[ððððððð ðððððððð : ðððð ðððððð]
" ð ððð ððð ððððð ðð ðððð ððð. "
â¯â¯â¯
ððððð ðððð ððð ðððð ððððððð ðððððð ððð ððððððð ððð ð. The first, she never trusted anyone, not even her own parents. And the second, she never forgot who she was... and what she had the power to do.
The ground the Dalton's walked on was worshiped in New York City. They made crazy big investments and sponsored dozens of businesses. They had crazy connections and were rich beyond reason.
Little did everyone know, they held terrifyingly dark secret within their halls. Bethany remembered how it started with just yelling. It was scary and loud and she just wanted it to stop, but it was just yelling. Then he started leaving unannounced not coming home until the next day, worrying her mother deeply. Next she remembered he began throwing things.
It was just a vase, but it was an expensive one at that. All her mother had done was ask him where he had gone the night before, but it was enough the set off his temper. He never apologized to her for the words that had came out of his mouth. He never said sorry to Bethany for scaring her. He just locked himself in his office while his Bethany's hate for him grew and grew.
She begged her mother to divorce him. She called her weak for staying with him, but her mother scolded her and told her how she wasn't weak. She was strong. She was strong for having the guts to stay with her father. She strong so they could keep their reputation, their money, their house, and all their luxuries. She could never leave him.
Then there was that rainy night when he came home from work angry. Bethany never found out what her mother had said to him to make him that way, but there was a lot of yelling. A lot.
She remembered trying to disassociate herself from her real life. She spoke as little as she could, and cried even quieter. Her jaw trembled in fear, but she trying staying calm. She imagined that she wasn't in the room. She closed her eyes and pretended it wasn't happening as she whispered things to herself to keep calm and quiet.
It was then that her father hit her mother. Her head hit the counter and they had to take her to the hospital for stitches. She fell down the stairs they had said. That was four years ago.
They'd been to the hospital three more times after that. Only once for Bethany.
To help ease the pain, Bethany bought drugs from parties she attended. The next year she developed a drug addiction to help cope with life at home. It wasn't my until she overdosed sophomore year that she realized she needed to stop.
Now, staring at pill bottle in Theo's gym bag brought back all the past memories and it stabbed her in the gut.
"Theo!" She called his name, and heard him come running. Her hand was shaking so intensely she almost dropped the bottle.
"Bethany?" He quickly grabbed his bag from her as if he were hiding something, "What are you doing?"
"You're mom asked me to grab your gym clothes. For laundry." She gave him an odd look he didn't understand. She sat still unable to move, her hands wringing together nervously.
"Okay, but can you just listen-"
"Are you doing drugs, Theo?" She asked, "I saw the pills in your bag."
His eyes fell to the floor and he dropped the bag at his feet. He was caught and he knew it. She didn't even have to imagine how he was feeling.
"I didn't mean for you to see. I know you had problems in the past."
"They weren't... problems." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'm sorry, Beth." He said after a while then he kicked his bag underneath the bed. Then he dropped to his knees beside her.
"Are you going to quit?" She asked him, studying his face.
"I," He paused, "I don't know." Bethany nodded then leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek.
"Let's get going. We'll be late." She stood and began walking down to the garage. Silent tears fell from her cheeks, but she wiped them away.
She knew how drugs had effected her and she didn't want Theo on them too. They left her feeling broken even more empty than she had felt before. The high was not worth the crash.
Her sheer crystallized dress flowed beneath her as she walked quickly to Theo's BMW. She couldn't face him right now. It was too difficult. She just wanted to get to the party where she could avoid him the rest of the night.
As he manicured hand reached for the handle she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind.
"Okay, if you really want me to quit I will." Theo buried his face in her neck, "Tomorrow you can come over and watch me get ride of them." She reached back and laced her fingers through his hair.
"How will you do that?"
"We'll throw them in the lake behind my house." Bethany contemplated it.
"Okay."