I snatch my lips away. “No, Maverick, no! If you love me like you say you do, leave, please. When you love someone, you put that person’s feelings above your own. Show me you love me by leaving.” I’m crying so hard I can barely get the words out of my mouth. Maverick moves to sit on the edge of my bed, resting his head in his hands. I roll away from him, continuing to cry.
Please go before I beg you to stay.
“I’ll leave you alone, Cocoa.” With that, he leaves my room, and then the house.
This is the worst pain I’ve ever felt.
My eyes slowly flutter open when the light from the lamp in my room is switched on. John is standing over my bed with his gun in his right hand, and a bottle of scotch in the other.
“You did this, didn’t you? You little piece of shit.”
“I did, John. Merry Christmas.’”
“How could you destroy your own father? You’ve ruined your own life in the process.”
“My life was ruined the day I left my mother’s womb.”
John places the barrel of the gun to my forehead. I don’t flinch.
“What are you waiting for, John?”
He takes a drink of scotch.
“Pull the fucking trigger, John.”
He cocks the gun back.
“Do it! You weak little bitch!” I shout.
I rush John, punching him in the face. John drops the scotch bottle, spilling the contents on the floor. The gun discharges, the bullet zooms past my head, grazing my right ear. The bullet hits the lamp, shattering it. I’m on top of him as we fight over the gun. I’m able to snatch the gun from his grasp. I press the barrel against his temple and get in his face until the tip of my nose touches his.
“Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn’t end you. You’re nothing but a pathetic bitch.”
I want to pull the trigger with every fiber of my being. John is shaking, sweat covering his face.
“You’ll ruin your future.”
“Not good enough.”
“Please, Maverick. I know I was hard on you, but everything I did was for your own good. The world is a harsh place. I just wanted to prepare you.”
“What about my mother? What were you preparing her for?”
John swallows nervously.
“It took me some time to figure out the best revenge for all the shit you’ve done to my mother and me. Karma is a motherfucker, isn’t it?”
John winces when I dig the barrel into his temple.
“Your life is over. The citizens of Montgomery will know you for the monster you really are. I dreamed of this day. I wanted to make sure I had a front-row seat to your demise. This is my Christmas present to myself.”
With that, I stand to my feet, allowing John to do the same.
“I want you to suffer for the rest of your miserable life. Get the fuck out of my room.”
John stumbles out, not sparing me a glance.
The town of Montgomery is about to become a damn circus, and my family will be the main attraction.
