Operation Hookup✔️

No one touches my cupcake

Emma's POV

I looked to see Brett whack Rob in the back of the head with a baseball bat, knocking him out and loosening his grip around my neck. I coughed as I rubbed my neck. Brett pushed him away from me and checked me out before helping me up.

"Cupcake?"

I threw my arms around him and cried. He held me as I sobbed in relief. Then he smelt it. The gasoline. He looked to see the gas can and that's when he realized what was going on.

I could feel him tense and looked at him, "don't."

He looked at me with furrowed brows, "he was going to burn you alive. What sick bastard does that?"

"Someone with a lot of problems," I answered.

"Emma, they went too far."

"Gavin tried to stop him," I explained.

"Don't defend him."

"I'm not."

"Emma, just him bringing you here is just as bad, and I know for a fact Rob killed my dad," he said stunning me.

We didn't say anything as the police arrived along with the paramedics. They arrested Rob and Gavin for attempted murder. They took me to the ambulance to check out my neck.

When they brought Rob and Gavin out, Rob's wife arrived. Brett looked at them and went after Rob attacking him, "you sick sonofabitch! First my dad now you tried to kill Emma!"

The police separated them, "I don't know what you're talking about. I never touched your dad!"

"Bullshit! You hit him then ran!"

"I wasn't even there! I was home with Gavin!"

They argued.

That's when someone confessed, and it wasn't Rob.

"It was me," Gavin's mom said. We all stopped. I pushed the paramedics away and walked over to them.

Gavin looked at his mom, "mom? What did you do?"

"I lied that night. I said I was going to the store to get away from your father but went to the bar. I was tired of him berating me for not being perfect. I drank then drove. Everything happened so fast. When I saw what I did, I ran," she explained.

We stood there, shocked.

"I didn't know he had died until I heard the news. After that, I didn't touch another drop," she reasoned.

"But you didn't accept responsibility for it," I said to her. "You took another life and didn't own up to it. That's just as bad."

"I never meant to," she whispered.

"No one ever means to do something but they still do. You had the choice and you chose wrong," I said matter of fact. No matter what happens in your life, when you take another life based on your choices, it's just as bad if not worse.

Brett looked at her, "thanks to you, I grew up without a father. All I have is videos. I never got to remember his voice. I got to listen to my mom cry herself to sleep at night, while I was growing up. I thought my dad didn't love me. Do you think that's fair?"

No words were spoken truer than at that moment. She didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as tears fell.

"You're sorry?!" He roared at her. "At least with that piece of shit I know what I'm dealing with," he pointed at Rob, "but, you? You're even worse."

My heart ached for Brett. He got robbed out of both parents; One from someone's carelessness and the other from life. At this point, I knew life was genuinely unfair.

No matter what we do, we always have choices. What we do with those choices shaped our path It was an expensive lesson to learn.

I slid my hand into Brett's and looked at him. He looked down at me, "let's go home."

He didn't say anything except turning and walking back to everyone while holding on tight to my hand.

Tonight everything became perfectly clear. Isabelle showed up when I almost gave up knowing Brett would take care of me. My parents were right about what she meant. It's kind of weird that way.

I also learned that no matter how bad I felt, almost having someone take my life, showed me how important it was that I wanted to live. I have too much to live for now. I didn't want to waist it anymore.

As soon as we got to the car, everyone hugged me and checked to see if I was okay. I had never felt this good about anything than I did at that moment. To know people actually cared was amazing. For once Gavin didn't have his hold on me anymore.

"Emma your neck," Louise gasped, noticing the visible handprints.

I reached up and touched them, "it's fine. It made me realize how much I want to live and how much I have to live for." I removed my bracelets and held up my wrists to them. They were shocked.

"This is my past." I pointed to my neck, "this is my present." I looked at Brett, "but twatwaffle is my future."

They all looked at me.

"I can't change the past but I don't have to let it define me anymore. I found people that love and care about me even when I didn't love and care about myself." It was an awe moment.

"That's great and all cupcake but we need to take you home because you reek," Brett said, making a face and waving his hand in front of his nose. Leave it to twatwaffle to ruin the moment. Figures.

When we got home, I went up to the bathroom to shower. Brett explained what happened to my parents who decided it was time to take matters into their own hands legally. Yep, Gavin and his whole family was going down for what they did. Maybe now, Brett and I will finally find some peace.

As I showered, mom came in and grabbed my clothes, tossing them into the washer. I stood under that shower for a long time, loving the fact that I was here to take one.

It's funny; I took so many things for granted at one point, and now I never wanted to take them for granted ever again. Gavin did me a favor. He might have made my life a living hell, but he made me stronger for it.

Never again will I ever let someone have that much power over me. No more. I was done. Now I start living.