He didn’t want me.
I wait for my heart to break, it doesn’t.
It gets eerily quiet inside my bones. No sound or noise. No breaking or mending. Just shattered pieces lying on the floor as blood drips down from my chest as my heart bleeds.
My chest feels heavy, swollen—like it's been flooded with blood instead of breath.
“Because of you I didn’t get a degree. Because of you, I started working. Because of you we moved to this fucking town. Because of you we’re in this mess. Because of you…” he keeps talking. He blames me for everything because apparently I’m the root of his problems.
I tune him out and look at Mom who is watching me.
Truth glistens in her eyes and I don’t need to ask her anything.
What he said is true.
“Listen to me!” Dad slams the table and everything rattles.
I jostle, and look at him.
His eyes look dark, although they are light in shade. His face is composed of anger and his mouth is pulled in a scowl.
“What are you looking at?” he snaps.
I shake my head and look down in my lap.
“Alex—”
He turns and raises his hand to hit her.
“Don’t!” I yell at him. “Don’t hurt her.”
Shock spreads like a cold winter breeze through my system, freezing everything and turning it into ice.
But I refuse to just stand and stare this time.
I won’t let him hurt Mom.
My hands clench into fists by my side as rage courses through my veins like a stream of molten hot lava. It melts the ice and disperse the heat making me move.
Abandoning my position, I rush to her and try to help her sit down. Upon close look, I notice her split lip and bruised cheek that seems to be swelling a little.
Despite my anger, I care about her. I know she loves me in her own way and I can’t just leave her.
I’m acting purely on my instincts that are tied to her because of the motherly bond. She’s done plenty of wrong things, but she also stood by my side plenty of times.
“Mom, are you okay?” I reach for her. “Stop crying, please.”
Before my fingers can wipe away her endless stream of tears, she slaps away my hand.
“Get away from me.”
I frown, not understanding her one bit.
When I don’t move she shoves me. Hard.
I fall on the floor on my back, stunned.
A chuckle bounces off the walls as Dad walks over to me and stares down at me.
