Bittersweet Perfection

Chapter Ten

I happily accepted the diploma and found my way back to my seat, smiling. I finally graduated; twelve years of school for a slip of paper. Looking into the crowd I caught sight of my aunt and uncle next to Logan who was smiling proudly. He winked when he saw me looking at him and I averted my eyes to something that made me sick. My parents were sitting in the third row near Johns’. Neither of them was smiling as they looked around the room. Instantly I felt fear building up in me and I looked back at Logan. He was staring at me with a confused expression that seemed to ask ‘what’s wrong?’ I tilted my head to his left and saw him look over, soon after his jaw clenched and his gaze snapped back to mine. But, they wouldn’t attack me in such a public place would they? Logan smiled reassuringly, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

After what felt like forever we were allowed to leave, but I couldn’t find my aunt and uncle in the chaos. I jumped when a hand encased my upper arm and I turned quickly to see my mother. I glared at her and yanked my arm out of her grasp. “Get away from me,” I hissed at her.

“Behave yourself child. Come with me and we’ll discuss this at home, you don’t want to make a scene. Come on,” Eliza attempted a smile, but it wasn’t becoming of her.

“No, don’t touch me,” I snapped at her when she reached for my hand. Her eyes widened in surprise and I took a step back, instantly hitting someone’s hard chest. I turned and saw a furious looking Logan behind me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. “Let’s go,” He whispered into my ear.

“You can’t take my daughter,” Eliza said in a cool voice, as if Logan was going to kidnap her only reason for living. She was the one wanting to sell me.

“So you’re Mia’s mom? Is it too much to ask you to stay away from both of us?” Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.

As Logan pushed through the doors I could see he was literally shaking in anger. I lay my hand on his arm, “Calm down.”  He shook it off and when he spoke I could tell he was trying not to yell.

“Calm down?” He seethed, “She was going to marry you off to some random guy who could be a murder for all we know. Not only that, but she nearly killed you the other night.”

“But, she didn’t. You were there, you saved me. Can we please leave?” Of course I was scared of Eliza, but right now my main focus was on calming Logan down.

“What if I’m not there the next time they come for you? What if you get hurt?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“It didn’t work last time,” He snapped at me. I glanced down and realized he was right. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about what could happen to me or him. What if my parents hurt him when they were trying to get to me?

Logan’s eyes softened as he studied me and suddenly he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me to his chest. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to lose you and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“Let’s go,” Logan suggests, taking my hand in his and pulling me over to his car. After we’re both in he asks, “Do you want to stop for dinner or get take-out?”

“Let’s stop somewhere,” I decide. Logan nods, looking a lot calmer… for now.

When we pulled up in his driveway we were both relaxed, the incident all forgotten. Too bad it couldn’t stay like that.

As soon as I entered my house I could tell something was wrong. It was too quiet. “Aunt Bella!” I called out. Instantly her face appeared from the stairwell, she looked relieved to see me.