Chapter 18
I thoughtI’d seen Vivian Friday night, but it was raining outside, and the restaurant was packed. I’d been thinking about her too much, so every time I saw an attractive woman, I assumed it was her.
Wished it were her.
This longing was becoming an annoying distraction. I should concentrate on other things demanding my attention, but she was like a firefly flickering her light while I wandered along my dark path. How could I not follow? She could lead me straight into hell, and I didn’t have the willpower to resist.
Arrow: Hi. How’s your weekend?
She didn’t reply.
I continued working on Level Five, which was a multiverse that allowed the players to hop around various countries to search for villains to destroy. I wanted to create a power that encompassed water and fire elements, but nothing seemed distinctive enough to make my game stand out from my friends’ worlds. My creativity had been sluggish, and I needed to fix that.
My mind had been occupied trying to find the asshole who betrayed me, ensuring my Bambooze Series would be well received and locating elite members of The Trogyn. Aside from that, Holt Enterprises was growing exponentially, and it needed my attention to oversee the expansion. One wrong move could put all my work in jeopardy.
I glanced over at the wine cabinet in my office. Wine from all over the world was on display. Most people would think I loved wine and all forms of alcohol. But they’d be wrong. My relationship with it didn’t start out with affection.
I hated it. My body jerked as it remembered the reason for my hatred and dark memories poured out of me.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Dad slurs from the couch, glaring at me with glassy eyes.
The stench of alcohol reeks in the room, making me want to gag. There’s already an empty bottle of whiskey on the table.
Fear makes me squirm as I slide off my backpack. Every time he drinks, he becomes a monster. He didn’t use to drink like this. Something happened to him one day, and he changed. When Mom was still alive, she tried to help, but she was too sick to do much. I think his drinking made it worse for her.
I hate him for that. I may have a father, but I feel just as lonely and abandoned as if I’m an orphan.
“I was studying at Remi’s house.”
“You’re an hour late.” He sneers and pushes himself up from the couch.
“I told you what time I’d be home this morning?—”
A fist connects to my face, and my head snaps back. The force sends me against the side table, knocking everything down. I fall to the ground as my vision blurs and pain bursts on my cheek.
“Don’t you dare talk back to me!” He kicks me and pulls out his belt. “You live in MY house. You follow my rules. Understand?”
“Stop!” I shout and brace for the attack as he whips the belt, hitting my leg.
At fifteen years old, I’m not strong enough to fight back, but I do it anyway. I kick him and he falls back. I get up, but my leg hurts so bad. My nose bleeds from the punch.
“I’m going to kill you!” He glares at me with eyes I don’t recognize.
“Go ahead—KILL ME!” I charge at him, but he whips the belt at me. I grip it and stare at him. “I’d rather be with Mom than you!”
He curses, and his eyes darken with rage. I’m going to die tonight, but I don’t care. The fear that should be with me is immobilized by the pain coursing through my body. Every part of me burns.
My body jerks every time the belt slams into my shoulder, my arms, my legs, and my back. I’m face down on the floor, curled into a ball, ready to die. Ready to be with my mom.
A knock sounds at the door, and he stops whipping me.
“Who is it?” he growls.
“We’re here to collect.”
“Fuck.” He drags me into my bedroom and shuts the door.
I don’t know who came. All I hear is Dad apologizing. How come he never apologizes for hurting me?
You must survive. Get strong. Live your life.
I hear my mom’s voice and glance around. My head is throbbing. I’m probably imagining all this, but I cling onto her voice because it’s my lifeline.
After that beating, I continued to hang out with my friends as much as I could. I stayed out of my dad’s way. If there were parental forms that needed his signature, I forged them. I’d come home when he was at work. I learned self-defense from YouTube videos and worked out in the basement of Pam’s Diner to build my strength and muscles to fight back. My life had been rife with fear and abuse until I graduated high school and joined the Navy. It was the escape that altered my life for the better.
I shook my head clear of the heavy memory. So strange how the human body could remember the pain as though it lived inside every cell. The misery I’d experienced made my Navy SEAL training seem less difficult. I’d survived a horrible obstacle no child should ever have endured.
Despite what I’d been through, I was curious about alcohol and studied it while I was in the Navy and even after I left it. I had to study the beast that made my father into a monster. And now I owned an empire that sold alcohol.
Alcohol was a weapon that could heal or harm. Alcohol was found in alternative medicine like the concoctions that Forrest had developed. I offered wine as a means to entertain, to help the mind relax. But for those who didn’t have a strong will to know their limits, this could be a detriment.
Sometimes I wondered if I was responsible for all the alcoholics out there. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t, but the thought lingered. I chose this path because I needed to understand the source of my dad’s illness, and I realized, though alcohol contributed, it was not the main reason.
My dad had a choice, and he chose to drink. He chose to overdo it.
I stared at my phone. Vivian hadn’t replied to my message. I pivoted and texted someone who would reply.
Arrow: How’s your weekend, Kaylee?
Kaylee: Good. Gonna hang out with Violet soon.
Violet was also a student at Whiz Kidz.
Arrow: Is Vivian home?
Kaylee: Yes. But she’s not in a good mood.
Arrow: What happened?
Kaylee: Dunno. She came home with takeout last night, looking distraught.
Arrow: Was the takeout from Ormon’s?
Kaylee: How do you know?
Arrow: Wild guess.
Kaylee: Oh. Anyway, Viv said nothing’s wrong when I asked.
Arrow: She’s not replying to my text.
Kaylee: Text her again. I can see her at the kitchen table.
Arrow: Ok.
What happened last night? Did something happen at her office? Had she actually been there and seen me at the party?
Arrow: Any plans for the weekend?
No reply. Vivian was avoiding me. But why?
Kaylee: Her phone just buzzed with your message. She looked at it and went back to her laptop. You’re in trouble. (devil emoji.)
Arrow: (dunno emoji)
Kaylee: Maybe she’s PMSing. Gotta go now!
Arrow: Have fun.
What had I done?