Chapter 28
Grayson
I was a bit nervous when I walked into my house. What if my mom didn't believe me. What if Dad or Graeme interrupted and lied about what happened?
"Grayson," Dad snapped when I walked inside. "I told you to babysit and you never came back home list night. I had to get your cousin to find you because you refuse to listen to anyone else."
"Gee, I wonder why," I said sarcastically.
"I really hate your attitude," Dad said.
"And I really hate you," I shot back. Yeah, I know, it was a bit harsh but it was the truth.
"Grayson!" Mom exclaimed. "That was not appropriate!"
"Did anyone ever told you what happened the day you left?" I asked.
The confused look in Mom's eyes told me that she didn't know. Of course not. Dad lied to the authorities. Nobody would have told Mom.
"It happened five years ago," Dad said. "You need to forgive and forget."
"Excuse me?" I asked. "Forgive and forget? How the hell can I forget what happened?! How can I forgive you?!"
"Grayson," Mom said calmly. "Please lower your voice. Why don't you tell me what happened?"
"It doesn't matter," Dad said. "It was in the past."
I just stared at him. He didn't want Mom to know what happened. Well, guess what? She was going to know.
"I was thirteen," I told Mom. "I was in the hospital for weeks the day you left. I almost died."
"Grayson, now is not the time to discuss that," Dad snapped.
I turned to face Dad, feeling completely annoyed. "Then when is? You lied to the authorities about what happened to me! I almost died!"
"What happened?" Mom asked, sounding very concerned.
"I was almost beaten to death," I told her. "But my very own father and brother!"
"It was five years ago!" Dad objected.
"Grayson, go pack your things," Mom said.
"Huh?" I asked just as Dad said, "Excuse me?"
"I am not letting my son stay with someone who abused him," Mom said. "I was stupid to leave him here because obviously, abusing him wasn't enough! I can't believe you almost beat him to death! He was thirteen!"
Dad crossed his arms. "It was five years ago!"
"That doesn't matter!" Mom yelled. "Nobody deserved to go through that! You're always complaining about Grayson's behavior, but you're the one who caused him to act this way!" Mom then turned to me. "Grayson, go pack all of your things. You're no longer staying here with your dad and brother."
I couldn't believe it. Mom was taking me away from Dad and Graeme. I wanted that to happen for so long and now, it finally was.
"You can't take my son away from me," Dad said through his clenched teeth.
"Your son?" Mom asked.
"Yes, my son," Dad said. "I was the one who raised him for five years while you left!"
"Raised?" Mom asked. "Don't you mean beat him to a point where he almost died?! I don't care what you say, I'm taking him to live with me!"
"I'm going with Mom," I told Dad. "I can't live in a place where my dad disapproves of me or where my brother constantly tries to date every single on of my friends who were girls."
"Yeah, and thanks to you, your brother is heartbroken because you took the girl away from him," Dad said.
"Here we go again!" I said. "Graeme never liked Poppy! He only wanted to date her because she's my friend. He does it all the time!"
Dad shook his head. "You should have seen the way Graeme was feeling when he found out about you and Poppy."
"Are you serious?" I asked. "He doesn't really like her! You know what? I am going to go pack my bags and live with mom. And you can't stop me."
He didn't. Good.
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Yes this chapter is short, but I wanted to show how much Grayson's mom actually cares for him. She never really wanted to leave Grayson.