Inferno

~69~ Huge Fight

Ellie's POV

I'm furious; Taylor was way out of line. I'm starting to work on dinner. I was going to make his favorite disgusting fishy meal, but now I'm angry and he's getting his least favorite dinner...meatloaf.

I'm starting to get it all prepped when he comes back down the stairs. I say nothing as he gets in the fridge and gets a Gatorade, slamming the door.

"You were out of line" he says quietly.

I just ignore him.

He chuckles. "You're never quiet. You always have some witty response. You're just going to give me the silent treatment? Nu-uh. You humiliated my kid in front of 20 people today. I've got a big problem with that" he says, enraged.

"You weren't even there. You have no idea what happened before that. If I remember correctly, you literally attacked someone not too long ago. Quit acting all high and mighty" I say, slamming the ketchup bottle on the counter.

"Don't make too much of that shit. I sure as hell ain't eating it" he snaps.

"And for the record, I have never embarrassed my kids. You did that today. You flipped him out of his desk like a freaking maniac. Do you even realize how stupid that was?" He asks. I can tell he wants to yell. He isn't, though.

"I'm going to reiterate my last statement. "You weren't even there" I snap.

"It doesn't matter. You were too busy showing off for Lance" he says, darkly.

"I cannot believe you just said that to me" I say, my feelings are hurt.

"It's true. I'm so sick of the two of you. But that isn't even what this is about. This is about you, humiliating my kid. I'm not ok with it. You owe him an apology" he snaps.

"Yeah, ain't happening" I say darkly.

He shakes his head and snorts. "Why does that not surprise me? Eleanor Freeman never takes the blame for anything. She just passes it on to someone else. You want someone to be a punching bag, I'm right here. Don't you ever do that to one of my kids again" his voice is shaking. I can't believe he's not yelling.

"Oh come now, surely you can do better than that. Come on Taylor, just yell. You know you want to" I say, taunting him.

He nods. "You're right, I do want to. Unlike you, however, I choose to take the high road" he snaps.

"Make sure you don't hurt your neck looking down at all of us horrible people" I say, putting the ketchup on.

He shakes his head. "Nope. Not people. Just you" he says, taking the ketchup bottle out of my hand and throwing it into the sink, making it splatter everywhere.

I just stare at the mess for a minute.

"I'm beginning to understand why the kids were so unhappy when you told them you were going to work at their school. If I knew you were capable of this, I never would have let you work there" he says, his eyes are blazing.

"So now it's you letting me do things? Honey, you've apparently let too much smoke get to your head all of these years. You don't own me. You don't control me. And you are DONE talking to me this way" I say as I start to go outside.

He grabs my hand roughly and spins me around so I'm facing him. He's never grabbed me like this before.

"Let go of me Taylor" I say calmly...darkly.

"Oh why's that, Ellie? Can you not get out of my grip? What was it that Lance called you? An MMA fighter?" He sneers.

He's still holding my wrist and it's starting to hurt.