Gang Ties

Firecracker

"She has a short fuse."

"She doesn't understand."

"She won't change."

"She-"

Before Adam could spit another word out of his deceitful mouth I swiftly snatched my midnight black Louboutin heeled boot off of my right foot, chucking it straight at Adam's face, striking him dead in the proximity of his left eye. Bullseye.

"Fuckin' hell, Claire!" he cried out as our therapist, Sobrina Michaels, shrieked to herself in pure agony, her eyes widening to the size of plums as they darted between a weeping Adam and I.

I took a deep breath, staring at Adam, shedding not an ounce of remorse. The only reason I even considered staying with Adam, the only reason I considered building a life with him was daddy. He always wanted all of his girls to have secure, rich, plain husbands, husbands who would make sure their wives were "taken care of", I was willing to sacrifice my ultimate happiness to see that I had that, for him. Always a daddy's girl, wanting to please him to his last dying breath- hell, wanting to please him in the afterlife.

"Fuck this, Adam. All of this is bullshit, we are bullshit- YOU are bullshit!" I shouted at him, Sobrina flinching with each punctuated word I growled at him. With all the oomph I had left in this dead end relationship I slid my other heel off and shot it right at his abdomen.

Sobrina sat, frozen, her glasses were slowly tilting off of the rim of her nose and Adam sank to the ground, holding his eye and torso sobbing out to the heavens. I took one last, good glance at the mediocre situation in front of me and rolled my eyes.

"My shit will be out of the apartment by Monday." I shrugged, walking out of the lavender themed therapy room, I'd thankfully never see it again, shoeless, with a weight off of my shoulders.

I walked down the dark, rowdy streets of Chicago, with no real direction. With every step my thoughts pounded louder and louder. Do I regret anything? No. I felt suffocated, I felt forced to play this pretty, perfect, impotent housewife, tuh- I couldn't be that if I tried my hardest!

I don't know why my father couldn't fathom the thought of me being okay alone.  I have enough saved from my old boutique job to support myself.  Adam was the last thing I needed.

Hell, I barely claimed him. 

I tiptoed down the old sidewalk, shoeless with nothing to support my bare feet but my knee high fishnets, wincing with every pebble I stepped on, maybe I should've kept one shoe.

I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and thought about it.

No, I shouldn't have, it was worth it.  I should've shoved them up Adam's ass while I was at it.

I reached the back alley of a Turbo Tony's in an attempt of reaching the shortcut to Emmy's, my oldest sister. Reaching a halt due to my aching feet I heard commotion coming from around the corner of the rundown shop. The light of the beaming moon could only illuminate so much, I slowly walked over the cracks with withered daisies sprouting out of them, empty beer bottles and cans scattered all over, and I peaked my head around the corner, the sight left me bemused.

A brutally beaten man kneeled among a large group. Two larger men dressed head to toe in all black held him up as he dozed in and out of consciousness, while a shorter woman and another man kept guard in the other direction. Overlooking it all stood a tall, slim, yet fairly muscular suited figure, dressed in a more formal all black, gently dabbing his knuckles with a wet, white, blood stained washcloth.