Leone Frasier was living the aftermath of a tragic car crash that took his mother's life and left him barely able to walk on his feeble legs. He has had to endure the loss of his mother, the wrath of an abusive father, and all the added weight that...
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I was in the backyard practicing my laser flip, my shirtless body completely drenched in sweat. I wore nothing but a beanie over my thick dark hair, along with a pair of loose-fitting cargo pants that skimmed right below the label of my underwear.
Every kick, flip, and spin I attempted with the board had yet to successfully land. After a few more failed attempts, I lost my temper. I rapidly felt my blood boil, baring my teeth at my board, aggressively snatching it up, only to toss it against the concrete with a furious grunt.
"Bro, this fucking... just... ugh!" I could no longer contain my rising agitation, dropping down to sit on the concrete with my chest caged beneath my arms and legs.
I had never felt this great deal of anger and frustration before—at least not at the intensity I'm currently feeling. It was about my life, my family, what I can and cannot do, my robotic routine, my role in life, and most of all, him.
What did I do wrong that made him want to completely ignore me? Also, why is the distance between us bothering me this much? Even though I've barely talked to him besides written messages, the fact that we were in such weird terms was messing me up.
"One of those days?" Hearing my dad's voice redirected all my attention towards him.
"Something like that," I grumbled lowly.
"What's bothering you, son?" He asks, cautiously planning on how to approach me.
My head slowly rises up to meet his face with a glare. "Everything..." I murmur.
He deeply sighs and walks towards me with his hands buried inside his pockets. "I know that sometimes the way your mother and I choose to do things might come across as unfair." He continues as I slowly looked up at him. "With all the times we've had to move, all the rules we've made, and all the questions unanswered at your age, I-I know it can be easy to hate us."
I clenched my jaw as I averted my eyes back down at the concrete. "I don't hate you guys."
"But even if you did, I would completely understand." He extends a hand out for me which I met with a grip, getting myself up to dust my pants off. "Your mother and I have just been so caught up with figuring out how to protect you and your sister that we forgot to teach you guys the importance of knowing how to protect yourselves; to give you guys the option to navigate life as how you please."
"Dad-"
He interrupted me to continue on. "I wish there was some kind of guide or handbook to tell me how to be the best parent that you and your sister deserve, but there isn't. All I can do is keep trying and I can assure you, I'm trying so very hard." His hazel eyes pierced directly into mine with such a genuine glisten. "All I want is the best for you son, and I wanna apologize if it ever seems like that's not the case because trust me it is, it's all that matters to me."
All the overwhelming emotions was enough to loosen up all the tension in my mind and body. I couldn't help but feel bad over how much pressure my dad was feeling this entire time.
