Kayla Wilson
"Hey Kayla, thanks for coming. I know today is your free day but I had no choice. This place is packed with customers and I need all the help I can get." Jack said as I entered the café.

It's been a week since I started working at the beach side café and so far, everything was going good. Everyone working there were really nice to me. My co-workers Colin and Becca were really friendly towards me. They were dating each other and were in their first year of college. They never judged me, despite what people were saying behind my back. Jack was also very supportive of me and they were all nice to me, especially Zach.

Zach Williams. The first person I talked to after the move. Even though we bumped into each other by accident on the first day of school, he had made quite an impact on my life. He helped me in so many ways that I was grateful for everything he has done for me.

"Kayla, come back to this world." Someone said, snapping their fingers in front of my face. I look up to see Zach smirking at me.

"Huh? What were you saying?" I asked bemused.

"I was asking you to give me your number." Zach said pointing at my phone on the table.

"Why do you need my number?" I asked tying the apron around my waist.

"I just need it." He grabbed my phone off the table.

"Hey give it back." I said in a vain attempt to snatch it away from him.

"No password." He observed. "Even better, Okay just give me a second, aaand done." He handed my phone back to me. I was trying to figure out what he had done with my phone when it vibrated. Apparently I had a new text message.

I opened the text message to see that it was from 'Awesome Zach'. He had saved his number on my phone. The message said 'This is my number. ;)'

Trying to keep myself from laughing, I looked back at Zach and raised an eyebrow. He was grinning like an idiot. As I was opened my mouth to make a remark, Jack came over to us.

"Are you two lovebirds gonna start working or just stand there doing lovey-dovey stuff?" he questioned.

"Sorry Jack, Zach was being immature as always." I said blushing at his words and quickly scurried off to clean the tables.

The whole day was tiring because of serving so many customers and cleaning many tables. Jack gave us an hour's break before we were dragged back to work. It was half past five when Jack said that we could leave. I was glad that I could head back before six. It meant that I would have some time to rest before preparing dinner.

"Kayla, wait up. I have to ask you something." Zach said catching up with me. We both walked together towards the main road.

"I was wondering if you'd come to the party at Andy's tonight?" He asked.

"Uh, I didn't even know that there was a party tonight. But even if I did, I wouldn't be able to go. Sorry." I answered.

"Why can't you? It's gonna be fun. The party starts at 9:30." Zach tried to convince me to go.

"Zach, I do wanna go but I can't. My dad might kill me if he found out that I went to a party." I said with a sigh.

Zach nodded in understanding and gave a small smile before climbing into his car. I waved at him and turned to go. My house wasn't that far from the café. It was just a 20 minute walk. On the way, my mind was filled the events that had been taking place since I moved. After the move, my dad's abuse had been reduced to a minimum. A change might have been what we needed. I hoped that everything would eventually get better after this. Maybe we could return to being the happy family we were before mom left us.

I might still be pretty much a loner in school but I didn't get bullied that much. Yes, there were times when people called me names and stuff, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. So overall, things had been changing for the better, even if the progress was slow. And there was Zach who made everything better. He made me feel that every day was a new day with new opportunities. His mischievous smile and his actions made me happy just by seeing him. He made me feel like I finally belonged somewhere.

After unlocking the front door I stepped in, calling out for the twins. They came running and gave me a big bear hug.

"Kay-Kay you're back." Tulio said happily.

"Hey kiddos, did you behave properly?" I asked them.

"Yes, we did everything Ella told us to do." Tina said looking at their babysitter who was a freshman at school and also our neighbor.

"Thanks a bunch, Ella. They are handful, aren't they?" I gave her a smile.

"Not at all, they are sweet kids. I love looking after them." She looked at them fondly. "Well, I guess I should get going. Good night kids. Bye Kayla."

After she left, I told the twins to watch a cartoon while I showered and made dinner. Taking a quick shower, I dressed in my shorts and black short sleeved shirt and headed downstairs.

"Tina, have you seen dad?" I asked her when she entered the kitchen after me.

"No, he went out when you were at work." She sat on the stool near the counter.

We sat down with our dinner at the small dining table. This had become our daily routine, the three of us eating together. I wanted them to enjoy whatever was left of our broken family. I never want them to feel the abandonment and the loneliness that comes with it. The feeling I had felt for years. I would do anything to protect them from it.

After finishing, I put them to bed and read a bedtime story for them as they fell asleep. When I was sure that they were both asleep, I went back downstairs to clean up and put the leftovers in the fridge. I glanced at the clock to see that it was already half past nine.

I was halfway up the stairs to get back to my room when the front door opened and my dad stumbled inside. His eyes landed on me and they narrowed into slits. He took a few steps forward.

"Where were you the whole day?" he fired at me.

"I was at work." I answered shortly and started climbing again. Suddenly I was yanked back by my ankles and I lost my footing. I rolled down the stairs, hitting my head hard on the floor.

"I wasn't done talking to you." he smirked down at me. I felt dizzy and my forehead started bleeding.

"You thought you were free from me after moving here right? But you're wrong. I will torment you every single day and hurt you in every possible way for snatching my wife away from me. And then, one day, I'm gonna kill you." He laughed manically.

"Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry for everything. I'm really am." I pleaded with him, like I had done so many times before.

He grabbed my hair from the back and dragged me towards the kitchen. Pulling me to my feet and still holding my hair in a tight grip, he pulled a kitchen knife from one of the drawers and brought it to my throat. My eyes widened in fear as I whimpered, struggling to get away from him.

"Oh, I won't kill you now Kayla. I'm just gonna inflict a little pain on you." He said before slashing my forearm with the knife. I screamed in pain, but he clamped his hand down on my mouth, muffling my cries.

"Did that hurt? I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad." He said laughing loudly and pushed me on the floor. He dropped the knife on the floor and went upstairs to his room.

I rushed to grab the first aid box from the kitchen cabinet. After I bandaged my hand and washed the blood from the cut on my head. I cleaned up the blood on the kitchen floor. Then, I went to my room and slumped into the chair near the window. I was breathing heavily, my heart had still not slowed down and I couldn't stop crying. The room felt like a cage, hell the whole house felt like a cage. It was difficult for me to breathe inside the house and I wanted to go out and get some fresh air. After debating with myself for a while, I grabbed my phone and dialed Zach's number.

"Kayla? What's up?" Zach picked up after the first ring.

"Hey Zach, I was wondering if you could tell me the way to Andy's house?" I asked trying not to break down.

"Changed your mind? What about your dad?" he asked speaking loudly. I could hear the loud music from the background.

"Yeah, he's sleeping so I'm gonna sneak out." I said walking towards my tiny closet.

"Okay, why don't I pick you up then?" he asked eagerly.

"Are you sure? Do you even know my house?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I have seen you going home from school a few times." He said with a laugh.

"Are you stalking me?" I asked in a serious tone.

"Pfft, no why would I stalk you?" he chuckled. "Okay, I'm gonna be there in like 15 mins."

"Sure. I'll be by then. Text me after you come here okay?" I said relieved.

"Okay, see you" he said before hanging up.

I chose a white blouse with my leather black jacket and a pair of ripped black jeans. I put on eyeliner and mascara and applied some lip gloss. I don't usually wear makeup but from time to time, I liked to wear a minimal amount of makeup. I then wore a hat, mostly because I love wearing hats but tonight it was also to hide the bruise on my forehead.

When I got Zach's text, I grabbed keys and locked my room. I tiptoed quietly to the front door and locked it. Zach's car was parked on the opposite side of the street and he dove away when I climbed in. Trying to calm my racing heart, I looked at him to see him staring at me.

"What?" I asked him, confused.

"Nothing, it's just that you look beautiful." He said with an amazing smile.

"Thanks. You look good too." I said blushing.

"Good? No, I look hot." He pointed at himself with a smug smile.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." I commented with a mocking look.

"Wait, what happened to your head?" Zach asked suddenly.

"It's nothing. I just fell down the stairs. I'm really clumsy." I answered without looking at him, silently willing him to drop the subject.

Zach gave me a long hard look before focusing back on the road and I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. We didn't talk after that and sat in a comfortable silence. We were listening to the songs that were playing on the radio.

"You should meet Liam and Melissa tonight." Zach said taking a turn to the left. The street was deserted but the street lamps on either side lit up the whole road.

"That's your best friend right?" I asked, looking at the road.

"Yeah, he's dating Melissa and they are the most adorable couple that I know. But don't tell Liam I said that, he wouldn't let me live another day with dignity." He smiled.

"Adorable like them?" I pointing at a couple near a street lamp. They look like they were in their early forties and they were kissing passionately while leaning against their car.

Abruptly, Zach stomped down on the break of the car, which led to my body lurching forward due to the impact. I looked at Zach and the look on his face surprised me. His eyes were filled with a mixture of shock and anger as he clenched his jaw. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as his eyes stayed glued to the couple.

"Zach, what's going on?" I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Fuck, that's my dad." He answered, gritting his teeth.