Chapter Seven

Ash

I try to be as silent as possible while sneaking into Jace's house through the back door, but I should have known it would be futile to get past Jim undetected.

"Ashley, what the hell? Are you okay? Never mind, don't answer that. Take a seat." Gingerly, I hold my side and carefully lower myself into the chair that he pulled out for me at the kitchen table.

"Jace!" he yells, his voice bouncing off the walls of the quiet house. "Go grab the first aid kit from the bathroom and bring it to the kitchen. Ash is hurt."

"I'm sorry." I can hear the sadness in my voice as I speak.

Jim pulls out the chair next to me and settles down, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, reminding me, "You have nothing to apologize for. I've told you so many times that you're always welcome here—any time, day or night. What that scumbag does to you is never okay. This is not your fault."

I glance away from him, nervously twirling my fingers, as Jace enters the room with the first aid kit and places it on the table.

Hearing his sharp intake of breath when he sees me like this never fails to shatter me. "I'll grab an ice pack," he says in passing.

I hate having to come here in this state, bruised and bloodied. The fact that both of them are familiar with treating my wounds because I've been in this situation so many times only adds to my misery. Although I shouldn't burden them with this, they're the only family I have.

"Here, take this and put it on your eye. It'll help." Jace settles down at the opposite end of the table. I can't bear to meet his gaze. If I do, I'll have to witness the pain and sorrow reflected there.

Placing the gel pack gently against the side of my face, I feel instant relief as it soothes my eye and calms my throbbing red cheek.

"What happened this time?" Jim's voice struggles to stay calm as he grabs the first aid kit and starts taking things out. The arnica tub shakes in his hand as he places it on the table. Rich would have undoubtedly been imprisoned long ago if Jim had his say, but no one would ever take a child seriously. Look how many times CPS turned up and left doing nothing. Besides, Mom would never have forgiven me if I'd made a fuss.

I sigh, my breath heavy with sorrow, as I tell him how I watched Rich overpower my mom. How I attempted to help her, but my efforts were wasted and I ended up in the firing line of Rich's fists and drug-fueled temper—again.

"It looks like he caught more than your eye with his fist. We should report this, Ash. It's happened too many times. We'll help you through this, but let's call the sheriff this time."

"Please don't do anything." Panicked, I ramble on, "I know you're just trying to help, but don't call them." Grabbing his warm hand in my cold one, I pleaded with him. "Please, Jim." The thought of what might happen to Mom sends shivers down my spine. The cops turning up would only fuel Rich's rage and Mom clearly wouldn't press charges. With trembling hands and a sinking feeling in my chest, I utter the words that will release me from this suffocating guilt and misery.

"I'm… I'm leaving."

"What?" Jace shouts, jumping up from his chair. "You're leaving?" It's as if he hasn't registered what I've said, but when he repeats it, the words carry a heavier weight. I feel like I'm failing them by choosing to leave town, but I'd already made up my mind on the drive here.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?" Jim asks, his tone soft. "You have us and your job at the scrapyard, so why not live here? We'll make room for you. We should have done it years ago."

The worry on their faces guts me as I lower the pack from my eye. "I really appreciate you wanting to do that for me, and I'm so grateful for all your support, both of you. But honestly, I'm mentally drained. I can't stay here anymore and watch Mom keep getting hurt. Jace is right. She's never gonna change. I know that now. I need to do this. I have to stop relying on you both so much and learn to stand on my own two feet. I need to venture out into the world, or at least as far as my tank of gas will allow me to go." Forgetting about my injuries, I absentmindedly run my hand over my face and wince in pain.

Taking another deep breath, I confess, "Rich found my money tin."

"Fuck, Ash. That was all you had, man."

"It is what it is. I messed up by keeping it there."

"Look, if you're sure this is what you want to do, then you know we'll always be here to support you. Right Jace?" I see the intensity in Jim's gaze as he looks at my best friend with a stern expression, but he didn't have to. I know Jace has my back. He's always had it, ever since the first day we met at school, and he helped me pick up the contents of my school bag after Rich had chucked it—and me—out of the car.

Jace sucks in a deep breath, his eyes two wells of agonizing compassion. "Of course, there's no question about it."

"What can we do to help you?" Jim asks.

"Nothing. You guys have done so much for me already. I can never repay you for any of it."

"We don't need or want to be repaid," Jace says as he comes over and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You're my best friend, and I'll always be there for you, no matter what or where you are."

Despite his reassurance of support, the pain of losing me is etched on his face, but I have to prioritize myself now. "Thanks, man." I reach out and put my hand on top of his.

"Well, we can start by putting these creams on your face," Jim tells me, his voice trying to stay positive. "Perhaps you and Jace can rummage through the camping gear. You can at least take some things with you, to tide you over till you find somewhere to settle."

Once again, tears threaten to spill from my eyes, and this time, I'm powerless to hold them back. Jace pulls me up into a hug, holding me tightly. It's a hug that wraps around me like a heavy blanket, reminding me of the love he has for me. Now that I'm leaving, this might be the last hug I get for a while; the thought leaves me with a deep ache in my chest. Whenever I needed a hug in recent years, it was always Jace who was there to offer me one.

"Don't worry, we've got you." He leans in close and whispers in my ear, "I'll keep an eye out for your mom."

I nod, making sure not to hit my face on his shoulder accidentally. Jace's arms around me tighten, his grip becoming suffocating as he clings on desperately, afraid of losing me forever. The only thing I can do is return his hug.

Jim's firm hand rubs my back. Fuck. I'd always longed for him to be my father. He's consistently done his best for me ever since I showed up here as a skinny kid with a black eye. Instead of dismissing me, he embraced me as if I were his own.

"Come on," Jace says, pulling away and picking up the creams. "Let's get this on you and organize a few things. When do you think you'll go?"

Using my T-shirt, I gently dab my face, trying to dry off the tears. "In the morning, if that's okay?"

"It's more than okay, son. You're staying with us tonight, and we'll see you off first thing," Jim insists.

With an appreciative smile and a nod, I trail behind Jace as we head to the garage.