Touch Me

Incredible

I flipped the phone open after incessant ringing persisted, audible throughout the house.

"Hello?"

"Hi..It's Kevin... uh.. can you come here, please?"

"Yeah.. I'll be right over. Is everything okay?"

"Just- Please come here." He sniffled

"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you." He hung up abruptly

"Hey, Grandad?" I called out

"Yes?"

"Is it alright if I go out to a.. friend's house? They're really upset." I'm not entirely sure why I said friend. I don't want it to seem like Kevin is the only person I speak to, despite that it's the truth.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Alright. Thank you so so much." I threw on a jacket,

"Sure thing. I hope everything's okay."

"So do I. I'll be back home as soon as I can."

"Okay, goodbye."

"Bye." I replied as I shut the door behind me.

I jogged to his house, my jacket nearly soaked by the time I got there. I knocked on the door. It was opened by Kevin.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I stepped inside.

He didn't respond, only motioning me to follow him, up the stairs, to his bedroom. I obliged, following him to his room.

"..Where's your dad?" I asked after he closed his door.

"He's gone. Finally."

"Good. What made him leave?"

"I did." He sat down on the bed, curling his legs to his chest.

I sat next to him.

"What'do you mean?"

"..I was able to avoid him for a little while, but my parents started fighting. Again."

"And?"

"I-I told you I didn't trust him..." He looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Kevin, What happened?"

"Things got heated.. Quickly.. He pushed my mother. Hard."

"Oh my god.."

"That was it. H-He had to leave.."

"How'd you get him to go..?"

"I'm not proud of it..."

"Sweetheart, what'd you do?" I set my hand on his leg to soothe him.

"When I saw what happened, I-I ran in, and.. you know those news stories that you see where a mother lifts a car to save a kid, because... her need to protect them just.. overpowers their natural capabilities?"

"Yeah.."

"Well, that's a good way to explain what happened."

"What'd you do?"

"When I saw it happen, I ran into the room, and I just.. I grabbed him by his shirt and I slammed him into the wall. Not super hard.. but, it was harder than I thought I could. I-I didn't even mean to do it. It just happened. It was like I wasn't even in control.. he hit his head on the wall. Again, not super hard, but.. fairly hard. I-I yelled at him that he needed to 'get the hell out of this house before I kill him' and.. pushed him to the door. I feel so bad that I did that, I'm not an angry person, I just.. I couldn't let him hurt my mother." He had a look of great shame in his eyes.