The Damage Has Been Done (Markiplier)

Chapter 30: I'm Trying Here

Chloe's POV.

"Chloe? Are you ever going to leave that damn radio alone? You're not going to find Mark that way. You never will. He's dead. Just let it go and accept it," Tom snarled at me as I sat in the corner of the room, wrapped in my blankets. No, I will never let it go. Never.

"No. Leave me alone. If I want to waste my time looking for your little brother, then let me. It's my choice to care. So shut it," I retorted angrily. Tom tensed up and I was sure I busted a fuse somewhere.

"You need to remember what kind of people you're speaking to, kid. I'm the adult here. If you think you're going to talk back to me, you're dead wrong. Quit acting like an adult. You're a ten year old girl, not a grown up. Treat the adults with a little more respect, and don't be a brat."

"The only person I've lost respect for is you." I stood up and got in Tom's face. Standing my ground was all I had left to keep myself from going insane. I was on the edge and about to break already. And Tom being a jerk wasn't ever going to help me any. "You've ruined everything since the day Devin found that note on the roof. You don't understand what my reasoning is behind my attempts at finding him. You don't know what's going on in my head, you never will. I know I'm not an adult, but my mind works like I am one. I know too much, and that opens a lot of doors that I wish stayed closed and hidden away. One of those doors being having to deal with you on a daily basis. If anything, you're acting more juvenile than I ever have. You should be ashamed in yourself for telling us that Mark is dead. You're an ignorant, idiotic, defiant, careless shell of a man who has a heck of a nerve to tell a little girl that the only person she's willing to kill herself to spare is dead. So leave me alone and shut up. Because I've got a nerve too, Thomas. Mine is willing to kill. My nerve has no remorse for you. So watch it, you jerk."

"Tom," I heard Elise say sternly. Tom turned around to look at her. An irritated and temper-infused scowl slapped on his face. "Leave Chloe alone. She doesn't need you being on her case. What she does is her buisiness, not yours. Lay off and just walk away."

"Who are you to have the right to speak? I don't see you letting up on anyone."

"I've kept my nose clean. I don't tread where I don't belong. But if you're going to grill Chloe for looking for someone she cares about more than herself, I'm getting involved. She's ten, yeah. But she's smart. Let the girl use the radio. It's for a good cause."

"You all are fucking idiots, aren't you? What bullshit..." Tom mumbled under his breath, pushing past Elise, trying to go outside. Elise's hand went straight to the pistol tucked in her belt. She grabbed Tom's arm and pulled him away from the doors, shoving him against the wall and held the pistol to his forehead. Stacy, Trace, Wade and Molly rose to their feet, preparing to break up a fight.

"Excuse me?" she asked him with extreme irritation. I guess she doesn't take kindly to Tom's attitude either. "What fucking right do you have to assume that about anyone but yourself? You need to watch your damn mouth before I send a bullet through your head. I think you should watch who you're talking to before you get shot. Do you understand me? Or should I just get it over with now?" I've never seen Tom so freaked in the entire time I've known him. Elise has never been so serious and violent either.

"Elise, don't," I butted in. "This is what Mark was talking about when I was with him. He said that you guys need to quit fighting so much. Everyone is disorganized and scared and angry with everything. And it's not right. It just isn't. He said everyone just needs to swallow their pride for a while and think collectively, not for themselves or think irrationally because of something that makes them mad. All anyone does anymore is make threats and yell and scream and make each other upset over the stupidest things. Just cool your jets, before all of us are stuck in a rut with nothing left."