The Outcasts | e.d

SEVENTEEN

E L I S A

Fear.

Fear was the only thing I could see in my mothers eyes before a fist made contact with her jaw.

Hard.

I had never seen my mom get hit, I only ever saw the aftermath, filled with bruises & concealer to cover it up. Suddenly a foreign feeling started to fill up in my stomach, & I became livid.

"You let your daughter go out & bring home boys' clothes like a little whore?! Well you may allow that but there is no way in hell my name will be ruined by your whore of a daughter, bitch!"

There in Frank's hand, was Ethan's sweater. I don't know how he could have possibly found it but right now I didn't care. Frank's cruel words seemed to be getting further & further away from my ears & everything seemed to begin going in slow motion. I'm not sure where the sudden courage & anger came from, most likely from spending so much time with Ethan, he brought out a courageous side in me that hasn't made an appearance in a very long time.

So it only took me five seconds to lunge at frank & punch him straight in the face. His fire blazing eyes burned into me as he turned around, away from my mother. My courage faltered & I stepped back once he began walking towards me. My mom couldn't help me; her body laying on the floor, not that she would be much help to me anyways. She always took the beating she was given, obviously because she would have new bruises every few days.

But not this time.

Instead I took the beating. I laughed at every punch he threw at me, every terrible thing he said to me, it was all a joke.

He was a joke.

He stopped to catch his breath, his gaze still on me. I took this opportunity to say everything I've always wanted to say to him. I was done being afraid.

"You're a joke, you hit us just to feel big, but you're just a coward you hear me? And you always will be a fucking coward!" I gasped when he gave me a sharp kick to my stomach, but that didn't stop me. I spit the metallic liquid that was building up in my mouth, out.

"Y-you are the most pathetic excuse for a man. You are not a man, you're a fucking monster." At this, the punches & kicks stopped. Too tired to lift my head up to see who had stopped him, I was only able to hear my mom using her soft voice to calm Frank down, only for his cold words to interrupt her.

"... Choose me or her. I will leave & I will take my money with me & you guys will be on the streets. Choose."

I mentally cursed at Frank for using his money as a leverage, but why wouldn't he? All he's ever wanted was to get rid of me, well this was his chance. My mom now had to choose between me & a place to stay.

And I already knew what the answer would be.

"Elisa, you need to leave." I forced myself to get up, didn't once look back at my mom, & I left. I could hear Liam crying my name, but I couldn't look back. This would probably be the last time I would ever be around my mom & Liam again because I knew that Frank would do everything in his power to keep us apart.

I didn't know where I was going at first, until I ended up on Ethan's front porch. The door swung open to a confused Cameron standing there.

"Elisa? Jesus what the hell happened to you-" her voice was cut off by the mere exhaustion I was feeling, & I collapsed on the floor, only a ringing to be heard in my ears. I shut my eyes & let the darkness devour me whole.