for us. I'm thinking about my brother. I'm relishing in the fact that I finally won over him.
Sibling rivalry is a mean fucking thing. It rots the brain. And I let it. But it doesn't matter now because I got what I fucking wanted. June's on my fucking arm these days, not Kade's.
And soon enough, she will trust me even more... and I'll be able to hurt her so much harder.
2.5 years ago
"I'm glad to see you're finally improving." My father smiles, patting me on the back. I stare at him, not saying a word. It's been a long time since I've stopped fighting this. A long fucking time since I stopped believing he'd end this someday. It's been years, and there's no end in sight. Dad is determined to punish me for something I haven't done yet.
I'll forever regret the day he walked into June's bedroom and caught me with her panties. I should've been more careful, but I learned my fucking lesson. I'll never let anyone else see the darkness that's running through my veins. My father taught me a valuable thing, and I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life.
"Still," Dad goes on. "I think we could beat some more sense into you. Don't you?"
I glare at him as he picks up his old, trusty belt. He's been hitting me with that thing for fucking years. The leather's wearing off, cracking in some places. I'll forever associate the sight of the belt with my father. Hurting me. Showing me who's fucking boss. But not today. Today's going to be fucking different.
Even though Dad's bigger than me, I'm taller and stronger. I make up for the lack of weight in slyness and knowing I'm going to win this time. He won't even see me coming. Dad is so fucking convinced I'll never fight back. But I'll be damned if I'll let my old man beat me at twenty-two fucking years old. And as I sit on that chair in the attic, where the beatings have been taking place lately, I bide my time. I wait until his watchful eyes aren’t turned to me.
I've undone the rope behind my back in secret and gotten my hands free. The moment he looks away, I stand. This time, I'm the one who grabs the belt, and my father shrinks away from me in fear before snarling in my face, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Standing up to you," I hiss. "You're never going to hit me again."
"Give me that belt, kid," he mutters, trying to snatch the thing from my hands. But he's getting fucking old, losing his touch, and I'll be damned if I let him win this time around. "Did you fucking hear me, Parker? Give. Me. That. Belt."
"No," I snarl in response, cracking the belt in my hands. "Now you're going to listen to me for a change."
He laughs, making another move to snatch it away from me, but I'm too fast. I've got him backed up against a wall in seconds, breathing heavily.
"Parker, let's talk reasonably," he begins, sounding out of breath. "Let's sit down and talk."
"Are you afraid?" I laugh out loud. "Afraid of the monster you created?"
"I tried to help you," he grunts. "I tried to make it better. I tried to make you a better man... But you were always just a monster."
"Being a monster isn't so bad. You should know, Dad." My voice is dripping with vicious venom, and I'm not even attempting to cover it up. "Besides, you only made things fucking worse, and now it's time to pay. Pay for all the shit you've done through the years. Pay for every bruise and every hit, every punch, every slap you gave me."
For the next hour, I turn the tables on Dad. I torture him this time. I've always been fascinated by pain, but I've never let myself truly explore it, not like I do that day. And at the end of the session, I'm the one who's forcing him to put long sleeves on to cover the bruises.
There's something about seeing him like that—meek, heartbroken—that makes adrenaline rush through my veins. I fucking love the feeling, I could live on it. It's addictive, making me wonder whether Dad really hit me for my own benefit, or if he has the same darkness running through his veins as I do. After all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... whether it's good or bad.