ll just add you to my plan then.” He said as looked over to the small girl and tried to give her a smile. She tried to return it, but it was easy to see it was forced. Hannah was asleep already by the time they had gotten home and now Rian and Samantha were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table both had a cup of coffee in hand and they were talking about things. Rian absolutely refused to let her pay any kind of rent while she was staying here. No matter how much she tried to argue with him about it, she eventually gave up. “Can I ask you a question and can you be completely honest with me?” Rian asked her.

“What?” She replied.

“Was it really only once? I just find it hard to believe Hans would wake up from a nightmare about it if it had only happened once.” The question had been nagging him ever since Hannah’s nightmare. He had to know.

“It happened a lot more than once.” He could tell she felt defeated, and ashamed. To not only put herself in danger, but Hannah as well.

“How bad has gotten?”

“… I don’t really know. He’s hit, punched, kicked, slapped, cut.” She was embarrassed and ashamed. She used to stand up for herself, but that faded months ago when the abuse started. She became submissive, afraid to do anything that might put Jake in a mood. She walked on eggshells and minded her words around him. She had never been like that before. She had no problem setting people straight when it was needed. Lord knows she let Rian hear it. Rian wondered how he didn’t notice the change, her whole personality. From bubbly and so sure of herself to quiet and reserved. Timid in a way. So many signs he missed. This could’ve been stopped before it ever really started if he had just noticed and stepped in sooner.

“Cut?” He questioned. He had no idea it had reached such extremes.

“He had a knife, he chased around the house, Hannah was here at your house thank God. I tripped him and he cut the back of my leg a little. Not a lot.”

“How long has this been going on for?”

“About six months.”

“So for half of the relationship.” He stated.

“No, we’ve been together for almost two years now.” She corrected him.

“That long?”

“Yeah, crazy to think its been that long already.”

“Why did you stay with him?”

“… I don’t really know. I guess because I remember what it was like before him, it was lonely, just me and Hans and on the weekends just me. I don’t have close friends, my parents don’t talk to me, no sisters or anything. You have the guys and girls are throwing themselves at you nonstop. It’s not the same for a single mother. I thought I was lucky to find someone like Jake, but he ended up being a total monster.” She felt so stupid.

“The guys like you. They would be your friends if you gave them a chance, you used to be so close to them before Jake. They were all so pissed at me for not making a move on you after our mess was cleared up and I grew some balls,” They fell back into a silence, but this time it was a comfortable one. In a sense a light feeling. They had both gotten things off their chest, and it was laid all out now. Rian knew everything and Sam had nothing left to hide anymore.

“You can take the guest room and of course Hannah has her own room. Lisa of course will be here.”

“Thanks again Rian. I feel bad, I don’t want to add any more stress on to anyone or put anyone out.”

“Don’t be crazy, You’re not putting anyone out, if anything you’re helping Lisa out, she gets so bored when we’re all out on tour and she is stuck here at home.”

“Okay.”