My feet move before any other thought crosses my head.
A voice whispers in my ear.The next time he hurts you, I want you to hurt him, Rose.
Heath had said to me once and I discarded his words because fighting someone isn’t in me. I don’t have the courage, strength or will to hurt someone. I can only take a beating.
But in that moment, my body fills with me so much bravery that I manage to shove him away from Mom. She falls to the ground and gasps loudly as if she was seconds away from dying.
Dad turns around, his gaze locking onto me with such a heated glare that it’s a miracle my bones don’t disintegrate under its weight.
“You little — ”
“I hate you. I hate you so much,” I choke out those words.
His words widen and he grows angrier.
“What did you just say to me, you whore?” He extends his arm to grab me, but I manage to dodge, slamming my hands hard against his chest to make him stumble. He loses his balance, stepping directly onto the glass shards with a harsh crunch.
A groan escapes his lips as the glass shards embed into his feet. He tries to pull away, but in his panic, he steps back and trips over the first step, tumbling down the stairs with a loud crash. A thump and then it’s quiet.
“Oh my God!” Mom whispers from beside as we both stare down at the body. Unmoving body.
An eerie silence fills the house and the air turns cold.
A long moment stretches by before the shock fades and the adrenaline burns out, leaving me standing there, trembling.
“I did. I killed him,” I choke out, registering what I’ve done.
My hands start shaking and dots dance in front of my eyes.
“Hope, listen to me!” Mom snaps at me. “You didn’t do anything.”
I shake my head. “No! I… I pushed him. I did it — ”
“—to save me,” she finished in a hard tone, trying to break my panic.
She cups my face in her palms and forces me look at her. “Yousavedme.”
“But — ”
“That’s what happened.”
I stare at her long and hard.
“You. Saved. Me.” She repeats.
I keep shaking but she brings me to her chest and hugs me tight. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Shh… it’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine.”
What happens next is a blur. I fall into a trance, surrounded by people moving and speaking, but their voices and faces blend into the background. I can’t focus on anything.
My hands fidget uncontrollably, twisting together, and my throat feels like it’s been sealed shut with a heavy stone.
I feel shaky, out of place, like my own skin doesn’t fit anymore.
It’s as if all the peace and calm have been stripped from me. I’m buzzing with some strange energy I can’t shake, unable to find any ground to steady myself.
Through my blurry vision, I watch Mom take control of everything. She calls an ambulance and handles the body,arranges for it to be removed, and cleans up the bloodstains. She answers a lot of questions and with confidence making it seem like it was an accident. She even takes care of the glass shards, like it’s all just another task to be done.
