Free The Unloved by Jennifer Snyder Page A

than once, one of which must have been just seconds before I’d walked through the door. She was now attempting to scramble back to her feet. I saw dad’s hand reach out for her and I lost it.
    I charged after him without thinking and knocked him to the ground. Losing my footing too, I tumbled to the floor with him and struggled to gain the upper hand. Dad was a big man and alcohol made him think he was superman. It didn’t take much for him to end up on top of me, pounding my face with a closed fist.
    “Stop it, Robert! Stop!” mom screamed, her words echoing through my skull like thunder.
    I saw her delicate hands gripping his wide bicep as she attempted to pull him off me. Dad stopped long enough to backhand her and I saw her fall backward and into the sofa. At that moment, using the distraction of my mother to my advantage, I pummeled dad in the jaw as hard as I could. He fell sideways on me and I didn’t hesitate to slip out from beneath him. His hand flew out and gripped my ankle, jerking me back down to the floor so hard all the breath left my lungs.
    “You son of a bitch!” dad shouted as his fist met with the side of my head, again.
    His fist drew back to hit me once more and I winced and closed my eyes, using my arms to block his blow…but it never came. Instead he slumped forward, his forehead colliding with mine.
    “Are you okay, Nick?” mom asked as she tugged him off me.
    “What happened?” I wondered, out of breath.
    Mom held up a cast iron skillet and smiled, cracking open her busted lip even more.
    We spent the rest of my Saturday afternoon at the police station, pressing charges against my dad. And for the first time in my mother’s life she actually filed for a restraining order against him. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of her before.
     
     

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
     
    JULIE
     
    I walked home from work around six. It was nice out, not too chilly and not too warm. The sky had turned a meek gray, promising rain at any moment, and I hoped it waited until I at least reached my driveway.
    I crammed my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and allowed my mind to wander. Things between Nick and I had been good. Real good. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d missed him until recently. I’d been able to keep our friendship light, but every time he got that look in his eyes lately—the look of desire, the yearn to step over the invisible line I’d drawn in the sand between us and kiss me—I found it was becoming harder for me to remain still. To remain on the friendship side. To not allow him to press his perfect lips to mine. I wondered how much longer it would be before I was straddling that line, nearly falling on the other side and into his arms.
    An old, black Chevy Camaro slowed beside me, keeping up with my sloth-like pace. The tinted window on the passenger side rolled down, revealing the driver, but I already knew who it was without having to look. Vincent.
    “Hop in. I’ll give you a ride.” He smiled.
    I shook my head. “No, thanks. It’s really not that much farther.”
    “You think I don’t know that,” he said, his eyes darting between me and the road. “I’m trying to be nice here. Let me.”
    I’d only seen him a handful of times since the night at Drew’s party when I’d kneed him in the balls. Each time he’d been nice to me, but each time he’d also just gotten done with my mother and given her a new refill on her prescription of Xanax or Klonopins…whatever he had on hand.
    “I’m fine,” I said and then felt the slight drizzle I’d been hoping would hold off for a while touch my face and begin to dampen my hair.
    “Come on, Julie, just get in,” he pressed. “You’ll catch pneumonia or something out here.”
    “It’ll be all right; a little rain never hurt anyone.” I did not want to ride with him. What didn’t he get about that?
    As if rebelling against my words, the sky opened up and began pouring down on me all at once. I stopped