Today has been too much for me to fathom. Not in my wildest dreams would I ever have figured that my own dad would beat my own mother. I’ve always known that they weren’t too fond of each other, but I’d never known that they hate each other so much that something like this would happen.
“I’m sorry,” dad says, his voice wavering and he advances toward my mom, “but you brought this upon yourself. If you only loved me like I wanted you to.”
“What are you talking around?” my mom asks. Color begins to drain from her face, but her voice is steady. She honestly believes that she can talk dad out of what he’s about to do. “I love you more than you know.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “You might love me, but you don’t love me like I want you to.”
Mom takes a step back. “I’d do anything for you. You know this. What’s gotten you like this?”
“Shut up,” dad shouts, his voice radiating off the walls of the metal storage house. “Just shut up, shut up, shut up.”
“John-“
He cuts her off. “No! You’re lying. That’s all your girls ever do. You lie and lie and lie and lie, and I just can’t take it anymore. I’m tired of you lying. I want the truth.”
Dad’s gaze flickers toward me. “You,” he says, momentarily stopping in his tracks. “You’re the worst. You lie about everything. I gave you everything, but then you screwed it all up. It’s your fault. You were the one that would always steal Logan from me. You were the one that filled his head with bullshit, telling him that I was bad for him, that I was going to hurt him.”
I shake my head slowly, tears beginning to stream down my face. I didn’t do anything like that. I didn’t try to turn Logan against dad. I wouldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t.
“You’ll pay,” he swears to me. “You’ll pay for turning my own son against me. You’ll pay.”
“What the hell are you talking about, John?” mom questions dad, losing her patience. “We’ll pay for what? We’ve never lied to you.” She looks at me, her stare penetrating. “Right, Presley? You’ve never lied or kept anything from your father, have you?”
I can’t decide if she’s silently telling me to say that I haven’t, or if she honestly thinks that I’ve never lied or kept anything from my dad. Truthfully, I’ve kept everything from him. He doesn’t know anything about my life or me, and I like it that way although I’m pretty sure today will be the day that that all changes.
The latter seems more plausible. Mom’s never cared about me or my life. Why would she start now?
“No,” I say, agreeing with my mom not for her but for me, “I haven’t.” I’m gripping the sleeves of my jacket in anticipations. What’s going to happen? Is he actually going to beat us with a baseball bat? Nobody knows we’re here. He chose this place for a reason. He won’t hesitate, either. He’s never been one to hesitate. No time to talk. Just do.
“You’re lying,” he seethes before positioning the baseball bat, ready to swing. He never misses.
I don’t know why I stop him. Is it because I know that beating someone to death is wrong or is it because deep down, I still love my parents?
“Logan’s a father!” I say loudly but not quite yelling, stopping him from hitting mom.
I don’t love my mom. I don’t know how to love. I’m incapable. They made sure of that.
YOU ARE READING
Dead Hearts
Teen Fiction"Even though his family is broken just like mine, he won’t understand what I did. If I tell him what I did, he’ll think I’m just like the rest of them – fake. But then again, maybe I am just like them." Presley Adams' doesn't know what to do with he...
