Strong [ Ethan Dolan ]

Prologue

[Caleigh]

"Fuck, Ethan, I'm going to drop kick her."

Ethan was sitting on a stool at the end of the counter, hands folded neatly in his lap. He bit his lip softly and looked at me through sad eyelashes. His lip was split and swollen, there was also a growing bruise under his left eye. My blood was boiling.

"Cal, it's fine."

If life were a cartoon and I was animated, there would be steam whooshing out of my ears, "Ethan, what do you mean 'it's fine'? It's not fine, not at all." I yanked the freezer door open with all my might, eliciting a flinch from Ethan. My angry face softened and I sighed softly, "Ethan, I just can't stand seeing you like this. You deserve the world, why are you with that abusive bitch?"

"She's not abusive."

"She punched you in the face; twice. Your lip is bleeding and you're going to have a black eye." I put my hand on his cheek gently. "This isn't even the first time she's done this to you."

He shrugged and looked down at his sneakers, "I'm a guy, it happens."

It was as if my heart shattered into a million pieces onto the tile floor. I stood in front of him, placing my body between his thighs and both my hands on his cheeks,

"Ethan," I paused, trying to choose my words eloquently. "this is unacceptable. You don't have to be strong all the time; you don't have to act tough. Elena is an abusive bitch. Being a man doesn't make that any less wrong. It is not okay that she hits you, or yells at you, or makes you feel worthless. It will never be okay for her to treat you like that. I don't care how rich, dainty, or pretty she pretends to be. Just because she hits you, doesn't make it okay."

Ethan clenched his jaw, "I'm not a bitch, Caleigh. I've got it handled."

I sighed and placed a small kiss on his forehead, "You're human, Eth, nothing wrong about that."

He let out a pitiful whimper and leaned his head on my shoulder, "I love her."

I raked my fingers through his disheveled hair and sighed, "I'm still going to drop kick her."