4. Daniela

FOUR

Daniela

C arly grabs my arm as soon as Val's car is out of sight. Her fingers dig into my bicep, and I try to pull the limb back as she drags me into the house screaming, "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

My fight leaves as confusion washes over me. She's talking as though I'm the one who was sticking my tongue down some drug addicts throat. The door slams echoing around our empty home, and I let her continue screaming knowing she'll need to get it out of her system before our parents come home.

"Do you know what's going to happen to you?" She takes a step closer to me, her eyes wild and nostrils flared. I've never seen her enraged, she doesn't give enough of a fuck about me to actually get angry. Pausing before her shoes can touch mine, she looks me up and down, forcing me to make myself smaller. "You're a stupid bitch."

We've never really argued before and my eyes burn, trying to hold back the natural impulse to sob.

Somehow, I manage to find my voice but it comes out weak .

"I didn't do anything. You can do better than him anyway, he's probably using you if he's in debt."

The logic is sound, but her hand is harder as the full expanse of her knuckles and fingers slam off my cheek so forcefully that my head turns. My cheek throbs and for the first time in my life, I wish my sister was ignoring me. The cruelty in her voice sticks to my skin like acid melting through the flesh to sink into my bones and becoming a part of me.

"And what use do you have? Fucking your way through the Vartanov's like some fucking whore? At least Leno loves me, no one loves you. We all wish you were never born, it's why we forget that you fucking exist, because that's our biggest wish."

A scream rips through my throat as I turn to face her ignoring the way my entire body burns. "SO DO I!"

I can see my chest move in my periphery. The edge of my overalls nearly become a blur from how harshly I'm breathing. But there's no lie or remorse as my admission bounces off the museum playing as a home. I continue as Carly freezes for once and I take a step closer to her until we're nose to nose.

"So do I. I know you hate me, trust me I get it. But you don't get to call me a whore or hit me. You know nothing about me and if I died right now, you wouldn't even be able to tell anyone anything other than my name. So, you don't get to do shit to me because you're not my family, you're nothing to me."

Her face falls and she lifts her arms trying to hug me while my cheek probably has her handprint on it. Smacking them out of my way I step around her and go to my room as she shouts at my back, "Dani. I'm sorry."

Fuck her.

She said the truth, we both know it. My parents will only come home because they have to, they have to maintain the image and my birthday is public information due to their lives being in all the papers. It will get them their sympathy and applause while I wait for them to actually look at me, to see me .

It will never happen and I'm the biggest fool for expecting anything to change. A new year but the same shit and I sink down with my back against the door as soon as I'm in my room. The walls are boring underneath my sketches, so is the bed. It used to be the guest bedroom before I was born, and they didn't even change the furnishings to accommodate for things that I might like. I haven't either, I've made sure that I can remove me from their house without a trace.

I must have fallen asleep during my pity party because my room is dark as something touches my face and Tali whispers, "Hey, why are you on the floor?"

He's squatting beside me, and my cheek is pressed to the carpet as I blink to look up at him. It makes my voice mumbled as I have no energy to move.

"I was tired." Lie.

He moves back and stretches to the side, hitting the switch for the lamp as I squint, anticipating the light burning my eyes.

The weirdo has his hood over his head like a stalker and I ask, "Why are you in my house?"

He shrugs and looks around my room, specifically at the drawings littering the walls before he nonchalantly says, "Carly's out, I knew she wouldn't be if your parents were home."

She might not be my family, but Tali is. He grabs my arm forcing me up, his eyes automatically go to my cheek and there's a tic in his jaw as he allows anger to enter his eyes.

"Why is your cheek red?"

I won't make the mistake of telling him my sister hit me, he hides his crazy too well and always does psychotic shit if he finds out someone's fucking with me, so I lie and dumbly point to the floor as I press my palm to my cheek. "I fell asleep on it, dumbass."

Accepting the lie, he walks backwards and throws himself on my bed. "Get ready, I'm taking my favorite girl out for her birthday."

I don't even bother arguing with him. If I do, he'll end up forcing me to talk and coming out with one of his ridiculous theories, but it doesn't stop him as I walk into my bathroom to shower. His voice floats through and he extends it as soon as I turn on the spray.

"I've got a theory about aliens. I think they've already come here but they thought we were dumb so left. "

He keeps talking shit as I shower, and I don't wash my hair when he'll only end up forcing me out of the house while it's still wet. Once I'm done, I wrap a towel around me, then shout through the door, "Close your eyes."

I can't see anything other Tali's legs as he remains in the middle of my bed and slowly open the door, poking my head out. His hand is over his face, and I relax knowing he won't look as I go to my closet and he offers, "So, we can go to Chelsea's or the woods. I'll piss on her bed if she's still being a cunt to you. I think Val went to the woods though so he'll be high, and we can fuck with him."

I hum not wanting to commit to any of the options when Val will be with his girlfriend, and I'd rather not see her wrapped around him.

"Can't we just go to your house? I'll even let you watch your murder movies."

He doesn't react to my suggestion which is a no. I refuse to dress up and draw attention to myself as the weirdo who's trying, only to be laughed at and stick with a safer outfit of all black. Once I'm dressed, I go back out, dragging my feet and holding my shoes limply between my fingers. He sits up and his brows pull down as he slowly asks, "Are we robbing a bank?"

I'd prefer that over being at a party full of idiots who make it their mission to treat me like shit.

Dropping down to my ass, I put my shoes on and whine like a toddler, "You want me to leave the house, then this is how I'm going."

There are no further arguments over how I'm dressed, and he stands ready to leave. The shit talking stops as we walk out of the house. It's cold, not in temperature but feeling. He must feel it too, everyone probably does when they see my house. It's desolate and lacks any human warmth despite all the lights being on as we go down the stairs. I don't turn them off and set the alarm before locking the door. Tali stands taller once we're outside, he always does it, and his chest is puffed out as he opens the car door for me.

I don't listen to anything he says after he confirms his brother is in the woods. My heart sinks, I know what Valentin is like. He was just being nice to me because I'm his brother's weird, loner friend, but I thought there was something deeper in the fact he took my spare ticket. Obviously there's not. Tali opens his fat mouth as he checks his phone .

"For fuck's sake, that bitch is with him."

If every character defect in existence was put into one person it would be Zoe and I sink into the seat, hoping he forgets I'm here, so I'm not forced to be anywhere near her.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work, and Tali is a dick. He pulls up to the edge of the clearing and turns his lights off so we're hidden from anyone that could be passing on the road. The woods are directly at the back of Val's friend's house and I'm assuming neither of us are allowed here when Tali pulls out two ski masks and throws me one with a dumbass joke.

"Looks like we'll be robbing a bank after all." He turns faux serious as I pull it over my head. "Don't make me marry you so you can't snitch."

I roll my eyes and tuck my hair under the knit fabric. He always wears a mask when he goes to the parties he's not allowed at. We usually end up getting caught when he does something dumb like decide to fight someone, but I don't mention it because the anonymity helps me get out of my comfort zone.

We're not the only people wearing masks as we get out and make our way towards the noise. He pulls me away from any overgrown roots and wraps his arm around my shoulders when I stumble at the sound of Val's voice.

"Go get your friends then, prove exactly what you'll do for me."

The moonlight mixes with the crackle of the fire going in the middle of the clearing and I whip my head in the direction of the Val's voice. Tali tightens his arm around me, cursing under his breath, "Fucking dick."

He forces me to walk as twigs snap under rushed steps and Zoe emerges ahead of us. Her run turns to a walk as she shakes her hair out and pushes her shoulders back. Her face is covered in a mix of paint and glitter that sparkles under the low light as she finds her clique. They're all annoying, and I sink into the shadows avoiding them. Even though my face is covered I can't stop the feeling that they know who I am. She's a twat and takes every opportunity that presents itself to make my life hell for some reason. Her sister is stood off to the side, and I lean into Tali as I whisper, "I'm going to see Kacey, have fun finding yourself a real girl. "

I'm not social and he is so I move away before he can hold himself back by staying around me like he usually does. Zoe is walking back through the trees with her friends on her heels and I divert, going the other way as Tali rolls his mask off his face to wear as a hat. He already knows people, even if he didn't he'd manage to fit in anywhere with his easy personality. I could go to Kacey, but the hushed voice calls me backwards as I watch Tali blend into the crowds of people drinking.

I shouldn't do it. But I do because I'm an idiot and I clearly enjoy being in pain. Taking my phone out, I use the screen as a torch to avoid any twigs as I follow the voices until I'm hiding behind a tree like a crazy person. Val has a joint between his lips, the glowing cherry casts his face in a warm orange light as he pulls in a lungful of smoke. Zoe stands in the middle of her two minions and slowly lifts her arms so she's holding each of their shoulders as he assesses all three of them.

The trio are the worst of the worst, the top three spots of the cunts who make my life hell. I hate them but my stupid heart won't allow me to hate him despite how it aches knowing he gives them everything I want.

He takes the joint from his lips and lets the smoke out between his teeth to form a grate as he sucks it back up through his nose. It makes it look like he's wearing a mask as he uses his two first fingers to point at the minions with an instruction, "Strip her."

They don't even pause as they giggle, removing the dress from Zoe's body and I only look at the asshole who's breaking my heart. He isn't staring at her body – he takes another drag and I quickly move to the side so I'm covered by the wide trunk of the tree because I'm sure he saw me.

He can't have because he continues giving instructions for the others to do the same.

"Your turn, make it good." He's a sleazy prick, everyone's heard the rumors but witnessing it is different. "Now get on your knees, all of you, and open your mouths."

I'm going to throw up. I can't move from the tree though, the rough bark digs into my palms as they remain flat against its surface and footsteps move closer.

A twig snaps behind me as Zoe's grating voice comes out. "You know I don't pollute my body. "

Curiosity gets the better of me and I turn my head to see Val grab her jaw and bring the glowing red cherry towards her face. Her little minions move away from her as he barks, "Did I say you could move?!"

They freeze, as do I, and he continues inching the joint closer to her face as she bends backwards trying to escape him. He's a dick, but this is worse and it's my name on his lips.

"Are you going to go near Dani again?"

Her voice is muffled from how hard he's holding her jaw and she shows how forgettable I am.

"I don't know him. I wouldn't cheat on you."

Fuck this, I'm not standing here and listening to their weird foreplay. I make it one step when my shoulders hunch forward at the deathly voice behind me.

"Daniela."

He never calls me by my full name, no one does, and I slowly turn expecting all that rage to be directed at me. But Val is still stood over Zoe and issuing threats.

"From now on you don't look at her, if she walks into a room you walk the fuck out, even if it's your own fucking house."

She falls as he lets go of her face and walks over to their clothes piled together on a stump. The items are kicked together, and he takes a flask out of his pocket, drenching them before flicking his joint off his thumb directly onto their clothes.

Their shouting stops me being heard as I run through the trees and find Vitali. He's stood closer to the fire, and I grab his arm as someone steals his attention. His smile dips filling me with regret, and he turns up his protectiveness as he pulls me closer.

"Did one of them fucks recognize you?" he asks while scanning me.

I'm about to tell him his brother is a psychopath when everyone around us starts laughing. Tali does it too and I turn my head to look around the flames. Val walks out from the trees, pulling his zipper up with a shit eating grin on his face, and he speaks loud enough for everyone to pick up the insinuation as he stops beside his friends.

"Thirsty bitches will drink anything."

He wouldn't piss on someone, that's going too far even for someone like him. Tali keeps me against his chest and turns us to walk out. At least it hasn't ended in a fight for once.