I Don't Care About You -Tom Holland

3.) Graduation and Road Trips

WARNING: COMMENTS OF RACISM AND ABUSE

Time Stamp: May 27th; 12:15 PM

I drop Leon off at the high school for graduation today. Hunter went with me because we were going to pick Jasper up from work today and run him home to change before we come back.

We walked Leon into the school's back entrance, close to the football field because they require a parent/guardian to drop kids off.

Leon grips my hand and squeezes 3 times after the door closes. This is his way of communicating with me that he's anxious.

*Flashback*

"Es, I'm scared." Leon tugs my shirt as mom and dad yell in the other room, on his 7th birthday. I look at him with a comforting smile. "It's okay Leo. I'm here. Anytime you feel scared or anxious, grab my hand, like this." I squeeze his hand 3 times. "I won't let go, I promise."

"W-why do they do this every year? Always on my birthday. Do th-they not love me?" Leon says to me as he's trying to breathe while crying. "No, baby, they love you. I promise. Sometimes adults fight. It's not our fault." I try to be quiet as mom and dad are fighting in the other room, again. I have to lie to him. It's not okay, it never will be. I hate that he has to feel like this on his 10th birthday. This was a big day for him.

Leon grabs my hand 3 times like he did every year. We look at each other and I grab his hand, not letting go. Trying to stay calm, I start humming a song, as he cries himself to sleep.

My mom adopted Leon when he was 2, after falling in love with our father, again. It's complicated. My mom met my dad and had me after a one-night stand. Dad went and married a woman, Leon's mom, Nicole, then they had him. She ended up dying in a car crash on Leon's 1st birthday and my dad was torn.

He was never absent in my life, he was always there. My parents just didn't love each other, until Nicole died. After a year my parents got married and moved in together, and then mom adopted Leon to be her own on record in case something happened to dad.

Here's the catch, our dad never loved my mom or Leon. I was his angel, the only thing that mattered to him. Mom knew he never loved her or Leon, but she loved him, and us.

When Leon was 5 dad started drinking hard and had to pick fights with mom over anything. He fought because it reminded him of Nicole. It was dumb reasoning but it was just yelling, so it wasn't that bad. That's what we thought until Leon's 15th birthday. It started with drinking and yelling, as always, so Leon and I ran to this room. The yelling was super bad that day, I'm not sure why, I don't think I'll ever care to know why. Leon grabbed my hand and squeezed 3 times, I gripped his hand and hugged him.

"WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?!" Leon screamed into my chest as he cried the hardest I've ever seen him cry. At this point he hated everything in life, I was his comfort from the world, so were Japser and Hunter. We didn't mind one bit, the 3 of us love Leon, we'd never leave him.

As Leon cried the door busted open and dad entered, this never happened. He pulled Leon off me and started punching him, calling him racial slurs. At this point, I lost my temper.

"WHO GIVES YOU THE FUCKING RIGHT? YOU RACIST MOTHERFUCKING CUNT! HOW DARE YOU? DIDN'T YOU MARRY A BLACK WOMAN? GET YOUR GRIMMY ASS HANDS OFF MY LITTLE BROTHER BEFORE I FUCK YOU UP!" I start making my way over to him, then mom pulls me back. "Esmeray, leave it." I push her off and give her a disgusting look. "Leave it? LEAVE IT?! THAT'S YOUR SON! YOU'RE MENTAL!" At this point, dad stops hitting Leon and throws him to the floor as he makes his way to me.

He grabs my shirt and starts yelling in my face, his breath reeks of hard liquor. "DON'T YOU EVER RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME! WHY WOULD YOU DEFEND THAT LITTLE-" I push him, hard. "You won't dare finish that. Fuck outta my face. Dirty bitch."