The Enemy - Kelsey Clayton Page 0,80
perfect life and flipped it upside down with her selfish choices. The one who promised to always protect my sister and me, and now leaves for month-long vacations with her rich little boyfriend. The one who turned my dad into a drunken alcoholic mess who can't seem to do anything for himself anymore.
My foot pushes the pedal to the floor, and the car speeds up. I'm already going thirty over the speed limit, but a little more won't kill me. My hands go white as I grip the steering wheel with all the strength I have.
"Cade, slow down," Lennon pleads, but I don't pay her any mind. "Cade!"
If I were to look her way, I'd probably see the fear all over her face, but I can't. I can't even bring myself to look at her, because then I might cave. I might lose the motivation to tell my mother everything I've been holding in since she dropped an atomic bomb on our family.
I drift around the corner and pull into the driveway. I'm already out of the car and at the door before Lennon even has her seatbelt unbuckled. She climbs out and runs to catch up with me, but she's not my focus here.
"Mom!" I scream as soon as I get inside. "Mom, where the fuck are you?"
Lennon tries to grab my arm. "What are you doing?"
"Finally speaking my fucking mind," I growl. "Mom!"
"Don't," she begs as she follows me around the mansion. "You're going to regret this. Just come upstairs with me and calm down."
I turn around and point at her. "You don't know what I'll regret! This is all her fault. She ruined my whole life for her own selfish gain!"
Lennon takes a step back, shocked by my tone. Just when I think she's going to run, she squares her shoulders and that same fight in her comes out.
"Well, at least you have a mother!" she shouts, pushing me back. "One that loves you! Mine walked out on me when I was three years old and never came back! So, excuse me if I don't want to stand here and watch you throw yours away."
She turns around and storms out of the room, not giving me a second to say anything back. I look around the empty kitchen and pull at my hair. It's like everything in me has been building up and I'm at a breaking point. Between seeing my dad spiral, to wanting revenge and knowing the only way to get it is by sacrificing being with Lennon. It's all a giant fucking shitshow, and I can't take it anymore.
Wherever my mom is, she's definitely not here. This place is as empty as an abandoned house, except for one room. The princess's tower.
I make my way upstairs and don't even bother knocking before barging in. Lennon barely glances my way, and it's obvious she has no desire to talk to me right now, but I don't care.
"You don't get it," I tell her.
She rolls her eyes. "What? What don't I get? That your mom fell out of love with your dad and put herself first by leaving him for someone else? That your dad handled it badly? That you can't seem to come to terms with the fact that things don't always work out the way you want them to? Tell me, Cade. What don't I get?"
I throw my hands in the air. "She ruined everything! Even you and me! I can't have the damn girl I want because of her!"
"The only reason you know the girl you want because of her!"
"Yeah, great," I scoff. "Making her the forbidden fruit I'll never be able to have is such a gift."
Her brows furrow. "What happened to 'we'll deal with that when the time comes'? What happened to that?"
"What happened is neither one of us knew the gravity of the fucking choice we were making!"
She huffs. "So, what was the last few weeks? Just something to fill your time before I leave for college?"
I groan, looking away. "Oh, don't give me that. I saw it on your face yesterday. When push came to shove, you were always going to pick your dad."
"You don't know that!"
"Then tell me I'm wrong!"
She looks like she wants to strangle me as she shakes her head and turns toward the window, leaving me completely unanswered.
"You can't," I tell her. "You can't, because you know as well as I do that he holds so much more importance than I do."
"But that doesn't mean