Love You or Miss You?

Normal 0 false false false EN-CA X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:36.0pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

I slowly pulled into my boyfriend, Andrew’s driveway, doing my best to prolong talking to him. Sighing, I pulled the key out of the ignition, shoved it in my pocket and reluctantly knocked on his front door. After a few moments of silence, I was tempted to knock again, but I knew how he hated that, so not wanting to be punished more than necessary, I patiently waited for him to answer.

Of course I wanted to break up with him, due to his abusive habits, but I couldn’t. A small part of me still believed I loved him, but most of me was scared of what he would do to me. I quietly sang Mean by Taylor Swift, tracing the cracks in the paint on the door with my eyes. I was just finishing the chorus with ‘all you are is mean’ when the door opened and there stood the man with the eyes that once seemed so amazing to me. Now they were colder than ice.

“Was that you singing, Annie? I thought it was some cat stuck in a tree or something.” He got my name wrong. Again. I don’t think he would ever remember my name was actually Andrea. Of course I would never tell him. Andrew grabbed my arm and dragged me into his house, where his parents seemed absent, unfortunately.

“Andrew, I have to tell you something.” This is it. I was going to break up with him. He turned and stared at me, those green eyes boring into mine. “I want to break up.” There, I said it. No going back now.

“What did you say?” He shouted, walking menacingly towards me, fist raised above his head. “Did you say you want to break up?”

“Yes I did,” I replied defiantly, doing my best not to back down or let him know I was scared, but I slowly began to back up into the corner. “It’s just not working out. I’ve been think-“ I stopped when he swung his fist down on my arm, sending pain up and down it. I shrank down into the corner and put my hands over my ears, as if that would make him stop.

“How dare you tell me you want to break up with me? You are so ungrateful and you think you can just walk away from something when it doesn’t work out! Stop being so selfish!” He screamed, hitting me nonstop.

“You know what? You’re right. I am selfish and ungrateful,” I said, and surprisingly, Andrew stopped hitting me, so I stood up and faced him. He resumed to hitting me after I continued with, “that’s why we can’t be together.” Eventually I curled up in the corner again, and cried, hoping he would stop. The pain was too much.

“You are so stupid! I gave you everything you could ever want but you’re rejecting it all! Stand up and stop being such a coward!” He suddenly stopped when the door opened and I heard someone walk through it, their footsteps breaking the eerie silence.

I turned around to see my brother, Tyler. He was staring at us and judging by the anger in his eyes, he heard and saw everything.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were working out with your friends.”

“I was about to leave when I remembered you didn’t take your inhaler." I sighed when I remembered he was very devoted to making sure I didn't leave the house without it, incase I had an asthma attack. After a pause, he continued, "the doctor said you have to take it wherever you go, so I came over here to find your sorry excuse for a boyfriend beating the crap out of you.”

“Tyler, it’s not what you think, Andrew was just-” I don’t know why I was so defensive, but I was interrupted before I could continue.

“Just what, Andrea? About to beat you to death?”

“Hey, dude calm down, it was just a one time thing because I-“ Andrew started to add, but again was cut off by Tyler.

“Don’t tell me to calm down! I don’t care why you were beating up my little sister and I don’t want to know why!” He paused then quietly but still angrily, continued, “no one hurts her. Come on Andrea, let’s get you home. ” Then he turned to me, grabbed my hand and began to lead me out the door. I didn’t move, I couldn’t move. I just stood there, rooted to the spot in shock, so he turned around and picked me up, bridal style, and carried me to his car. He opened the door and placed me in the passenger seat where I slept the whole way home.