“No!” I screamed back loud enough to match his volume.
His eyes narrowed and he moved toward me swiftly. Before I could react, he struck me with the back of his hand, hurling me to the floor. I felt my cheek begin to sting instantly. Mom grabbed him and restrained him in the corner of the room while he calmed down. I hadn’t even had a chance to really let everything soak in before Angel came in and put her arms around me without saying a word. If I know Angel, she was standing by the door listening to every word anyway, so there wasn’t anything to fill her in on. She helped me to my feet and I rested my head on her shoulder, trying to get myself together as she continued to hug me. I’d expected Daddy to disapprove, but I definitely didn’t expect for him to be this angry.
Angel released me from her grasp and grabbed my hand as she led me out of the room. AJ was sitting patiently on the steps waiting for me to return. He had a look of concern on his face as they watched me approaching. Apparently noticing that I was holding my face, he rose to his feet quickly and walked to meet me in the middle of the foyer.
“What happened? Did he hit you?” He asked in a low voice.
I was too embarrassed to respond. Instead I just looked down at the floor. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him protectively. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I didn’t turn around. The talking in the living room subsided as AJ and I apparently became much more interesting to watch than the game. I even saw Aunt Marie peer around the wall from inside the kitchen with a disappointed look on her face.
There were whispers coming from all around us. “What’s he doing here?” was among the many questions that arose from the crowd. “Has she lost her mind?” was another. I couldn’t tell who was saying what, but that may have been because I was trying to block them out.
My uncle Ray was mumbling a few profane words to himself as he stared in our direction. It was apparent that my father wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the idea of AJ and me. As we stood there, the center of attention, I came to a decision. I asked AJ to wait outside for me. He was a little reluctant, but with clenched fists, he eventually turned and followed the others out without saying a word. After I shut the door behind them I turned abruptly to look at the faces of each of my family members. I was disgusted. I rolled my eyes and paced up the stairs with Angel close behind. We retreated to my room and shut the door.
“What are you gonna do?” She asked.
I was already out of my dress and pulling on a pair of jeans. I raked a comb through my curls and pulled it up in a ponytail on my way to the closet to take out my tote bag. I threw in a change of clothes, pajamas, and my toothbrush. Angel watched me curiously waiting for me to respond.
“I have to get out of here,” I explained as the tears started flowing down my face. Without another word she began to pack a bag for herself. I stared at her questioningly.
“If you leave, then I leave,” she responded to the unasked question in my head.
“But won’t your parents be mad?” I asked She looked at me like I was crazy. “I’m twenty years old and I haven’t lived at home for almost two years now. They’ll get over it.”
I waited while she changed into more comfortable clothing and then we walked down the stairs and went straight for the door. My mom rushed over to me.
“Where are you going, Samantha?” She asked.