Knight

19

Mason Maloney

"I want you to tell me who did this to you, dammit!" my father exclaimed, smacking a fist down on the kitchen table, making the plant in the center shake.

My mother stood to his left, animated tears brimming her eyes as her lip quivered. I had managed to hide my injuries from my parents for the last few days, staying up in my room when I knew they were around. Eventually, my father caught me this morning before school and flipped out. Luckily for him, I didn't have work today so he was able to grill me about it after school, my mother and him taking the afternoon off.

"I don't know who it was!" I yelled back, my ribs aching suddenly from the force. "I didn't recognize them!"

"Do not raise your voice at me Mason," my father said with a shaking finger pointing at me.

I sat back in my chair with my arms crossed and let out a deep sigh. I just wanted all of this to go away, to not have to think about it anymore, though I was reminded every time I dared to make a move.

"Honey," my mother started, sliding into a chair to sit across from me at the table. "We just want to help you."

Her voice wavered slightly as if she was barely holding onto her composure, but she looked at me with a smile as she reached out to rub my arm comfortingly.

"Where the hell was Nathan?" Dad asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "Why were you walking home alone?"

"I told you I was supposed to go for a run with Ross," I reminded him with a bit of bitterness in my tone.

"Then why didn't you call for a ride?" he asked me impatiently.

"Why are you blaming me?" I raised my voice, uncrossing my arms and putting my hands down on the table.

"Mason," Dad warned.

I stood up, pushing the chair out clumsily. "Stop acting like this is my fault. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm done."

I walked away from the table, hoping to get upstairs to my room before my father tried lecturing me again.

"Mason!" he tried to stop me.

I heard my mother whisper something to him and when I turned around, the two of them were staring at me. My mother smiled at me and motioned for me to continue going up the stairs, so I stomped up to my room and locked myself in.

As if on cue, my phone buzzed with a text from Bella.

How did talking with your parents go??

I sighed before replying, sitting down on my bed.

Not good. Want to get out of here.

Her reply was instant.

Smoothies?

Bella was quick getting to my house to pick me up. I briefly told my mother where I was going before I left the house in a hurry. I threw myself into her passenger's seat and she quickly took off.

"That bad, huh?" Bella asked with humor in her tone.

"It was like an interrogation," I said, shaking my head in annoyance.

"They just want to protect you, Mase," she replied, looking at me briefly before turning back to the road.

"And I just want to go on with my life," I muttered, looking out the window at the changing trees as we drove by.

The leaves were changing more rapidly now to their oranges and reds. The trees still held onto most of them like ornaments for now, but it was only a matter of time before they set them free and leaves would decorate the ground handsomely.