The Greatest Assist (Patrick Kane)

38| No Going Back

Patrick

I'm not good at reading people. I assume that all people are like me and feel shitty on the inside, some are just better at hiding it than others. When it comes to Chelsea she's a pro at hiding her feelings. I guess she's had to do it for so long she had no choice but to be good at it.

But I can tell something happened, something has changed but she won't say what it is. This whole day she's been so... quite. That's never normal. She asked to come over early this morning and that was the first sign something was off. She hated being in there because there was no personality to my place. Said it felt like a show home for people who live in Chicago but don't really live in Chicago. Then she made us breakfast which means something is bothering her because she cooks when she wants something out of her mind. And she has been so spaced out it's like she's trying to be anywhere but in this moment.

"What's going on" I finally ask as she lets out the longest sigh. She looks up at me with sad eyes and it breaks my heart.

"Nothing" she tries but I shake my head.

"Nothing is ever nothing. You taught me that" I remind her.

She just smiles at me as I smile back at her. "My parents came to my apartment yesterday and they told me I had to come back home with them. They didn't want me with you and they didn't want me here" she explains.

I feel my heart drop as I look at her. "Are you leaving" I ask.

She lets out a sigh before shaking her head again. "No. But they're not leaving until I come with them and I don't know what to tell them so they get it. I want to stay here where I feel like my presence makes a difference, and a real difference where I make people happy, not miserable" she says.

"Are they still around here" I wonder.

"Pretty sure they're at my place right now knocking on my door trying to get me to leave with them" she claims.

"Then let's go" I say as I get up from my spot. She looks at me like I'm crazy and she was probably right. But she is the strongest person I know and seeing her like this hurt me deep.

"I don't want to face them today" she tries.

"If not today then when? They took 22 years from your life and they don't deserve one more second. I'm going because I care about you and I don't want you to have to hide because of your parents. If they can't see what a amazing woman you have become then they don't need to be here" I insist.

"They don't listen" she argues. 

"Neither do I" I say as I head to the door. I open it up before turning to her. "You coming or not" I ask.

"Coming" she sighs as she gets up off my couch.

We drive over to her place and low and behold her parents were knocking on her door trying to talk to her. The whole hallway falls silent once they realized that she was with me and not with them.

"For the love of god Chelsea stop playing these games" her mom whisper yells. She was one scary ass woman.

"What game mom" Chelsea asks.

"Like you being here running away from us trying to help you is what you need. We have a nice house you can move into and a job and a nice boy all lined up" she explains.

I feel the steam come out of my ears when I hear her try to set her own daughter up with someone. She already has enough problems connecting with people as is, the fact that they think they can force her into connecting with someone makes it obvious just how little they know about their daughter.