"I think we should stay friends...." Rochelle said.
Nick sighed and moved away from her.
"Nick..wait. Let me finish, ok?"
"Sorry" he mumbled.
"What I was saying is that I think we should stay friends for just awhile longer. I do want a relationship with you, Nick. But right now, I'm going through a really rough time in my life. Lots of things are changing and what I need more than ever is just a friend. If you can stick it out with me, all I'm asking is for a few more weeks, a month tops. I just want to get through the divorce and my parents moving away. I just need you to be my friend until I'm ready to move on, but I promise, I do want to be with you. Do you understand that?" she looked deep into his eyes as she spoke.
He was quiet awhile before he spoke, his gaze turned towards the water. Finally, he looked back to her and said, "I do understand Shelly. I just want you to know that I'll be there for you, it doesn't matter what my title is- whether it's friend of boyfriend, I will help you out and I do understand your decision. I've been through a similar situation- when I'm gone on the road so much, sometimes I'd rather just have a friend and not have to feel so tied down and guilty for never being around. So, your decision is fine with me."
Rochelle pulled Nick into a big hug and they just sat like that for awhile until the breeze kicked in and it was getting late, so they decided to pack up and leave.
Rochelle decided that she wanted to go sleep at her own house that night because she thought maybe she and Nick could use some time apart. She hadn't been home in two days and she hadn't talked to her parents since then either. She was just sick and tired of their childish and petty arguing all the time.
Nick pulled into her driveway and turned off the car to say goodbye. "Would you like to come inside for a few minutes?" she asked, really afraid of walking in on something she didn't want to hear.
Nick sensed her feelings and agreed. "Yeah, that's cool! I don't have to be anywhere or anything." Rochelle unlocked her front door and breathed a sigh of relief when she was greeting with silence instead of shouting. The house was dark except for the glow of the television in the living room. She walked in and saw her father nursing a beer, surrounded by several other empty containers.
"Hi Dad." she said softly. "Where's mom?" she asked, more carefully.
Her dad scoffed, "She's gone. How the hell should I know where she ran off to? I figured she went to wherever the hell you've been hiding lately. Oh well- I'm glad she's gone. I'm tired of her constant bitching and nagging." he said, his speech slurred. Rochelle could smell the alcohol on his breath all the way across the room. She cringed, and Nick cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. Her father looked up at the sound. "Who the hell is this?"
"Dad, this is Nick. He's a good friend of mine. Nick, this is my father, Jason."
"Nice to meet you, sir." Nick said.
"Whatever. So, is this the guy you've been staying with?" Jason asked, looking at Rochelle.
"Yes. I stayed in the guest room. Nick was nice enough to put me up for a few nights."
"Right. I never knew I raised you to be so easy, Rochelle. You're going to turn out just like your mother!" he cried from his chair as he changed the channel on the tv.
Rochelle looked at Nick with a look of hurt, fear, confusion and anger. "Nick, I think you should go." she said softly.
"Why don't you come with me? I don't think you should stay here with him."
"I'll be ok, Nick. Really. I want to wait for my mom and make sure she's ok."
Nick hesitated. "Ok, but promise me you'll stay up in your room or something, ok?"
"I promise." She walked Nick out to his car. "I'm really sorry about my dad. He's never acted like this before. I've never even seen him drunk before. He didn't really mean those things he said." she explained to him, although she was trying to convice herself more than Nick.
"I know. Call me later tonight, ok? If you need me, I'll be here in a second."
"Thanks Nick." she said as he climbed in his car. She waved as he backed out and drove down the street. She had a bad feeling as she walked back into the house, and regretted not going with him.
She tried to sneak inside quietly and go up to her room where she would camp out for the night but her father was waiting for her by the stairs.
"So, is that all you have to say?" he asked.
"What do you want me to say?"
"What makes you think you can just leave this house and go shack up with some sleezy boyfriend of yours?"
Rochelle's mouth dropped open. "I wasn't shacking up with him, and he's not even my boyfriend. He's just a friend. You didn't really expect me to stay here and listen to you and mom scream at each other night and day forever, did you?"
Her father just shook his head. "Just like you mother, I tell you!"
"What's wrong with being just like mom? She's a great lady, a great mom, and at one point you were madly in love with her!"
"Don't talk about things you know nothing about, Rochelle." her father lowered his voice. "You have no idea what's been going on between me and your mother. She's nothing but a tramp, just like you. Why don't you just go back to lover-boy's house?"
"No! I'm going to wait here for mom. I know you don't really mean what you're saying right now because you're drunk off your ass, and I'm glad you're moving out!" Rochelle shouted at him. He had gone too far- first the comments about her and Nick, then her mother. "You had everything and you threw it all away because you're too selfish. I'm glad to see you lose it all!"
Her father got a look in his eyes that she had never seen before.
Then,
he reached
back and smacked her hard across the face and walked away from her.
Rochelle
was
knocked back by the force behind it, but she regained her balance and
grabbed
her cheek,
stunned. Her father had yelled, but he had never been this far before.
No
matter how bad
things had gotten, he'd never drank, and he'd certainly never hit
anyone. He
never even
spanked her when she was little. She regained her composure and ran to
her
bedroom
where she locked herself in and picked up the phone.
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