FOUR
d a l l a s
trigger warning: abuse

Dallas smiled the rest of school, the entire walk home and up until her mum walked through the door with the scent of wine lingering on her like it was what made her whole, like it was the very thread that held her together in its divine crimson.

Dallas sat, frozen in her seat with the blur of the tv spinning in the background as her heartbeat rose into her ears.

"Darling," Mum slurs. "Have you cooked any dinner?"

Dallas felt sick. "No, mum," She replies, swallowing the prick in her throat. "I haven't. I didn't know what you wanted."

Mum huffs loudly, dropping her bag with a sudden thud and storms around to stand in front of Dallas as she sat still, her fingers curled together so tightly she thought they might break. But her fingers breaking was the least of her worries.

"I told you what I wanted before I left this morning." Her voice rises and Dallas shrinks. "Are you lying to me again, Dallas? You better not be. You know I hate it when you lie."

"No, I'm not lying to you Mum," Dallas responds simply and she thought it would be enough to make her go away, to leave her alone once more, but the hand was across her cheek before she could even register it.

The sound of it slapping across her cheek, the pain of the rings on her fingers and the skin of her palm clapping against Dallas' cheek and the shriek of hurt that was let out, only made things worse.

"I'm going to ask you again," Mum says, her words barely even words. "Have you cooked any dinner?"

"No, Mum."

Another slap, another shriek.

"Wrong answer," She tells her, looking down at her hand for a moment with more concern for her reddened hand than for her own daughter. "When I come home tomorrow I expect dinner cooked and ready for me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mum, what would you like?" Dallas monotonously says, her eyes staring past her mum.

"Chicken stir fry, just like how your father used to make it. You remember?" She smiles and clasps her hands together at the memory. "I do hope he comes home soon."

Then she leaves, humming to herself like she'd never hurt a fly.

But Dallas sat there with blood oozing from the small slice on her cheekbone, tears pooling in her eyes and a blotchy purple bruise already forming on her cheek.

Shakily, her fingers lift to her cheek and wipes away the blood. It smears across her cheek like war paint. She almost laughed at herself in the mirror, even through the tears, because she looked so incredibly pathetic and stupid and she thought herself so as she likened herself to being in battle.

Washing the water onto her face, letting it run down her neck and dip beneath her shirt in rivers of cool, she managed to recollect herself to a point where all she knew she wanted to do was walk.

Walk until her legs could no longer carry her and then she would just lie there beneath the stars and count them until her eyes closed, carrying her away to her own sanctuary.

She pulled her bomber jacket over her shoulders and crammed her feet into the old pair of white vans that lay beside the door.

She left the house at one in the morning, careful to close the door silently as she went. She didn't even put herself through the thought of what her mum would do if she was caught out here.

As soon as the icy night's breeze hit her cheeks, she felt a grin spread across her expression.

And even though it hurt to smile, she smiled and smiled because it was all that kept her breathing. No one pays attention to the girl with the pretty, charismatic smile. No one things she's falling apart. No one asks.

Dallas walked and walked, just like she'd been dying to, but there was never a point where he legs felt like they couldn't take another step. They just kept on moving because that's what they had to do and if they didn't do it then they would be worthless, irrelevant and nothing to their companions.

No one wanted to be irrelevant.

Because if you were irrelevant you would never make your mark.

You die forever if you're irrelevant.

Dallas never wanted to be irrelevant, but dying young was ok if you're going to be remembered forever.

So, at three o'clock, she turned and walked home. Arriving at six, climbing into bed and just lying there until it hit seven and the alarm rang and rang and rang.

Dallas shut it off and rolled back over, pulling the covers over her head and letting her eyes close. As much as she knew she had to go to school, her eyes gave up and refused to hold themselves open.

Irrelevant.

-

It was twelve by the time Dallas got into school and she was more than grateful when it was Violet that came to meet her. She didn't know how she would have handled Marnie's overly peppy self or Allison's two faced answers and intrusive questions.

Dallas liked Violet. Violet didn't ask questions.

But Dallas knew she'd seen the bruise on her cheek from the way her eyes flickered for a second and then regained composure.

"It must have taken a lot of guts," Violet says as they begin to walk towards class, up the uneven stone stairs.

"What?" Dallas frowns.

"You know, inviting people to James' party without his permission and then breaking up with him. It's like you're trying to give Allison reasons for everyone to hate you," Violet tells her, shifting her folders between her arms.

When Dallas doesn't reply, Violet continues. "Anyway, I'm glad you invited them and I'm even gladder you broke up with him."

Dallas knew she wanted to ask what suddenly changed her mind and caused her to break things off, but Violet didn't.

She was grateful for that.

They walked all the way to class together, not stopping when Allison calls out to them as they pass by. Dallas with her head high, shoulders straight and mind focused on keeping out the bad.

Because keeping out the bad was the only way to stay afloat in the tumbling tides.

-

a little more background on dallas, which is pretty important.

violet and marnie being added was an extra bonus. violet is from my calfreezy fanfiction 'flawed with benefits' and marnie is from 'why we broke up' which is my harry fanfiction. i'm adding them here because I can't get enough of them, bless. plus I feel like dallas needs someone like violet in her life to be there for her.