Little Game

Chapter 20

Her family wasn't even scared of anything.

But, why was she different?

Why can't she be like her family? Why can't she be like them? They're brave and smart and Isabella wasn't any of those today. She was dumb. She didn't do anything but get scared today.

It hurts so much when you compare yourself to a person who you'll never become.

Isabella knew that.

She even talked back to the principal, she fought a boy and she didn't listen to her family when they told her to behave while she's at school.

"Bella should'a never been b-born!" She shouted, glaring at Anthony. Her anger had finally bursted, like a balloon that took too much air. "Bella should'a never been born 'c-cause Bella is only a bad person and she causes her fam'ly to worry!"

Anthony's eyes widened in shock when she uttered those words but then his shock quickly turned into anger and he grabbed both of her hands tightly, causing Isabella to flinch.

Anthony would know that she's scared. Her Tony would think that she's weak.

"Don't say that. I don't want you saying any of that, do you hear me?" He growled, his voice was a clear as day that Isabella cried harder.

"B-But, 's true." Isabella whispered, trying to snatch her hand away from his, but he didn't let go. His grip was too tight. "S' true, Tony."

Her mother doesn't even want her.

"How do you know that?" Anthony demanded, his eyes were now filled with uncontrollable rage.

And, now, maybe her family doesn't want her too.

She shook her head, not wanting to answer her brother. She ignored his piercing gaze that could penetrate her gentle heart. She looked at their hands instead. Her brother's hands were always much bigger than hers and they were always gentle when he hold hers. But, now, it feels heavy. The way he held her hand was tight, as if he didn't want to let her go, as if she was going to disappear if she were to let go.

"I don't want you saying any of that, Isabella, do you hear me? I don't care what you think because you're wrong. What you're thinking is wrong. You didn't do anything wrong! This was unavoidable, okay?"

Anthony wasn't supposed to comfort her.

Isabella shook her head, not wanting to believe him. Romeo probably got punished because of her, too.

"Look at me."

Isabella stubbornly shook her head. The little girl was too scared to face Anthony and his obvious wrath.

"Isabella." He warned, his voice low and wrong. His tone of voice was all wrong. "Sofia, I said look at me. Don't make me repeat that."

Isabella flinched at his warning. She doesn't want to face him but she also don't want to anger her brother any more than she already did.

Slowly, her eyes met his and she was surprised when she saw how broken he looked. His expression were as if he bottled up all of his frustration and pain and now it just flowed out like water. His eyes were filled up with tears as he looked down at her as if he was afraid that she'll die in front of him.

"You don't know," he started slow, as if he was losing air, "you don't know how much you mean to us, do you?"

Anthony wasn't supposed to see how much she's in pain.

"T-Tony?" Isabella was now starting to feel guilty.

"You don't know how much we love you, okay? Y-You don't know how much you mean to us. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't do anything bad, okay? If you think that you made a mistake then remember it. Learn from it. Keep that in your mind so that you won't make the same mistake again. Everyone makes mistakes, does that mean that they all deserve to be called a disappointment?"