Intoxicated Ch. 02

She was a no nonsense girl. Lisa had been the only one able to break her stone exterior, though she didn't count because Naomi had known the sharp tongued girl since she was in diapers.

But Prince...well, Naomi wasn't going to suffer needlessly- even for her first love. He had started out fine, but then he became overprotective.

If another guy even so much as touched her, even platonically, he'd snap. Then he'd get angry at her, and then they would argue. And in the beginning that's all they did.

Argue.

But eventually their arguments became physical, the first time being when Jake (her superior) had hugged and kissed her on the cheek when they were departing from school. Jake wasn't one to publicly show affection, and neither was Naomi.

That day had been a rarity for both of them though. Unfortunately, Prince had seen them. Jake and Prince exchanged heated words, and eventually got into a fight that Prince obviously started.

Naomi wasn't exactly equipped to stop them. When a teacher finally came to break it up, Naomi had been steaming. After Prince was released from the infirmity due to his bloody condition, Jake receiving only minor wounds himself, Naomi had been waiting for him.

Needless to say, she yelled at him. And he yelled back. And she said some awful things that couldn't be withdrawn. That was the first time he hit her, a slap to the face.

And to say she was shocked was an understatement.

They stayed away from each other for weeks afterward. Naomi slowly became more quiet than usual, and had taken to staying home until the bruise on her face finally faded. Her father, being away to who knows where all the time, didn't notice when she was home.

And Lisa...well of course she tried to call Naomi. And when Naomi gave the excuse that she was ill, Lisa tried to visit. But to no avail, Naomi never welcomed her inside of the house, for fear that she would see the rarity of Naomi crying.

When she finally came back to school, everything seemed the same as always. Prince approached her, begged her to meet him after school. Lisa badgered Naomi about why she hadn't called. Jake had simply went on as normal, though he warned her to have a doctors note the next time she wasn't present during their meetings.

And of course the teachers gave in to her illness explanation. Soon enough, Naomi was able to imitate happiness. Prince took her out to dinner and apologized, and eventually she forgave him.

But as their relationship went on, she began to see his true colors. And even now, she had bruises on her arms from one of their frequent encounters. By then she had become an expert at hiding them, even from Prince himself.

However, enough was enough. She wasn't happy, and neither was Prince. They weren't happy together, no matter how much he tried to claim they were.

Honestly deep down she did still feel for him. That same sweet and kind gentleman she had fallen for was still there somewhere. But the Prince she knew now was fake.

And she couldn't stay with a fake man.

So when Prince pulled up to her house and helped her out of the car, Naomi wasted no time.

The second she stepped out of the expensive vehicle, Naomi spun on her heel and stood to her full height.

"Prince," She murmured, placing a warm hand on his arm, stopping him when he tried to reach for her bags.

He halted for a moment, turning his somber eyes to hers. The anger he had been suppressing during the whole ride was evident in his eyes, but he obeyed her silent command to stay still as he stared at her so intensely that she forced a nervous lump down her throat.

Naomi couldn't help but let a small amount of guilt cloud her vision as she slowly lifted her chin to place a chaste kiss on his lips.

When she pulled away, she didn't miss the mild look of surprise moving across his features. But by the time he was able to react to it, Naomi had already backed away, bag in arm, as he hesitantly lifted his hand to reach for her.

"I think it's time we broke up."

oOo

The second she heard the roar of his car engine going off and the skid of tires as he sped down the street, her tense shoulders relaxed.

Naomi collapsed on her couch, quickly and silently wiping the tears that dared to fall from her eyes. The pain she felt was physical, so utterly physical.

'This is for the best.' Naomi thought as she leaned farther into the cushions. 'You'll be better without him.'

But would she? Prince, like many other things in her life, had become a very invaluable part of her. Naomi had learned early on that letting go of something, even if it wasn't healthy for her, was like ripping a piece of her heart out.

And that's how she felt at the moment. Most could claim that she was just an immature girl going through her first heartbreak. But this wasn't her first heartbreak.

Losing Elle had been the first time. Losing her father, even though he still lived, was the second. And then losing herself to the pain had been third.

And now Prince was the fourth. Honestly Naomi had truly been attached to him, or the former him. The Prince that comforted her when she gave into memories of Elle and broke down. The Prince that silently made soup for her when she grew ill.

The Prince that always knew how to make her smile, even when there seemed to be nothing to smile for.

'It was my decision to do this.' Naomi reasoned, growing irritated that her tears wouldn't stop. 'I've gone through worse than this, I need to control myself...'

But no matter how hard she shut her eyes or brushed the tears away, she still cried.

Truly, Naomi subconsciously knew that she regretted losing the Prince she fell in love with more than she regretted losing the Prince that had hurt her so frequently.

It was more than just the physical pain he had inflicted on her that made her so angry. It was the fact that he had given into the darker part of himself that hurt her so much.

More than once Naomi had blamed herself for his change. By the time she accepted that it wasn't her but 'him', well it was too late. She was already attached.

But now she had broken the chord that held them together, though Prince was obviously reluctant to let her.

After she had kissed him and suggested they separate, he was adamant on finding out why. And when she vaguely said they they just weren't good for each other anymore, he grew confused and to her surprise; panicked.

"Naomi." He had begged quietly, taking a hold of her arms.

She didn't pull away, but she didn't look at him either. He knew that direct eye contact always made her weak to open up.

"Talk to me, please. Why are you doing this?"

Averted eyes and a silent shake of her head, a clear refusal to talk, had been his answer.

That was the first time she ever seen him look so crestfallen in front of her. His hurt expression in the car was nothing compared to the shattered look he gave her before she forcefully suggested he leave so she wouldn't be tempted to change her mind.

When he finally did leave however, Naomi was already contemplating if she should. That had angered her considerably. She had never second guessed her decisions before.

When she decided something that was final, it was pathetic to think that Prince of all people and not say her mother, father, or Lisa, could.

Naomi let out a deep aggravated groan and pushed face into the pillow to muffle her soft choked up exhales. Her entire body was warm, as it always was when crying, and she felt nauseous.

Brushing curls out of her face, Naomi pushed herself off of the couch and staggered to the kitchen to get some water. She wasn't going to tarnish herself, not even if she felt like shit.

Kicking off her shoes by the kitchen entrance, Naomi took a deep calming breath as she approached the cupboard and retrieved a glass. Rinching it off and pouring herself a drink, Naomi allowed herself to slump down into one of the stools surrounding the kitchen island.

As always the kitchen was chilly, since that's how Elle always liked it, and the sun shone through the window above the sink. Naomi gazed silently at the light and the trees visible beyond it as she sipped her water.

For a moment she got lost into her thoughts, wondering how she would explain her situation to Lisa and eventually how she would handle it when the school found out.

It couldn't stay secret forever. It wasn't unknown that Prince and Naomi didn't see each other much during school except at lunch. Naomi doubted Prince would pick her up next Monday, since it was currently Friday, and she also doubted that people wouldn't notice she was arriving to school without him at least greeting her.

Prince knew she needed space, and he would grant it to her. At least, at first he would. But gossip was rampant, and sooner or later Prince would be forced to bring her up or vice versa.

'And this is why I only hang out with Lisa...' Naomi thought irritably, draining the last gulp of water out of her glass.

At that moment the sound of the front door being unlocked drifted to her ears. Curiously Naomi wondered if it was Prince or even Lisa. But she quickly dismissed both notions when her father walked into the kitchen several seconds later.

"Naomi!" Nathan exclaimed when he saw his daughter nonchalantly pushing her glass away, still in uniform. "What...you're home already?"

Naomi blinked up at him for a moment; taking in his features that were like a male version of her own, minus the bloodshot gray eyes and runny nose, before she blanched.

No doubt her eyes were still red from crying, and she hadn't bothered to clean away the wet tear trails on her face. And by the long puzzled and then sharp look her father sent her, Naomi knew he had already noticed.

"My...meeting ended early." Naomi lied, quickly turning her head away to dab at her face with her uniform sleeve. It didn't help.

The firm hand on her shoulder stopped her movements, and a second later her father was tilting her face toward his.

"What happened?" He demanded, his usual distant expression now bordering on anger.

Naomi groaned. Of all the times to actually come home and pay attention to her, Nathan had picked the worst possible time to do it.

"Nothing dad." She replied briskly, standing up from the stool and pulling away from his hold. "I'm just tired."

"You've been crying." He pointed out, folding his arms and glaring at her when she opened her mouth to deny it.

"It's nothing." Naomi snapped, instantly regretting it. She never yelled at her dad, so that was automatically a heads up that something was wrong.

And by the way Nathan's brown eyes darkened , Naomi knew he was aware of it.

"Young lady, I am your father and you will not take that tone with me-" He began, taking a step toward her.

Naomi returned his glare and simply backed away further, unconsciously tugging her sleeve lower so he wouldn't notice the bruises peeking out from under it. That morning had been so rushed she had forgotten to cover it more securely. The combined worry of him noticing and annoyance at his words only made her anxiety convert to anger.

"You're my father, not my dad. A dad loves his children and is there for them. You aren't my dad. Not anymore." Naomi muttered softly.

But not soft enough, if her fathers sharp inhale and narrowed eyes were anything to go by. In one second he was in front of her and grabbing shoulder in another. His grip was firm, but not snaring or overwhelmingly tight like Prince's hands were. Naomi slowly lifted her gaze to Nathan's, showing absolutely no expression as she met his angry gaze.

So different from the indifferent looks and nonchalant gestures he always sent her way. But then again she had never shown her tears to him before, not since the funeral. He had always been keenly aware of her moods throughout her life, and now was no exception. Naomi cursed whoever had made Nathan so adept at knowing her, even when he was too depressed to care.

"Naomi Elena Williams, don't you ever say such a thing again. Yes, I AM your father AND your dad and you will treat me as such." Naomi flinched away but Nathan's grip only grew firmer, though he took care not to hurt her.

"I'm aware I've been away from home far more than I should, but that doesn't change the fact that you're my daughter." Nathan said quietly, anger cloaking his tone and making his presence all the more intimidating.

When Naomi still only stared into his eyes blankly, Nathan sighed and enveloped her into a hug that was warm and loving and everything he should have been for her all of those years he had pushed her away.

'Now, when I'm was letting Prince go. Now, when I'm already suffering and trying to heal. Why did it have to be now when he finally see's me?'

Naomi swallowed thickly, her expression still guarded and distant but her tone holding every emotion she felt as she struggled not to cry for an entirely different reason.

Despite her fathers tall and imposing exterior she knew he was really hurt by what she said. That seemed to be the only thing she knew how to do lately. Still, she wanted him to regret leaving her to mourn alone all of those years. And she wanted him to see how it effected her, not just himself.

"It's not just you not being there for me. It's you drinking and torturing yourself that changes everything. How would mom feel, if she saw you this way?" Naomi muttered into his chest.

Inwardly she let out a sigh of relief when he stiffened but didn't pull away. Elle had been an off limits topic in the aftermath of her death. A silent rule that Naomi had never broken, until that moment at least.

Silently Naomi waited for her father to answer, holding her breath so she wouldn't break the silence that passed as he silently held on to her.

Eventually Nathan pulled away, his arms still on her back, as he lowered his chin to look into Naomi's eyes. What she saw there was discomfort, but not for the reason she suspected.

"Naomi..." He began slowly, turning his gaze to ceiling as if contemplating on how to tell her something.

A dreaded feeling uncurled in Naomi's chest when Nathan let out a sigh and let go of her. He turned in the opposite direction, his back facing her, and Naomi couldn't help but frown at him.

"What?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "Dad, what is it?"

Another long and dreary silence passed, in which Naomi's heartbeat pounded in her ears loudly. She briefly thought back to yesterday, when he had left a note to tell her he would be away with 'friends'. She had thought nothing of it then.

But now she wondered what he had been doing while he was away. Never had he looked like he did now, so uncomfortable and...and nervous.

"Nathan?" Naomi whispered again when the silence refused to break. Finally Nathans shouldered sagged, alerting her that he was about to speak.

He didn't turn to face her, so she couldn't see his expression anymore than he could see hers. But that didn't stop her heart from stopping when he spoke again.

"Naomi..." His voice was tired and wary. Another silence passed, but this time Nathan didn't let it drag on.

"Naomi, I'm thinking about remarrying."

If she had still been holding the glass from before, it would have shattered.

oOo