Resisting Temptation

Chapter 42

"OW!" mom had grabbed my arm and pulled me into my room as soon as we got home. Her nails were digging into my skin, leaving indents and possibly drawing blood. It was times like this, that I knew I was done for.

"Nine months, we've been living here for nine months and you just decide to up and pull something as sadistic as that?" she asked.

"I didn't do anything sadistic!" I told her.

"Zac is your step-brother! You two are practically related now!" she snapped.

"We don't share the same blood! I don't see what you're getting so pissy about!" I said.

"You actually thought you could keep this from me? From Howard? Dani, you are better than this! I don't understand what's going on with you!"

"Mom-"

"You're going out late, you're crashing cars, skipping school! It seems like all these eighteen years have been practically wasted!" she snapped.

"Are you kidding me? You're the one who's been telling me over and over, go out and fun!" I shouted.

"I wasn't planning to have you shack up with your brother." she seethed.

"It's not even that big of a deal!"

"It's a huge deal! I can't marry my fiancé when my daughter is dating his son!"

"So, this is about you now?" I asked.

"No Dani, it's about us, and being a family! And in this family, we shouldn't keep secrets." she replied.

"You would love to live in a perfect world where we had world peace and everybody was pleasant to everyone. Well news flash Trinity, the world isn't like that! It's not like an apocolypse will start just because of me and Zac!" I told her.

"I don't care! Why wouldn't tell me about this?" she asked.

"Because you'd freaking out, like you're doing right now!" I replied.

"Is this why you broke up with Lucas?" she asked.

"Lucas lied through his teeth to me! For reasons unknown, but he toyed with me until I was crying in the girl's bathroom! Zac defended me through it all!" I replied.

"Zac is still your brother! This is incest!" she said.

"It's technically not incest if we don't share blood! Why are you being such a bitch?" that was the wrong word to use. Mom's face totally froze, and I had realised I had crossed the line. She raised her hand and brought it down against my cheek. It hurt, but not physically. The pain come from the words I used, and how I practically insulted her. But the pain was followed with anger, and how she could penalize me for something I had little to no control it.

"Thanks a whole lot mom." I stormed passed her and grabbed my duffel bag, then heading for the elevator. Zac and Howard were in the other room, I could hear them screaming at each other. Never had I heard Zac's voice raised like that, or Howard's words come down so harsh. But they didn't understand that we were also victims, victims of something so uncontrollable that even God couldn't take charge over it.

"And just where do you think you're going?" mom followed me out, hot on my heels.

"I'm going to dad's!" I told her; Stratford was the only place I could go to at this point.

"Not at this hour you're not!" she protested.

"Try and stop me!" I told her, pressing the elevator button over and over again.

"Howard! Howard, I need your help in here!" she shouted.

"Are you for real?" I asked her. Howard and Zac emerged seconds later, Zac's face was red as an apple and he had wet stains under his eyes. He had been crying.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Howard asked me, using the most strict tone I had ever heard directed towards me.

"I'm going to spend the rest of the weekend and maybe life with my dad." I told him.

"I'm your dad!" he said.

"No, you're not! You act like a dad but you will never be my dad! My dad doesn't work at all hours and penalize his son for his faults! I'm going!" I snapped.

"Well then, I'll be happy to drive you." mom said as she grabbed her keys.

"I got it!" I stopped her back before she could come any closer, and the elevator door opened. I stepped inside and pressed LOBBY, watching as my family disappeared behind the sliding doors.