Free Yourself

Prologue

2009

As I walked through the front door of my apartment, I almost dreaded leaving Nicole's house. I have spent the night over there, because my dad was having another bipolar fit again. I left Bianca and Demetrius at the house with him. Even though my dad was still living with us we didn't like him that much. "Sophia!" my dad had screamed at me as soon as I opened the door. I quickly put my stuff in my room and went to see him. "Yes dad?" I said angrily hoping it wasn't one of those days again with him. "Where have you been all night because I have been calling you and you didn't answer your phone?" He asked with a smirked on his face. "I-I, was over Nicole's house because you had one of your bipolar mood swings again." I said hoping he would understand for once. "So what I'm hearing is that you would want to be over your friend's house then be here." "I'm sorry." Before I could explain myself any more, I felt what felt like a stone coming at my face at 300 mph. He hit me very hard. I stared at him with my big hazel eyes which started tearing up immediately. He just smirked. "What a wonderful dad I have!" I thought.

Before he could catch me I ran to my room and locked the door. Fifteen years. Fifteen years this has been going on. I couldn't deal with this anymore. I had to do something. So later on that day I had called the police, the children abuse hotline, and much more. The police did what they could and sent me to the local children's hospital which was up the street from my house. Some people formed a group to get my statement of what happen. The doctors gave me ice for my now swollen eye, lip and check. They even gave me medicine to help ease the pain. After I was done I went back home with my mom, brother, and sister. They took my dad to some anger management class. After going to the classes they sent him back home. The following day he was back to doing what he knew best. That would be getting angry and more even more violent than ever. He has even threatened to kill me, Bianca, Demetrius, and mom because we are not giving him what he wants. But no matter what we did he would take his anger out on us. We even called his mom and she said she will believe her son over us any day.

I even remember my dad just had one of his bipolar moments. It all started when my sister refused to wash the dishes. My mom and me was in the back in my room talking about school when we heard a loud bone crushing sound against the wall up front by the bathroom. My mom and I rush up front to see my dad with his hands around my sister's neck and aggressively banging her against the wall. My mom tried to talk to him but he went off on her. I just stood there in shock that he did that because he could have killed her. The look on his face and in his eyes said it all. When he did that proved he wouldn't care not one bit in the world what happen to her. My mom had called his mom and told her all about it. His mother seems not to care because she wasn't on the phone that long. Every time something like this happen she would believe every single last lie he feeds her. I say this because later on that night he told her nothing happen and everything was misunderstood and the sounds was coming from downstairs. Plus he even told her that he never put his hands on us, we make him sick to his gut, he should leave and marry someone else, and much more. Since that night he banged my sister against the wall like a bag of garbage she has been having the worse headaches and a sore neck and back. Sometime I go to sleep fearing that he might kill me when I'm sleeping. I know he wants to because I sometimes hear him talking about it. To my dad he thinks he is the best and totally perfect dad. But in real life he only cares about himself and his parents. Yet, I hate it when he takes his anger out on us because it makes me think that he is trying to kill us to make himself feel better. One day when I was doing my homework he came in storming in my room saying how can I lie like that. I asked him what he was talking about. He told me not to play dumb and lie likes that. After a few minutes he left and came back saying I told his mother not to call him ever again. I told him I didn't say it then he got all mad and violent. He started to hit me in my face, chest, legs, and arms. My mom and granny came in and stopped.

By the next morning I was sore and swollen. Sadly, it was a day that I had to go to school also. I tried my best to cover up most of my injuries. Thankfully, I did a good job because nobody said a word or even notice. Throughout the day it was hard for me to move and stay focus because I was in so much pain from the day before. I just wanted to give up because it seem like I was getting nowhere with this problem. When I got home that day a person was waiting to talk to me, Bianca, and Demetrius. We lied to them because we didn't want to get into big trouble for telling the truth. My body finally healed a few days later. That's when my dad tried to say sorry for what he did. I knew he didn't mean it because he never does. Sometimes I sit back and think why did I get cursed with a dad who takes his anger out on his children. I thought he was supposed to show unconditional love to his children. But, I was totally wrong about it all.

As time went on my dad keeps getting more and more violent and angry. He becomes so violent and angry that he could play in the game called Angry Birds. But, the last time he got mad at me is when he told me I need to lose weight because I was too fat and to ugly to get things done. I looked at him and told him he cannot talk because he is over three hundred pounds while he is talking. That's when he tried to stab me in the shoulder with a long knife. I dodge to the left and threw a pot at his arm. He dropped the knife and I ran for my life. He caught me by the arm and then he tried to break it but he couldn't. My mom came into the living room and got him off me. She told him a piece of her mind. I could tell she was mad because she was so sick and tired of him hitting on us like a punching bag in the gym. I had to agree with her on that part. I was told to go to my room and that's what I did. Bianca and Demetrius asked what happen and I told them. My dad called all three of us into his room. Then he went on and on trying to prove his point. I didn't care anymore because I was sick of all of it. I'm so tired of him saying something and not meaning what he say at all. I just sit back and look at how stupid he sounds lying to me and them.