Chapter 1
D e l i l a h . M o n t e z 🥀
It's way past my bedtime, but I just couldn't seem to put my book down. Waking up agitated tomorrow morning seemed to be worth it when it came to me discovering just what happened in the end of my book, "The Perks Of Being a Wallflower".
I know the movie had already been out for a little while, but I would easily choose a book over watching TV any day. I picked up my phone and saw that it was nearing 11:00. My father wasn't expected to be home any time soon, so I wouldn't have any distractions.
Or so I thought.
On cue, I heard the jiggling of keys and then my father's murmuring as he entered the house. I stood up from my double bed and walked over to lock my bedroom door, not wanting him to stumble in my room trying to talk to me in this manner.
I sat comfortably in my bed again just as I heard two pairs of footsteps stumbling up the wooden stairs, sounding heavy like they were walking with anchors on their feet.
My father had company.
I sighed hard and got up once again to switch my light off so he wouldn't come knocking. But that didn't stop him. "De-Delilah are you awake?" He slurred stammering slightly as he knocked ever so silently on my bedroom door.
I didn't answer, knowing he probably just wanted to let me know he got home safely.
"I thought you said she'd be awake?" I heard another deep voice ask. I became alarmed because I just assumed it was another one of his escorts. A few more words were exchanged and then a couple more knocks on the door.
"Open up for daddy, Deli." He pried, but I didn't understand what was going on. "Open this door right now Delilah. I know you're awake!" He demanded and pounded on the door.
My heart raced heavily because I had no idea what to think. It was usual for my father to come home drunk but never usual for him to come home with a man, nor act like this towards me. He usually came in silently and spoke to me for a few minutes to let me know he's home safe and he loves me, then heads to bed.
What is this?
I hesitantly stood up and pressed my ear to the door. "D-daddy?" I asked quietly.
"Open up pumpkin." He demanded sweetly. "Daddy's not gonna hurt you I j— I just want to talk."
"Who's with you?" I asked him and he was silent for a couple more seconds.
"Just open the door Delilah." He repeated. After a couple seconds of debating with myself, I opened the door. My father stepped aside and a tall guy took his place, inviting himself into my room. I became alarmed and tried prying the door shut, to no avail because of the size advantage he had over me. I looked over at my father pleadingly as he peered over at me with sad eyes, as the man slowly shut the door.
Leaving both of us alone in my bedroom.
- - - - -
Five Years Later
T H U R S D A Y
I knocked myself out of the daydream that had overtaken me as I sat in my Sociology class. My teacher had been talking about body language and how it suggests certain things about people, when suddenly an image of Drake popped into my head, and I was gone.
I smiled smugly as I thought of how thirsty I low key was for some Drake. I picked up my pen and started making notes on what my teacher had been talking about. Just then, the bell rang indicating the end of last period. I gathered my things and shoved them into my backpack and headed out of the classroom and into the parking lot.
I stood outside as the crowd passed me, not saying a word to anybody because I never really fucked with anyone at all, save for my friend Mercedes who was absent from school today.
Finally I could see her red corolla xrs pull up, and I started walking towards it. I rested my hand on the handle of the passenger side, and as soon as I yanked the door open, music blasted from inside. She lowered it a bit as I sat in the car.
"What's up? How was school?" She asked me as we drove off.
"Regular." I mumbled and reclined my seat. I looked over at her, dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a black t shirt with bleach stains. She didn't even have shoes on, and her black hair was in a sloppy bun. I kissed my teeth and faced forward again, mumbling under my breath, "You look like a whole hobo."
"You sound like a whole hater." She retorted with a roll of her eyes, before turning up the volume as Top Off came on.
The ride to her house which was ten minutes away, was nothing but me insulting her, and her turning her music up so she couldn't hear me. We finally arrived at her two storey house and got out of the car. This was like my home, I'd say second home, but I never really considered my house to be a home.
Not since what happened.
Her family was my family, and they accepted me fully even not knowing what went on with me all those years ago. We went into the house and I was greeted by Mercedes' dog, Zen, who was a golden Havanese.
"Hey baby." I cooed lifting him into my arms. He was so little. "Are your parents home?" I asked Mercedes and she shook her head.
"They'll be back in a little while. I made hot dogs." She said and we walked into the kitchen. I made myself two hot dogs and then we headed up into her bedroom where we usually just chilled and watched TV until I was ready to go home.
"Who you textin'? I'm right here." I said rolling my eyes as she cheesed at her phone screen.
"This guy." She simply said. I kept my eyes on her, waiting for her to press on, but she didn't.
"Name?" I asked annoyed.
"Devyn."
"He sound black." I said sipping from my Fanta.
"He is black." She said and I nodded slowly. Mercedes is white as hell.
She's literally just white.
I think she's like French and some other thing, but she's white. She's everything but stuck up. She gets along perfectly well with everybody no matter what skin colour you are or what preferences you have. She's very down to earth.
And she has a nice ass.
She stood at about 5'5 with long, thick, black straight hair that ended in the middle of her back and most days was held in a low ponytail with a centre part. She had naturally tanned skin that always looked like she'd spent just the right amount of time at the beach, almond shaped dark brown eyes and pink lips.
Her face was always beat too.
Her and I met freshman year of high school and we've been inseparable since then.
"He cute?" I asked her and she nodded with no hesitation.
"He's hot." She laughed and showed me a photo of him. "He DM'd me last night and we started talking." I nodded and switched he TV on to look at Wildn' Out. "I gotta get you a man."
"You need to get you some business." I corrected. "I don't want no man." I finalized and she rolled her eyes at me.
"Shut up." She mumbled under her breath. "I wanna go blonde." She said to me and I looked up at her.
"You'll look cute as a blonde. I can see it." I said honestly and she wiggled her eyebrows.
"You'll come with me? We'll go this weekend."
"Yeah of course. Where are you gon do it?"
"I don't know yet." She said to me, looking like she was thinking hard. Then I got an idea.
"Ooh sis lemme take you to a black hair salon. You won't regret it. Let the sistas slay ya' hair." I said and she winced as she looked at me.
"Would you like it if I took you to a white hair salon?" She retorted and I rolled my eyes.
"Grow some balls and open yo eyes Cedes!" I pressed, standing up and walking over to the opposite end of her bed where she sat. "Black people are amazing okay. They gon do you right." I said with dramatic hand movements. "It's finna be life changing Mercedes."
"And if I don't like it?"
"Then I'll let you do my hair." I said with a shrug.
"You say that like it's a bad thing. I hate you." She said to me and I laughed.
The rest of the evening all we did was talk and laugh about everything and nothing, and she copied the notes that she had missed at school today. When it was seven o'clock, I decided that it was time to go home.
"Take me home Mercy." I said to her, not moving a muscle as I laid lazily across her queen sized bed.
"Get on up then." She said to me, and after five minutes, I did.
I dreaded going home on a daily basis. I never wanted to deal with my father, but of course I didn't have a choice.
The ride home was silent as I prayed mentally that God would send the cab that would be escorting my father home into a lake or something, and I'd never have to see him again. As cruel as it was to think about, I was tired of him hurting me.
Physically.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as we pulled up at my house. "Thanks girl." I said to her and opened the door. "Text me when you get home."
"Okay babe." She said with a smile as I shut the door and entered the house. She waited until I was fully inside before driving off in the direction of her home. The lights were all still off, which meant that Lucifer wasn't yet home. I sighed in relief and switched the living room light on before climbing up the stairs to go to my room.
I took the fastest shower ever, and locked myself in my bedroom for the rest of the night, not wanting to be woken up by my father's antics.
- - - - -
F R I D A Y
I changed into my FCB jersey and a pair of distressed skinny jeans as I frantically searched my entire room looking for my red Nike Airmax, while also throwing my hair into its regular bun. I finally found my shoes and slipped them on, finishing my edges and putting my perfume on all at once.
I just wanted to get out before my father got up. I picked up my phone and bag and started leaving my room. I jogged down the stairs lightly, but when I heard clattering in the kitchen, I knew I was too late.
I shook my head and decided to leave without informing him, but as expected, he wasn't having that.
The minute my hand touched the doorknob, he was bursting through the kitchen. He looked rough.
My father was Mexican and thus had sandy brown skin and curly hair which he usually kept well, but it seemed like he hadn't seen the barber in a while, because his hair seemed to have been swallowing his head. He had bags under his dark brown eyes and his facial hair had began making a reappearance. He stood at 6'0 and was dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans that sat low on his hips.
He stunk of alcohol and weed.
"Where do you think you were going?" He slurred pointing at me.
"To school." I said in an obvious tone.
"Without saying goodbye?" He asked louder.
"I'm late." I mumbled and tried leaving again, only to be yelled at again.
"Delilah do not disobey me. God d-damn you're just like your mother." He said sounding like he didn't even have control of what he was saying. This is the first time I've seen him in a couple of weeks, because I was asleep by the time he got home, and at school by the time he left.
"Mercedes is waiting on me." I lied and he started walking towards me, raging.
"I work my ass off f-for you Delilah and in return you're ungrateful and rude!" He shouted in my face. I grimaced at him, not even believing what was coming out of his mouth.
"You worked your ass off when?" I asked laughing. "I can't believe this yo."
I started walking out once again, and was tugged back hard by my throat, his backhand connecting with my cheek. "You stop fucking disrespecting me Delilah. I am your father."
"You ain't shit." I mumbled and slammed the door behind me as I left the house. Tears were threatening to pool in my eyes, but I couldn't let Mercedes or anybody else see me cry.
Besides, I was used to it by now.
