It's Only Love

Chapter 2 - An introduction pt. 2

Chase awoke in his bed to the sound of shouting. His body ached all over as he slowly sat up on his bed and looked at the clock on his bedroom wall. Midday. He stood up gradually, only then realising he was still wearing yesterday's clothes. He walked carefully and silently out of his room, following the sound of the argument transpiring downstairs. In the living room were his father and Ezra throwing highly audible words at each other, while their mother stood watching hesitantly. She didn't want to get involved, but she didn't much want the fight to continue either.

"I'm tired of you constantly letting me and your mother down!" his father yelled at the older boy. He was still dressed in his coat and scarf, so Chase assumed he had just returned from retrieving Ezra from jail. "You've been nothing but a burden to this family. How can you expect me to hand down a multi-billion dollar company to someone who doesn't even know right from wrong? You can't stay here any longer" he continued tempestuously. 

"Who said I ever wanted your stupid company? Maybe I want to make my own money and earn my own things instead of being handed everything all the time"

"Stealing isn't the way to get the things you want! And if you want to earn things on your own, then stop dragging your brother down with you!" he shouted on the verge of boiling over with rage.

"He's not dragging me down" Chase said, making his presence aware to them. His mother hurried over to him and placed her hands on either side of his face.

"Baby, you don't have to hear this. Go back to your room" she said lovingly in a way a mother would talk to a small child.

"No, he can stay. I'm not finished with him yet either" their father interrupted.

"Mom, stop treating him like a baby. He's 17, not 7" Ezra insisted indignantly. Chase went over to them despite his mother's protests.

"Don't you dare talk to your mother like that" his father responded quickly. His face was red with rage. Ezra turned to his dad with a rebellious look on his face.

"Yeah? And what if I do?" he responded with his fist clenched threateningly. His father looked like he was about to boil over with fury so much so that if it were a cartoon, steam would be pouring out of his ears by then. Chase had never seen him so angry, and he suddenly became worried about what he might do. Suddenly, without thinking, he stepped forward between the two in an attempt to separate them. At that moment, all too quickly, their father raised his fist and swung, hitting the wrong son. Chase fell to the floor with his hand to his face, blood seeping through his fingers. He pulled his hand away to see that it was almost entirely covered by red.

"Chase!" His mother screamed as she ran to his side. 

"Now look what you did" Ezra said pointedly. "Don't worry about kicking me out, pop. I'm leaving" he added bitterly as he pushed past him towards his room. Their father looked at Chase unsure of how to react, too proud to apologize. His wife shot him a sullen scowl before turning back to her son.

Eleanor pulled Chase to his feet as their maid approached with an abundance of kitchen towls.

"Thank you" she said sincerely as she began to gently dab under her son's nose with the paper towels. Chase winced with pain.

Briskly, she led her son to the kitchen sink to avoid blood dripping onto her expensive carpet and forced his blood-covered hands under the running tap before she began to wipe them furiously with a wet cloth.

"I can manage Mom, I don't need you to do everything for me" he told her sternly. She suddenly burst into a bloodcurdling wail which took Chase by surprise. "I'm sorry Mom, I didn't mean it-" he said desperately. She sniffled as she tried to compose herself. 

"No sweetie, it's not you. Don't worry about it" she said as if she knew what was going to happen next.

"You, upstairs now. Go and pack your bags" Chase's father said abrubtly as he entered the room. Chase looked at him blankly. "Yes, you, Chase. You're going to stay with your uncle Hank in New York. Maybe that'll knock some sense into you" Hank was an erratic yet strict head master at a private school based in New York. Chase had met him only a couple of times, but that was enough to teach him not to get on his bad-list. "You'll be enrolled at his school the day after you arrive. Your flight is due to leave tomorrow, so if I were you I would start packing now" he said without any remorse. The lack of emotion on his face told Chase that he had really messed up this time. He quickly made his way to his room without making a sound.