Colton's POV

I sit by my window with my packed duffle bags by my feet. My room still looks like a mess but I think I got everything I need. I wait for Madeleine to pull up in her car to save me from this hell.

I look out my window and see straight into Camryn's room. Her curtains were left pulled back and I can see directly inside. I wonder how she's going to feel when I tell her about this. I tried calling her but it kept going straight to voicemail. She'll understand.

The sun has set and I'm getting a little anxious. I know traffic from Madeleine's house to here is what's keeping her, I just hope she gets here before my dad.

As soon as I thought that, I see her pull into the driveway in her Honda. I quickly get up and rush downstairs to let her in.

The smell of alcohol hits me again once I reach the bottom of the steps and now I'm a little embarrassed to let her inside. I guess she knows how he can get, I mean she was married to him.

I open the front door just as she was about to knock, leaving her fist in mid air.

"Colton!" She exclaims as she pulls me in for a hug. I hug her back with everything I have, trying to hold myself together because deep down I'm terrified. "Where are your things?" She asks.

"Upstairs in my room," I tell her. We both rush upstairs to grab my stuff. I hear her gasp once we reach the door. "I know," is all I could say.

She doesn't say anything as she picks up two of my bags and I pick up the others, but before we exit the room I hear her whisper to herself, "This is my fault."

I want to correct her and tell her that it isn't, but I don't.

I start down the stairs but stop halfway once I see Walt standing in the front doorway. He has his arms crossed and a smug, cold look on his face.

I'm sure he was about to say something sarcastically stupid, but his jaw drops once he notices who's right behind me.

"Colton why'd you stop?" Madeleine questions as she bumps into me, pushing me down a step. I don't say anything as she follows my eyes to the man at the door.

Walt's hands drop to his side and he takes a few steps closer. "Madeleine?" I see a look on his face that I've never seen before which is... hurt? For once he face doesn't look so cold and angry.

My mom sets my bags down and steps in front of me.

"Wh, wha, what are you doing here?" Walt asks, completely dumbfounded by what he's seeing. He notices all the bags. "How'd you? Are you back?"

"No," she says. I can tell she's nervous by the way she's gripping the bottom of her black blouse, but she looks strong.

Walt's face falls. He points to the bags, "Then what's all this?"

Madeleine stays quiet, allowing him to put the pieces together. Within a few seconds, he does. His face returns to its natural cold state and his eyebrows furrow.

"No. No, you're not taking him," he says, taking another step towards her. This time I step in front of her, but he doesn't even look at me. "You don't have the right!" He yells.

"I am his mother I have all the right in the world to take him!" She shouts back. Walt tries to move closer but I hold him back and that makes him angry.

He pushes me to the ground, making me slam my head against the floor board. I reflexively curl into the fetal position, trying to wait out the pain. I've hit my head many times against the floor but this time my vision gets blurry. I squeeze my eyes shut and open them repeatedly trying to get them to focus.

I look up at my parents, expecting Madeleine to help me up, but she and Walt stay screaming in each others faces. "You were a terrible mother!" "You're a piece of shit father!" "Fuck you!" "Fuck you!"

It's like we've traveled back in time, but this time there's something different. I can get up and leave. When I was younger I was trapped, but now I'm going to leave on my own. Madeleine was supposed to be here to help me, not to fall back into her old ways of fighting with my dad.

I pull myself up from the floor and it takes me a second to catch my balance. I reach into my pocket and pull out my keys. They don't even notice as I walk to the door, and that pisses me off. They're supposed to be fighting over me but I'm starting to question if I ever meant anything to them at all. Even before the beatings started, all they ever cared about was screaming in each others faces. It's sad.

I swing open the door and try to storm out as steadily as I can to my bike. I stop in my tracks when I see Camryn standing outside in her lawn. It must be later than I thought if she's already out of work. She standing completely still with a shocked, scared look on her face.

All I want to do right now is run to her and have her hold me, but I can hear the screaming approaching.

"Colton where are you going?!" Madeleine yells.

"Colton I swear to god if you leave with the woman who abandoned you..!" Walt starts.

"What! What are you going to do?" I snap, "Beat me some more? Smash my head onto another floor?"

I can't stand this anymore! I jump on my bike and start it up. That's when Camryn snaps out of her shocked state and runs over to me.

"Colton what are you doing? Get off and come inside with me," she pleads, trying to reach for my keys.

As much as I want to, her room just isn't far enough from these two people. "Camryn, go inside," I tell her.

"If you leave you better not come back you little son of a bitch!" Walt yells out.

"Don't talk to him that way!" Madeleine shouts. They continue to scream at each other. I can't take it.

I take Camryn's scrambling hands into mine and hold them still. She tries to break free but I need her to listen to me.

"Camryn, Camryn look at me," I tell her. She stops pulling away and looks me in the eyes. Tears are streaming down her face and my heart breaks. I've made this girl cry so much. "Camryn, I need you to go inside."

"No," she cries, "please just come inside with me."

"I can't, please just go inside!" I say a littler firmer.

"No!" She shouts. She starts pulling her hands away trying to get my keys. I know that she won't let me leave unless I get her mad enough, or hurt enough, that she'll stop fighting it.

It kills me to hurt her, but with tears still falling down her cheeks, I yell in a disgusted tone, "Jesus Camryn can't you see that I need to get the fuck away from all of you? What don't you fucking understand? Leave me alone!" I let go her hands and place mine on my motorcycle handles. She stays completely still, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. I hurt her, I know I did.

My parents screaming in the background continues as I pull out of the driveway. Before I ride off, I take another look at the girl I'm leaving behind. I love you, is all I can think.