How Not to Fall In Love

Chapter 51

If you like this chapter, please show it some love. Thanks! A.L. 

Austin drove like a maniac back to the cabin we thought was our safe place. Austin jumped out of the car, opened my door, and kept hold of my hand while he made sure the cabin door was still locked before he tried to unlock it. He fumbled the keys in his hand briefly before opening the door. Once inside, Austin told Jules and me to stay by the door while he checked the rest of the cabin. 

"Rylee, are you sure it was Dad outside the restaurant?" Jules asked, leaning forward and perusing the cabin. What was she going to do if someone jumped out at us? Throw me at them, probably. I rolled my eyes at the thought. 

"Yes. It was him. I think I know what our father looks like." 

"The cabin is clear," Austin said, walking halfway downstairs. "We need to hurry up and get our things. Don't waste time, Jules." Austin followed close behind us up the stairs. He motioned for Jules to hurry when she took off down the hall. He stood in the doorway for a few minutes while I scrambled around to get my things from the bathroom and throw them into the bag. Finally, Austin grabbed his bag and started throwing his clothes back into it. He rested his fists on his waist, looked around the room, and then went into the bathroom to ensure he didn't leave anything in there. He zipped up his bag and tossed it in the doorway. He started helping me gather my stuff, tossing it in the bags, and told me to check the bathroom one last time before he zipped them up. He tossed the dark purple bag with nothing but clothes and shoes by the door. He let me carry the one with my makeup and skin care. 

"I'm going to go check on Jules. Something tells me she's on her phone." He rolled his eyes and disappeared out of the room. 

"Are you ready?" Austin returned ten minutes later, grabbed my bag along with his, and joined Jules in the hallway. "Rylee, we've got to go. Come on, babe." He motioned his head toward the stairs. I grabbed my bag and walked toward the doorway, peeking over my shoulder at my oasis. 

"What about the food?" I asked, walking downstairs behind Austin. 

"Leave it. Sadie and Logan come up here quite a bit and use the cabin. I'll let them know there's food in the refrigerator." 

"We've got to..." Austin dropped the bags and threw himself in front of me. 

"You've got balls, kid. I'll give you that much. But, you can't save her from me, though. I'm her father, and the police will return her to my custody because she's a minor." 

Even with Austin between us, I could smell the alcohol on my father. It was almost like he had bathed in it; it was that strong. I was surprised Austin wasn't drunk off Dad breathing on him. But I also knew that with him being that drunk, all it would take was one quick hit, and he'd be out cold for a while. Long enough for us to get away to where he wouldn't know which direction and have Sadie call the police on him, but then, her parents would know that she'd let us stay there without their permission, and I didn't want her to get in trouble on my account. I couldn't let her get in trouble for me. I felt bad enough that I was putting so many in danger just by knowing them. I was tired of not fighting back. I stepped closer to Jules, reaching for her bag, not taking my eyes off Dad as his bloodshot, drunken eyes stayed focused on Austin. I knew she wouldn't see my hand, so I inched closer, tapping her on her leg, hoping she'd look down at my hand. Right as I grabbed the bag from Jules, Dad pushed Austin out of the way. 

"You honestly thought you'd be able to escape me? You can't run from me." The words managed to roll off his tongue with such malice. And at that moment, something snapped inside me when he spoke those words. All the beatings I've endured over the past few years, all the name-calling, the constant harassment about how I'm supposed to take care of everything. And if I did something that wasn't up to his standard, I paid the price for it. All that came flooding in, fueling a rage I'd never felt before toward him. I wasn't afraid of him; instead, I was furious for taking his pain and anger out on me for Mom dying on us. It wasn't my job to take her place. I wrapped the handles around my hand, grasping them tight so the bag wouldn't fly out of my hand. I kept my eyes on him and, without hesitation, swung the bag around with all my weight, hitting him upside the head and knocking him to the floor. I stumbled backward a few steps from the force of the swing, but it felt good to fight back. I stared at him as he tried to get up, but Austin doubled up his fist and knocked Dad out cold. I wanted to hit him again with the bag, but I couldn't move; I continued to stare at him as a small trickle of blood ran down his chin. 

"Rylee, come on before he wakes up." Austin took my hand, pulling me toward the door. "He'll find me again." I kept my eyes fixated on my dad's passed-out body. 

"You aren't ever going home." 

I shifted my eyes away from my dad to Austin's dark brown eyes. "Where will we go?" 

"Some place safe. Come on; we've got to leave now." He took the bag from me and handed it back to Jules. He told us to walk around Dad's body and head out to the car, and he'd be right behind us. We made it to the edge of the porch when Austin walked out of the house, locking Dad inside to bide us a few more minutes. Austin unlocked his car and threw the bags in the trunk. Jules hopped in the back behind Austin, and I got in the front. A few minutes later, we were racing down the long driveway toward the road, trying to get as much distance between us and the cabin as possible before Dad woke up and jumped in his truck to chase us down. Austin called Sadie through his car and told her what happened and that we'd locked Dad in the cabin to give us more time to escape. She asked us how long he'd be knocked out. Austin told Sadie that Dad should wake up within the next hour, right around when we'd return to Charlottesville. She and Austin agreed that he couldn't take me back to my house because it wasn't safe. Sadie told him to take Jules and me to her house for now. 

Forty-five minutes later, Austin pulled up in front of Sadie's house. I sat there staring at her gray house with white trim around the windows, garage, and white columns with a stone base around the porch. Even the outside of her house looked cheerful. I was so jealous of her life because I wanted parents who loved me. I forgot what it felt like to have a parent who loved me and wanted to protect me.