Innocence

Unbelievable Changes

Macy's dad unlocks her door and slams it open. Macy flinches but stands her ground. Her dad tilts his head at them. Then grabs Macy's arm and yanks her out of Jem's and Jade's grasp. He grabbed his pocket knife out of his back pocket. He reopens Macy's last cut and lets go of her. "I told you if you came after her someone would get hurt." Both Macy and Jem fell to the ground holding the same spot. Macy's dad took this in. Then the realization hit. "When Macy gets hurt in any way so do you... hmm."

Macy whimpered as her arm kept bleeding. Jem started moving towards her to help. "Don't do it." Jem looked up at Mace's dad. "But she needs help."
"I said don't."
"How can I not?"
"Because if you do I will hurt her again."

Jem froze at that and looked at Macy. She looked back at him. Her eyes were full of tears.. She looked so vulnerable. "Why do you enjoy hurting people?" Everyone turned towards the one voice who hadn't spoken yet. Jade. "Just why?"
"Because I can," was his short response.
"Even though it makes your daughter cut herself? And hate herself and you? Even though it makes your daughter want to run away from you? You've wasted so much time hurting her that you could have been bonding with her instead. But now that time is nearly all gone considering she doesn't want to be anywhere near you. Just leave us all alone before you dig a deeper hole than you're already in."

Mace's dad had to think about that one. He had absolutely no idea how to respond. Pictures began to flash through his mind. When Macy was seven he had yelled and abused her mom the first time. Two years later her mom hadn't returned home and left Macy with her abusive father at nine. Four years after that Macy is left home nearly every day alone and her father only comes home when he's drunk and hostile. Macy cuts for the first time a year after that at 14. At 15 she's suicidal and at 16 she runs from home with a family who actually cares about her.

After his flashback, Macy's dad just kind of looked blankly from person to person. His eyes landed on Macy last and he was hit with a sharp feeling of loss. All that time he could have helped his daughter with homework, or read a bedtime story to her, or just spent time with her in general. Instead he hurt her. Over and over and over and over again. He made her loving mother leave them. He made her hurt herself.. How will he ever fix this... he fell to his knees and Macy's eyes got wide. "Oh Gods Macy.. how are you ever going to forgive me. I ruined our lives. Your mother.. She loved you so much and I made her leave.. You hate yourself because of me.. Oh my.."

Macy felt like crying. Her heart was beginning to ache for the person her dad was before. The loving man who would walk through the door and kiss her mother and pick her up into his arms and protected her.. And her heart ached with the thought that deep down he might still be there.. Macy looked at her dad and his eyes were so open and sorry that she couldn't stand it.

Macy ran at her father and felt the first real hug from him since her mom left. She started crying with her face in his shoulder and she couldn't stop. Her dad was crying as well and repeating, "I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry my angel.. I love you so much and I'm so sorry.."
"It's alright daddy.. I've just missed you so much.. So so much.. I love you too.."