Incognito

Ch. 38 "You Know How He Gets With Chocolate"

Chapter 38

Kyle's POV

"Do you have anything you want to get off your chest, Kyle?" Luke asks in a proper voice. "Any thoughts?"

Luke forced my parents and me into this group guidance type of thing. It's taking place in the basement and he awkwardly piled us all onto a couch.

"No," I mumble.

"Shocker," my mom sasses.

"Hey!" Luke defends. "This is a no-judgement zone!"

She holds up her hands in defense. "He never thinks through anything. It's a fact."

"She's right," my dad agrees. "I mean, he became a stripper and expects us to be proud?"

"Strippers are really nice people!" Luke cries dramatically.

I cringe. He's really not helping with his biased opinions.

"He resorts to doing these horrible things when we have offered our help the whole way through," my mom says softly.

"The only reason I became a stripper was to help you guys," I exasperate. "You were the ones that couldn't hold jobs down for more than a damn week-"

"Watch who you're talking to!" my dad yells in a stern voice. "You have no respect."

"Maybe I'd have some respect if you two weren't assholes!"

"Oh damn," Luke whispers under his breath as my parents stare at me in horror.

My mom shakes her head. "Why are you like this?"

"I've been through a lot, mom. I think I just lost the girl of my dreams because of Haley and her idiot choices and-"

"Don't bring your sister into this," my dad demands. "She has done nothing wrong."

"Haley, Haley, Haley," I chirp to annoy them. "She's the whole reason why you two hate me! I did everything I did for all of you and yet you still treat me like I'm a doll!"

"You set his house on fire with Haley in it," my dad whispers, as if saying horrible words. "You could've killed her."

"He killed someone, dad! She knew!"

"You knew!" he shoots back. "Why didn't you say anything, huh?"

"Bradley threatened me!" I cry. "He told me I'd be next if I said shit to anyone. How do you think that made me feel?"

"You can't expect your sister to say anything either if you-"

"She stayed with him! How can you guys possibly think that's okay? He killed someone, someone who's daughter means the world to me."

"Does she know all that you've done?" my mom questions in interest.

"Yeah," I breathe. "Now she knows everything. I've told her more than I've told anyone else because I love her. I love her more than I love you, my own parents."

"That's disgusting," my mom mutters. "How can you love a silly girl more than your own parents?"

"Because she actually cares about me!" I cry. "God, I'd give her my everything if I could."

"Family should come first-"

"Then why did you guys stop trying to contact me? Why have I never received a phone call from either of you? Even after Cassie found out that I'm a horrible person who kept this from her, she answered my phone call. That's a hell of a lot more than what you two did."