Page 159 of Steeling Her
I don’t have anything.
Not even him.
I reef my door open and slam it shut behind me, quickly pushing my keys into the ignition and starting the car. I need to leave here. I need to get away from all of this. I need a drive.
***
Nick
The closer I get to home as I drive, the angrier I become. I’m speeding, and I don’t care if I get a ticket. My rage is fuelling this car. As I wind down the streets, getting closer and closer to the house, I can feel my gut tighten. Finally, the last street I enter is my own, and I can see my mom reaching for the groceries in the trunk of her car. She doesn’t notice my car until I stop and jump out of it. I slam the door behind me as I focus on finding my dad.
“Nick? What are you doing here, honey? I thought—NICK!” she calls for me again, but I ignore her and make my way towards the door of the house. I can hear her heels hit the floor as she tries to catch up with me. She yanks my arms back, forcing me to meet her impatient stare. “I’m speaking to you!” she admonishes me. I yank my hand out of her hold when I hear my dad laugh with Ellie in the kitchen. I make my way towards him and push the door open with a loud bang.
“Nick!” My sister smiles at me and my dad’s head snaps around, a puzzled look stitched on his face.
“Don’t you have a game today?” He checks his watch. I didn’t even realize I swung my fist at my own dad, punching him right in the jaw and sending him back against the countertop. Everyone is in shock, but all I could hear is my little sister’s ear-piercing scream followed by my mom’s.
“NICHOLAS!” My mom pushes past me to grab a crying Ellie and holds her up in her arms. She bends down to my dad, who is gaping wide eyed at me, examining to see if he’s alright. I got a clean hit of his cheek like I wanted. I’ve never hit my father in all my years, but I needed to get my message across.
“What the hell is going on?” my mom shouts, switching her gaze back and forth between us.
“I was finally happy, you know that? I was finally happy to have her in my life. And you—YOU! YOU HAD TO RUIN IT! You took that away from me, like always! You sucked the life out of me! You son of a bitch! You did this, you fucking did this to me!” I shout, pointing down at my sad excuse of a dad.
“Don’t you dare use that language in my house, Nicholas! Don’t you dare!” My mom rises back up to her full height with Ellie hiding behind her as she puts her down on the floor. My mom always warns me about my choice of words. “And will someone mind telling me what is going on?” she asks again.
“It’s for the best, son. You can focus on your career now.” My dad stands back up after falling against the counter and sliding down to the floor. He rubs the side of his face, like that’s going to help him. He checks for any blood that has seeped.
“For the best! FOR THE BEST! Are you listening to yourself? My game is going to be worse because of this, you stupid fucking idiot!” I bellow back at him, ignoring my mom’s previous warning.
“Nick, if you swear in my house once more, I will bring you outside. You’re not too old for a smack from me! I’m warning you!” she promises, but I’m way past caring about getting a smack from her right now.
“I asked Carter to be my girlfriend . . .” Her eyes soften when I finally talk to her.
“Are you serious!” She bounces up and down, clapping like a seal. I’m about to ruin her quick change in mood, just like how my dad did with mine yesterday. “That’s amazing, sweetheart! Oh, I’m so happy! Your first girlfriend, and it’s someone I actually like!” Her eyes are getting wider and wider with the realization of this, but I’m about to spoil it for her.
“Yeah . . . then dad said I needed to end it with her because I was distracted.” I flick my eyes to him and meet his apprehensive stare. He’s anticipating his wife’s blow up.
“Your coach agrees,” he points out.
“Coach doesn’t coach me! You don’t get it! He doesn’t know my game. Bulldog is my coach! Did you even talk to him?” I shout back at him.
“Hold on! Hold on!” My mom waves around like a lunatic, trying to get my attention back. “What do you mean ‘end it’?” my mom asks me. “George, what does he mean by end it with her?” She turns around to face my dad. Her own face matches the color of mine; red and fiery. My dad shrugs and hesitates. “GEORGE!” she screams at him for an answer.
“I told him to cut it off with her. I need him fully focused. He was losing his touch, Lynn. She’s deadweight, he needs to let her go. I need him drafted by the end of this season, and she’s going to stop that for him,” my dad explains to her, and she can’t believe that this is coming out of his mouth. It’s almost comical.
“What gives you the right to do that to him? To her? George, I cannot believe you did this!” My mom is appalled by what has transpired between us, how he’s kept his little plan to himself.
“It’s for the best, honey. He’ll have his chance, just you wait,” he promises with a wink.
“The best! Why do you keep saying that? You don’t know what’s best for me! How do you know what’s best for me?” I spit out at him, shaking my head. I can feel the energy rising in my stomach. I need to calm down before I throw another punch, landing him on the floor out cold.
“Because I’m your father!” he roars at me as he points to himself.
“And I’m his mother. You had no right, George! No right!” I stand back and let my mom stick up for me. This woman is not a woman you want to mess with or get on the wrong side of. My dad knows this.
“He will have plenty more opportunities—”
“Opportunities? Can you even hear yourself? I don’t want anyone else, Dad! I want her!” I yell at him as I bypass my mom. I step right into my dad’s personal space and stand taller to hint that I’m not someone he wants to piss off right now.
