The abuse he endured, and for what? To make money? To just have an excuse to dish out psychotic behavior to those who should have been protected and loved?
It was so abhorrent I couldn’t even think straight and hadn’t been able to focus on anything else. I went through my days like I had this fog around me.
How could one man I thought I’d known so well my entire life turn out to be the very monster I always assumed Hades was?
Of course, Hades wasn’t innocent by any means. He had skeletons in his closet, guns at his side, and violence as his shield. But he’d been shaped to be the creature that he was, the killer that embraced all that he’d endured.
And I hadn’t realized that until after he’d told me about his trauma. One. Fucking. Instance. God, what he must have been through. All the countless times he was beat down until he was nearly buried alive.
Hades used that weakness to build his strength.
I wanted to ask my father why. I wanted to hit him, scream at him. I wanted to know why he’d been so corrupt, why he’d hurt the person he should have protected.
Had my mother known? And if she did, had she even cared?
A scream of anger and frustration rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down.
I stepped into school, my thoughts clearing as I was brought back to the cesspool.
Things had been settling down… somewhat. There weren’t as many whispers, not as many stares or insults thrown my way.
I assumed a new drama had popped up, which deviated the attention from me. But as soon as I got inside, I knew something was different.
There was an electric energy in the air. A hush fell over everyone as I moved down the hall. It was when I rounded the corner to go to my locker that I spotted Trevor.
I came to a screeching halt, shocked to see him.
For as much damage as Hades had done, I hadn’t expected to see him at school for quite a while, if ever.
He had a bandage taped across the bridge of his nose, and angry bruising under his eyes that spread across his cheeks.
He had one arm in a sling pressed across his chest and two of his fingers in splints.
Because I’d come to a sudden stop, it caused the person behind me to slam into my back. They gave me a juicy curse before walking around me.
But the commotion had been loud enough that Trevor and his cronies took notice, and he glanced in my direction.
He didn’t show any expression, or maybe he couldn’t because of the state of his face, but he held my gaze for so long that I felt this icy chill skate down my spine.
And when he looked away, I exhaled, realizing I’d been holding my breath. There was this weird sensation that spoke volumes in the look he gave me.
It was one that said, “you’re going to pay for this”.
He glanced at me once more, and I narrowed my eyes.
All I could think about was how afraid I’d been when he pressed me against that wall, and how I’d been so helpless. I didn’t want to feel that way again.
The knife Hades had given me was tucked in the pocket of my cardigan, feeling hot and heavy. Feeling like protection.
I thought about the girl in the bathroom. How he’d attacked her, but she didn’t have anyone to talk to.
I could only imagine the horrors that Trevor had done to her. How hopeless she must have felt when he taunted that no one would ever believe her.
I hoped he could see the anger burning in my eyes and directed solely on him. I hoped he could feel how much my hatred for him burned within me.
I didn’t want to be afraid anymore. I wouldn’t.
I refused to.