Daddy Has A Shotgun, But You Have My Heart {Completed}

Wanting To Kill You Slowly

                                                              Chapter Twenty-Six

It was going to be forever marked in her mind, Ethel knew that. She acknowledges that nothing could and would ever erase the moment Zeus Miller told her they were over. It was sudden, and surprising, she never expected it. But something told her that Zeus was hiding something. After all he was sad looking in their first class, and then second and third he was avoiding her.

“Ethel … would you like me to text my brother, he can maybe come get us and take you home?” Nyla asked in a soft voice. Ethel started to debate what to do. If she went home then Ethel thought she would be weak, running from her problems. But her heart was broken and seeing him in the halls would only make her sadder. Just then she remembered that even if she went home that Zeus was bound to show up there because he was staying there. Realization hit Ethel that if her dad or siblings caught wind of what Zeus had done that they would murder him.

Ethel figured she must have tempted fate because seconds after thinking that there was a bang on the bathroom door. “Ethel! It’s Ace, open up!” His voice boomed through the empty bathroom. Panic sat into Ethel, she quickly wiped the tears that were staining her face. Nyla stood there confused of Ethel’s sudden actions for she hadn’t heard Ace because she was deaf.

“Ace, he is at the door,” Ethel whispered to Nyla who went wide eyed.

“Go hide in a stall, I’ll get rid of him,” Nyla responded.  Ethel shook her head.

“He won’t leave until he sees me and knows I am okay. Trust me,” Ethel spoke. Nyla felt bad for she knew that Ethel didn’t want to confront her brother at this moment. It was no doubt that Ace was going to have suspensions with Ethel’s red eyes and nose from crying. Slowly, Ethel made her way to the door, she unlocked it and peeked out at her brother who was wearing a worried expression. “What do you want?” Ethel murmured. Ace sighed once he got a small view of Ethel’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Ace asked as he barged into the bathroom, not even caring that it’s a woman’s bathroom. He walked fully in and saw Nyla. Ethel closed the door and relocked it. “So, who is going to tell me why you are crying?” Ace asked giving Ethel a pointed look. Neither Nyla nor Ethel spoke, both of their lips were thinner than a piece of paper as they tried not to speak.  “Don’t make me go to Zeus-“ Ethel cut off her brother.

“No!” She shouted. Ace gave her a confused look for his sister never yelled like that. He began to really wonder what the hell was going on. Many, different, elaborate thoughts crossed his mind but none of them seemed to match what could be going on.

“Well, then tell me why you are in a bathroom crying? Has someone made fun of you? Did Zeus not handle them properly?” Just hearing his name was making Ethel’s heart pound and throb. Tears dared to leak. Ace saw her expression and ran over to her. The second he engulfed her in a hug she broke down, soaking Ace’s shirt in her hot, salty tears. At a point her knees gave out and she slipped to the floor, Ace bet down and pulled his sister into his lap. She clung to him and didn’t stop her sobs. “Nyla,” Ace spoke looking straight at the brown haired girl that was watching the scene unfold. Nyla looked at his lips and swore she saw them move. “Nyla, what happened?” He hissed as he felt rage for whatever was making his sister like this. Nyla shook her head for she knew this was not something for her to tell. Seeing Nyla shake her head made Ace feel hopeless and angrier. “Tell me!” He half yelled. Nyla couldn’t hear his outraged tone, but she could see he was pissed.

A sigh escaped her nose and Nyla’s chocolate brown eyes bore down on Ethel. Within seconds Ethel lifted her head from her brother’s chest and gave Nyla a nod, as if to say ‘go ahead, tell him’. “Zeus … Zeus…,” Nyla’s eyes flickered to Ace’s. He was waiting for her to finish even if his mind had already started to put two and two together, he wanted to hear it. “Zeus broke up with her,” it was those very words that re-broke Ethel’s heart. Hearing someone say it made her realize that this might not be dream.

Ace went through at least one hundred different emotions when Nyla told him what had happened. But only one emotion stayed in the end: pure, undying … fury. He was already planning ways to kill Zeus. They were all slow and painful beyond belief. He didn’t want to alert his siblings or dad about what has happened, because he wanted to do this all by himself. You’d think he was just joking about killing Zeus, but Ace was serious.

Ace gradually unhooked his sister from him. He placed her on the cold tile floor and out of his lap. Standing up he thanked Nyla for telling him. Ace’s legs started to walk over to the bathroom door. “No! Nyla! Stop him!” Ethel pleaded as she stood up. Nyla had been looking at Ethel once she said that and didn’t even question Ethel. Nyla didn’t think twice as she ran to Ace and knocked him to the ground.

“Get off me!” Ace hollered. Nyla wasn’t looking at him, she was staring at Ethel, not knowing what to do next. Ace tried worming out from under Nyla, but she straddled him. Nyla had grown up with boys she knew how to keep him in place. “Damn it, get off me!” He tried to yell at her.

“She will not, Ace. I-I know what you were going to do, and you can’t. I will tell Nyla to let you go if you promise not to harm Zeus.” Ace huffed and let his head hit the cool tile floor. His body relaxed as he thought about if it was worth it.

“No, he will pay for what he did. I will not promise you his safety.”

“Ace! I’m a teenager! I will have heartbreaks, it will be hard and I’ll cry, but all I need from you is a shoulder to release my tears. Not a mass murderer. Please, don’t do it … for me,” her voice was laced with pleading and sadness It took Ace a moment before he realized her words struck a chord with him. Admittedly he figured that if he could make Zeus go away that her heartache and tears would too. But slowly it was dawning on him, she just need closure and Zeus death would hurt her more.

“Fine! I will not kill Zeus! Happy?! Now, please release me you unnaturally strong female,” Ace stated to Nyla. With a loud exhale Ethel told Nyla to let Ace go. Nyla stood up and Ace did too. Just then Ethel noted that one family member down, five more to go…

Ethel knew that as of this moment, it was not looking good for Zeus…