Free Minds Chained Hearts | ✔

Part 3 | Chapter 9

My dad motioned as though he was gonna say something but I didn't mother listening. I jumped through the steps not even afraid of tripping or slipping. I was more worried that the body I'm looking at at the end of the stairs is a corpse.

"M—Matteo, get up, get up, come on!" I grunted through gritted teeth while taking his arm and draping it over my shoulders, helping him up.

"Evangeline Jane Collins, get away from him." My mother's shrill voice echoed down the stairwell but I didn't listen. I was defying so many things all at once now but it's not like I haven't already done that.

"I'll get you to your car and don't come back do you hear me?" I whisper to Matteo through tears and the rain as we walked past the doors.

He was grabbing on his stomach to where I presume he must've gotten hit from the stairs.

The light breeze along with the pouring rain didn't help us anyway when we became drench and I could barely see anything. I sobbed feeling hopeless and I look at Matteo who was trying not to look so bad himself.

"Oh my god, Matteo!" I heard Cade's familiar voice echo through the lot. I find him running to us but behind him was my dad walking daringly. He had his strong fists on the ready.

"Matteo, just go!" I tried shaking him as I watched Cade get pushed to the ground by my father. This man who I thought was better than my mom became the monster I never thought he could be.

I watched him change before my eyes and all I could think of was how betrayed I felt. Sure he had never done anything to stop my mother from beating me but that didn't mean he didn't care.

He aided the bruises, cleaned my wounds. Terrified of my mother he never wanted to go against her and I never blamed him for that. But now, he's hurting the one thing he probably knows made me happy and I don't know what hurts more.

"No, Evie, I'm not leaving,"

"He'll kill you—"

As the words left my mouth I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs as I was pulled apart from Matteo. I fell to the ground and saw Cade running towards me. I cried and tried to tell my dad's name but nothing came out when I watched him shove Matteo to the ground with one push.

Then he got on top of him and threw punches. One and then again, and then again; again. Matteo didn't move of budge and my mother stopped me nor Cade from moving. He was helpless out there and it was all because of me. I wanted to look away the moment I saw more wounds appear but I just couldn't. Slowly the face I've come to learn became nothing but an anatomical produce of my dad's rage. It was then that I heard my dad's voice scream.

"How dare you take advantage of my daughter? You knew she was weak, didn't you? That she was gullible. You just wanted what you people want these days!" His voice cracked and Cade and I stood. We looked at each other guiltily. I thought of how stupid it was that neither one of us found the courage to help. Perhaps we were frozen in place at the kind of violence we had just witnessed.

"I was never taking advantage of her, I love her."

"Love? What the hell do you know about love?" My dad spat and I cringed feeling my courage rising now and then to just pry him off of Matteo. My mother stood watching, smirking now and then and it was that moment I thought just how heartless she has been. I was disgusted by her and thanked the heavens I didn't end up like her.

"More than you I bet," Matteo laughed as manic as he is and no surprise there, dad didn't take that lightly. Throwing another punch at his already shrewd face. Then I knew I had enough. But Cade bested me as he pushed my mother aside, knocking her back slightly. He runs towards my father and ripped him away from Matteo. He pushed my father far away from them and it was then that he fell.

I watched as they all got up. Matteo in Cade's arms and my dad glaring down at both of them. Until he turned and pointed at me.

"So we gave you life. A home, a good school, a roof over your head in this is what you do when we're not around? You go and find a guy you think will give you what you need and take them the first shot you had. Hm? Is that it? Were we not good enough!"

"No, no you were not!" I yelled back to my surprise. Everyone shot a look at me as well and for a moment I realized what I had done but I was too caught up to apologize.

"I've spent my whole life trying to be perfect. To be the one person you wanted me to be because I loved you. I cared what you thought of me as every other child would. Then slowly I started to see just how cruel and messed up that is. You were living my life for me. It didn't matter to you thag I was happy! All that...that ever mattered is your stupid reputations and high rising ego. And my god how fucking stupid was it for you to call...to call Matteo out for love when you know nothing about it. Because truthfully, if both of you know exactly what love is then I wouldn't be hating you with all of my heart. I would never have looked for love in somebody else!"

My curses, my choking voice, and my itching throat were what was left after that. Having set over the edge I was finally able to speak out the words I've always wanted to say. The look on their faces I could read but those on Cade and Matteo I could see clearly. They were surprised yes but I saw the proudness glimmering in their eyes. The kind I never saw in my parents. The kind of proudness fueled by love.

"So this is what you've been learning, cursing, talking back—"

"Defending myself? Yes, that's what he taught me," I point to Matteo. I caught my mother off who took a step back, taking offense in my words. "He taught me that I deserve so much better than the chains you people have put on me."

"If that's really the case then why don't you be with him!" My dad shouted and I flinched. My mouth falls open as I try to think of the next words to follow but nothing came but when I saw Matteo's feet give up on him, my instinct was to run and come help him.

"Touch him and you will never have another mother or father in your life," my mom threatened and I stop in my tracks.

As if it were some type of important bargain she spits it out. After all of the things I have just said about them, she still dared to assume that I was gonna choose them if given a choice?

I turn back around, facing them. I looked straight into their eyes and watched as they looked at me with expectations. The kind that I've known my whole life.

Maybe before I met Matteo I would've immediately regretted my words and come running back to them. I would've been terrified of losing a sustainable life that I thought only my parents could give me. Then suddenly all those things became something out of the equation. With Matteo, I realized that I could not have them in my life to be the happiest. Then that's when it dawned on me,

I wasn't gonna lose my parents, they were gonna lose their daughter.

"Then I guess this is goodbye, " were the only words that left my tongue before I turned back around with only the littlest of tears. I drop to Matteo and cupped his face into my hands. I examined the bruises that were forming and the blood getting washed away by the rain. Cade dropped to, rubbing my back in comfort.

"You'll regret this Evangeline. The next thing you know you'll be running back to us." My mother's undefeated voice roared and I scoffed to myself, suddenly feeling free.

"We'll see."

I heard silence from their part as I picked up Matteo with the help of Cade and led him to the front steps of the steps where he can sit down with me. Watching as the first rays of sun came while I watched my parents argue on the way to their car.

"We need to get you to—" I started as I looked over the many wounds Matteo had. Though, he grabs my hand and says adoringly,

"Thank you, for choosing me," a smile appeared upon his broken face and I chuckled.

"No babe, I chose me."