365 Days With Santiago Castillo

Bianca Forbes

Tyler Whyte did it again! He is a bastard and a deceitful jerk! 

Do not blame me for the name-calling. I had caught him in the act on different occasions and I chose to overlook it. But not anymore! Tonight, I caught him red-handed with Camilla, my best friend. They were naked and making out on the couch. 

Ouch! It hurts! The mockery in Camilla's eyes and Tyler's derisive laughter. They both stared at me; stares without guilt and remorse. 

"Are you not missing this? Do you mind joining us? As you can see, we don't mind. The couch is big enough…" My heart sank at Tyler's emotionless blabber. He was inviting me to join him and the whore of a friend that I have. The sarcasm in his voice was enough to drive me insane. 

"...But I know you better, over your dead body, right?" he stared at my shocked form, making a puppy face.

"I'm sick of you Bianca. We've been together for years now but you wouldn't even allow me to touch you. But she is different, she wanted every inch of me. She craved my every touch."

Camilla sneered, rolled her eyes and tilted up her head. She brushed her lips against Tyler's and both chuckled. 

"And what do you take me for? Do you expect me to be with you when your father is a junkie?" Tyler snapped like something just occurred to him.

"C'mon, don't be daft. No decent man in his right mind would want to have the daughter of a junkie. Get it straight, no man will ever love you, Bianca," he concluded and resumed his foreplay with Camilla like I wasn't there.

My eyes widened and I stood transfixed at the door. I was too shocked to respond and I could not look at them. Without hesitation, both resumed kissing, caressing and moaning.

I turned around slowly and wheeled my heavy legs out of their sight. 

The rain had started drizzling. I had seen it coming and I'd thought I could crash at Tyler's. That was why I bumped into him unawares and…it ended in disaster.

The rain began to pour heavily and I just took baby steps, walking slowly like the rain was nothing. The truth hurt like hell. I had loved Tyler all my life. I loved him with the whole of me, thinking that I could make up for my shortcomings; my father's recklessness. But it all turned out to be a waste.

And…I just realised that no man can love me. Yes, Tyler said so… And the sincerity in his eyes, I had seen it before, I knew it, he was saying the truth, he meant it, no man will ever love me. 

Drenched in the rain, I hit my heart repeatedly and lost my wit. With tears cascading down my face, I spurred into full speed, screaming cussing and crying as I ran in the rain.

I lurched to the front of the lone cabin at the end of the street, it was the house that I shared with my father. With wet and shaking fingers, I stuck the key into the keyhole, only to discover that the door was left ajar. Father must be home, I muttered and spent a few minutes by the door, sniffing, cleaning my tears and wringing my dripping clothes.

When I was ready to face my father, I pushed the door open and walked in. 

"what tha hell! You should have waited for the rain," I rehearsed in my father's tone, waiting to hear an earful from him, but it was silent. The room was empty.

"A bum that he is! He is gone again," I muttered brokenly as I scanned the empty room. 

The room was in a mess and it reeked of alcohol. I just shook my head at the scene and bit down my lips. All that Tyler said came back to me, word for word, and I could not hold it anymore. My tears overflowed and I wept.

I wanted to shout! I wanted to give my father an earful, I wanted to scream at him but he wasn't there. 

I was freezing. My teeth were clashing and I began to pull off my wet clothes. My eyes caught a crimson stain on the floor and I gave it a curious look. It was a blood droplet.

My eyes widened in shock. I looked farther and saw more droplets. The hair on my skin stood erect and I hugged myself. I traced the trail and it stopped beside the wooden table in the corner of the room. It was where my father used to have his drink anytime he came home.

On the floor were splinters from broken bottles. A broken shot glass was under the table and an unfinished drink was sitting in a glass on the table.

Did my father try to kill himself? Hell no. The blood would have been much and his body would be lying lifeless here.

What the heck happened? I raked my hands through my hair as I paced the room. His cell phone! I should give him a call!

I dialled his number but it rang right on the bed. Shit! What should I do? Tyler, I should call him to help me out. I had already dialled his number before I remembered what happened a few minutes ago. My heart crumbled and I let out a sigh. 

"I can't just stay the hell here, I need to do something, I need to get out of here, call the police or whatever. My father is missing! Yes, he is a junkie but he is still my father.

As I walked towards the door, I caught a strange sight. A piece of paper was stamped on the door with a knife buried in the centre.

I removed the knife in trepidation and my eyes widened as I read through the paper.

If you want to see your father alive, come to the address below before midnight. The countdown starts now. Come alone, the police will be a hassle.

Without thinking straight I snapped. It was 10 pm already. The location at the address was far and it was still drizzling.

Who are these people? What do they want? I can't let them hurt my father, he is the only family member I have. I squeezed the paper in my hand and burst into the rain.