Delicate - Mattheo Riddle

rainwood

As we entered the motel room, the smell of stale cigarettes and musty carpet hit us.

It was a small, dingy room with two beds, a TV, and a small kitchenette.

My father went straight to the TV and turned it on to distract us from the depressing atmosphere.

Enzo and I sat on the bed, still feeling out of place in our new home. Our father noticed our uneasiness and suggested we go explore the town.

he promised to take us to the best pizza place in Rainwood, which instantly caught Enzo's attention.

As we walked through the town, I couldn't help but notice how different it was from our old home. The streets were empty and the buildings were old and run-down.

It seemed like a forgotten town, stuck in time.

But despite its appearance, the people of Rainwood were friendly and welcoming.

we met a few of our neighbors and they all seemed genuinely happy to have us in town.

we finally arrived at the pizza place and I could see the excitement in Enzo's eyes. we ordered a large pizza and sat down at one of the booths.

As we ate, we briefly talked about our old home, but my father tried to the keep the topic low. I knew it was hard for him.

"enzo briefly told me about mattheo, estelle. is that going ok for you?"

"I'm not here to talk about him dad please." I sipped some of my tea. "how is nana?"

"still a little shook I think. but she's doing ok. all of them are. I think uncle halbert and them are coming for dinner tomorrow night. is that ok?"

"mhm." I nodded, trying to hide the exhaustion in my eyes.

he exhaled with his mouth. "look... kid I-"

"don't call me kid." my teeth sunk into my bottom lip.

"sweetheart, tell me about mattheo please-"

"dad. what happened with mom?" my eyes are burned into his.

his mouth flew shut. he looked down and struggled to mutter the words.

"I already told you. she died in a car accident sweetie."

"that's not the truth." my teeth clenched together. "I was using a... book with harry, and it said, she died giving birth to me."

"those things don't always tell you the truth. I know what kinda of book you used estelle. they only gather information other books hold. that doesn't mean it's tru-"

"than how can I trust that you are?" I slammed my cup down on the table so hard, tea splattered on my clenched, white fists.

"because I'm your father." his eyes betrayed seething anger boiling within him. "you trust me no matter what."

"how is it just because you stuck a dick in my mom means that I have to suddenly trust you!" I stood up as my chair scooted against the diners squeaky floors.

"elle!" enzo stood up and grabbed my arm. I didn't even realize he's been saying my name this whole time.

"get off of me!" I pushed his arm away. just then the nice waiter ran up to us.

her hair was black and bouncy with curls. she had glowy chocolate toned skin and bright hazel eyes. "what's going on here?" she asked frantically.

"don't mind my daughter. uhm. she's on her lady days I'm assuming." he practically whispered to her.

that was it. I lost it. I took my tea and threw the liquid and glass cup at him. "that's for having 0 respect for women you asshole!"

"estelle wait-" he begged.

"stay away from me!" I grabbed my bag from the booth and stormed out of there as fast as I could.

As I trudged down the street, the rain came out of nowhere and started to pelt heavily against my back, its steady rhythm mimicking the turmoil raging within me.

the sky was a deep shade of gray, mirroring the heaviness in my heart.

so here I was, walking alone in the gloomy, raining afternoon, trying to clear my mind and make sense of my jumbled thoughts.

with each step, the puddles splashed beneath my feet, the sound adding to the melancholic atmosphere.

my father and I had always been close, but lately, it seemed like we were drifting apart.

our differences in opinions and stubbornness often led to clashes, leaving us both frustrated and hurt. I couldn't help but wonder where we had gone wrong.

as the rain grew heavier, I pulled my jacket tighter around me, feeling the weight of the argument and the cold seeping into my bones.

I couldn't stop the tears from falling as I replayed the hurtful words that were exchanged between us.

mostly the ones I said to him.

"lost?" the voice startled me. I almost didn't hear it due to the loud pouring of the rain.

"no. I'm fine." I didn't dare look back.

"are those tears or rain on your face." I finally got a good look at the figure.

It was a man, couldn't be younger than 20 with his tustled black hair and black eyes. he had a dark stubble on his skin. a nose that looked familiar and so were his eyes.

his hands were too familiar. I'd felt them before. I knew this man. a long time ago.

"get away from me." my quivering lip muttered as I began to speed up.

"baby wait-"

"I thought you were in jail!" I held my wand firmly up at him as the thunder roared.

"this is a muggle town baby. you can't use magic."

"I don't give a fuck if someone sees! why are you out of jail!"

"good behavior. plus, I only had a few months left on my sentence. then we could be together again."

"you sick bastard!!" I yelled.

"i've changed baby, I know what I did was wrong. I'm sorry. all I wanted was for us to be together-"

"DONT CALL ME BABY!!" I screamed. "you raped me you son of a bitch!" my nails dug into the wood of my wand.

"I didn't want to have to do this." He half-laughed. it was sick. sick sick sick.

the last thing I saw before blacking was a hand over my mouth. but it wasn't his.