fangs / matt champion

part sixteen

"Cat, what the fuck is going on?" asked Matt, holding my body in his arms. I sat on the floor motionlessly, blinking absently as I stared at the nothingness in front of me. My dad had just called me. I had just heard him speak for the first time in over 12 years. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. I couldn't find my voice, couldn't let Matt know what was going on. Time felt frozen, and I was completely paralyzed with my thoughts. My mom had given him my number? What kind of twisted game was this? He had left us without so much as a warning. He took his car and left in the middle of the night when I was eight. He had abandoned us when our house was about to be foreclosed on. He had fucking left.

I was nothing to that man, and he was nothing to me. I became a completely different person after he hurt our family. My mom was the provider, but I sheltered my emotions from my mom for her own peace of mind. Even before he left, he was a really shitty dad. He was never home and was drunk when he was, he couldn't hold a job, and he took every opportunity he could blow our money on poker. My mom worked hard to sustain the house and he would steal it all to fuel his addiction. Nothing made me angrier than remembering those days, the years of abuse and mistreatment we endured. The years after he left were a lot better, but they were still hard for my mom. She cried in her room for months after he left. A tiny part of her was still in love with him, despite the fact that he was a literal piece of shit.

I shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. Why the fuck was he calling me? There's no way he'd know that I was making a bit of money. I wasn't a mainstream artist, he wouldn't have seen me on any news shows or anything. Had my mom told him? Were they talking again? I knew my mom was mad at me for my choices, but this was huge. This was something she should've told me about. I bit my lip, the tears welling up in my eyes. I couldn't find the strength to move my body, so I sat lifelessly as Matt kissed the top of my head and comforted me. When I finally found the words, I collapsed into a fit of tears. "That was my dad." I admitted hoarsely, covering my face with my hands. Matt was just as shocked as I was, and he pulled me tighter into his chest. He knew how hurt I was. He knew that this was something I was never expecting.

The rest of the night went by sleeplessly. Matt offered to stay up, but he had his flight early in the morning and I wanted him to get his rest. I stared at the ceiling, contemplating all the bullshit that was happening in my life. I scrolled through my Twitter, trying to find something to distract me from my own thoughts. A small part of me wanted to call him back and yell at him, to tell him how much I resented him for everything he had done to us. I decided against it, scrolling through my messages and stopping at Ian's contact. I needed to tell him what was going on. He would understand what I was going through, and he was always there for me when things got tough. I took a deep breath, sending him a quick message. I didn't expect him to be awake at this time, but he was.

-

cat: hey, i need to tell you something

ian: i already know something is wrong. wtf did matt do

cat: nah matt is an angel

ian: matt's whipped af huh

cat: ya i love that mans and he loves me

ian: goals i hate you guys. ok so what's going on

cat: lol my dad called me last night

ian: dad as in the dude that left like a million years ago

cat: thats the one!

ian: holy fuck, you okay?

cat: fuck no lol

ian: and matt is coming back in a few hours

cat: he is

ian: come with him, you shouldn't go through this alone

cat: i need to work, so does he. i can't.

ian: what did he want?

cat: i didn't get that far. i kinda froze

ian: how tf does he even have your #

cat: he said my mom gave it to him

ian: fuck cat im sorry

cat: whatever dude i fucking hate him

ian: garbage

cat: i just don't know what to do, why is he in contact with my mom again

ian: do you think they're back together?

cat: i hope not, he was abusive af

ian: dude :/

cat: lol this is my fault

ian: it's not

cat: i left her and now she's with this piece of shit again

ian: your life is yours to live. don't limit yourself for other people.

cat: she's my mom

ian: and she chose to not support you despite the fact that you're happy

cat: i've reached out but she refuses to answer me

ian: she'll come back to you

cat: idek if i want her to lol

ian: cat don't say that

cat: i don't know what to fucking think anymore

ian: im gonna crash

cat: gn babes

ian: we'll talk ab this tomorrow

cat: ok

-

The next morning was so fucking exhausting. I went with Matt to the airport, laying my head against his shoulder in the back of the Uber. The atmosphere was pretty weird, neither of us wanting to leave each other, but we both had work to do. We had been able to deal with distance before and we were strong enough to last a few weeks without each other. Once we arrived, we hopped out of the car and walked into the airport. I walked with him hand in hand until we got to security. "I love you." I mumbled, kissing him passionately. "I'm sorry I can't stay with you, Cat. You need someone right now." he sighed, taking my cheek in his hand. I closed my eyes at his touch, leaning into his hand. "I'll live. You've got art to make." I smiled, looking up at him. "I love you." he said sincerely, crashing his lips against mine. I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. Goodbyes were always really fucking hard.