Page 34

ALEX

I leave Noel locked in the bathroom, and I also lock my bedroom door behind me just in case.

I can't let him get involved with my father in any way. He's too pure, too good, and too kind to see me get broken down. It'll stay with him forever if he sees that. It'll destroy him.

And I can't risk Noel getting hurt by him too.

I won't let that happen.

This is between me and my father. Whatever happens tonight, it'll be the climax of our relationship. There is no more hiding away in another state. No more pretending that everything is fine. No more taking his fists, his anger, his hate.

I won't let this continue.

Noel will forgive me for this.

As I head down the stairs to his study, I steal myself for his wrath.

My hand wraps around an invisible foil, my heart thumping fast. I'm about to face my opponent, and I must win. I refuse to lose this. This bout will be all or nothing.

I've talked back to him plenty of times. Antagonizing him is something I'm a pro at. But I've never hit him where it really matters. I haven't ever been vulnerable and honest with him. It's always snarky comments and backtalk.

I need to figure out a game plan and quickly.

He'll have guests downstairs soon, so I need to take care of this before that happens. I want to get out of this house as fast as I can; take Noel with me and go.

His study is all the way on the other side of the house. It takes a little while to make it past all the staff, but when I reach his closed door, I really start to feel the impact of all that I'm about to do.

I'm really fucking doing this.

I'm facing him.

This is gonna suck.

I knock on the door three times.

“Come in,” I hear him say. With one final inhale, I open the door.

His study is dark by design, but his aura makes it even more foreboding. Sitting behind a desk in a suit, sits my father. He's typing on a laptop, ignoring me.

I walk in slowly, shutting the door behind me. There's plenty of space between us with the size of the room. Bookshelves to my left and right, a dark academia vibe with interesting artifacts in glass cases on his walls. There's an antique Japanese katana with a JUYO TOKEN certificate worth over forty thousand dollars, hanging on the wall, which is probably the coolest thing he owns. He likes to collect random pieces of history.

I walk across the long hardwood floor to reach his desk.

He looks up at me with a final tap of his keyboard.

“Alexander, it's good to finally have you home.”

“Father,” I acknowledge him with a nod. “We need to talk.”

He sighs, as if he knew this was coming. “Yes, I assumed you would want to plead your case. What is it about Knight’s Valor Academy that you love so much? I don't remember you being particularly excited to go there.” He looks at me curiously. “Very well. I'll hear what you have to say, though you won't change my mind. I have plans for you here. Go ahead. The guests should be arriving within the hour, so we have some time.”

“Right. The party.” I scoff. “I guess I'll get right to it. I'm not moving back here.” I pause just for a moment to settle my trembling voice. His face is stoic, not showing any of his cards. “I'm eighteen. You don't control me anymore, and I'm done being your—”

He throws a stapler at my head so fast I don't have time to duck.

The sharp pain from the object is so sudden I gasp, shuffling back a few steps. While I'm focused on the suddenness of it all, he's already on his feet, grabbing me by the back of my neck and staring down at me.

“I don't control you anymore?” He laughs. It's loud and boisterous. It freezes blood flow, and my eyes stay wide open. “Such strong words from someone so weak.”

His cold hand wraps around my throat and squeezes. There's really no getting used to this. Being choked sucks. I feel a trickle of blood slide hotly down the side of my face.

He's so much bigger than I am, so I struggle to rip his hand off me. I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon. I honestly thought I had more time to speak my peace before he started beating on me. I don't usually fight back. Usually, I'll dig my fingers into his hand because I can't help it, but nothing further than that. Nothing like what I'm about to do.

I raise a fist and punch him.

He drops his hold on me to cradle his nose. There's already a drop of blood that leaks from his left nostril. “Did you… just punch me?” He chuckles as he raises his eyebrows. “What has gotten into you?” He walks to the door and locks it.

I can barely concentrate on his words as I cough, trying to get my breath back.

“Alright, go ahead; tell me the rest of what you were saying. I'm curious.” He stands tall, straightening his suit and tie. Completely at ease. As if he hadn't just attacked me. He's right in front of me, and I know he'll hurt me again. He's toying with me. Making it a show.

My voice lowers into a raspy breath. “I hate you so fucking much.”

He backhands me across the face, and my head jerks to the side. I spit up blood from my cheek being cut by my teeth and turn to watch his every move.

He looks confused for a long moment. “Of course you do, Alex. I've never shown you love. How can you love anything without being taught first?”

I blink, not understanding what he's implying. “What do you want from me?” I ask roughly, “Just let me go… Let me finish school there. Fucking let me live my life! Why do you care so much what I do?”

His head tilts to the side, his hands going behind his back in a relaxed posture. “What do I want? I want a son who obeys me. That's what family is. Do you not understand that a father is head of the household, and a son is there to uphold his ideals? Why ask these questions now?” He sighs. “Well, you have just turned eighteen. Still a boy. I was quite the naive idiot at that age too.”

I watch him walk around the room, casually talking to me like an old acquaintance.

“That’s what a son is?” I chuckle darkly, barely a huff of sound. “You are so beyond delusional, father.” His aloofness switches into something darker. More sinister. “Is that what you were to your father? Just someone to pass on a legacy to? Did you obey him?”

He cracks a smile. “I see. You think I hated him because he beat me. Well, I did at first. But time breeds wisdom, and with that wisdom I realized something.” He pauses dramatically. Always the narcissistic bastard he is. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Love isn't needed to be family. Love is for the weak. I won't have any weaknesses in my life. My father taught me how to be strong. And I passed that on to you. You're stronger now because of what I put you through. I let you have your little rebel phase, running off to live with Sophia for a while, but you will not go back. You'll finish your senior year here while homeschooling, and then you'll attend the same college I went to. Everything will work out, son.” He finishes his monologue with a tiny pat on my shoulder.

It takes me a minute to gather what I want to say, raging at him from inside. Love isn't weak. He's weak. A pathetic man-child who beats their own flesh and blood.

“You aren't listening to me. You never fucking listen! You don't control me, and loving someone isn't weak. But you, you are a weak, vile, hateful person!”

He steps closer to me, a dangerous glint in his eyes. His hand closes over my face, nearly squeezing my cheeks, but he grips my jaw tightly, staring at me with rage and hatred. He lets go and uses that arm to backhand me again. I grunt, the force of his blow so harsh I pant and gasp at the sharp pain that shoots across my face.

I look up at him and see that he's breathing heavily. I can't help but smile up at him, a chuckle let loose deep in my chest.

Any love I had for this man is gone.

He raises a fist to knock me out.

The door flies open with a loud bang.

Noel is the first one I see, but there's three others, and I'm not sure I'm seeing correctly. I might have a concussion. That stapler really hurt.

“What the fuck?” Ace whispers in horror.

Levi steps forward, trying to get past Noel, but Noel throws out his arm to stop him. “No.”

Grady stays silent, possibly in shock.

They really are the three musketeers. And of course, Noel is here, my D'Artagnan come to save the day.

Funnily enough, all I can think when I see them is, all for one and one for all, right, Alex?

NOEL

“Ace, I think something bad is going to happen to him… I can't shake this feeling. I don't know what to do. I'm worried his father will do something terrible.”

Ace is sitting beside me on my bed while the others hang out in the living room. I pulled Ace in here to talk privately. Alex and I are leaving next week… and I can't stop thinking about Alex with his father. What he might do.

Ace knows about Alex's situation because I explained it to him in a fit of worry, and he is the only person I feel comfortable with knowing about Alex's situation, aside from my mom, but I don't think it's right I tell her. Alex should be the one to explain if he chooses to do so.

Plus, I asked Alex if he minded Ace knowing his story. He told me he wouldn't mind. And so, I explained.

He nods sympathetically, arms wrapping around my shoulder for a hug. “Well… what if we come, too?”

I pull away, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What?”

“What if I come with you guys as backup? Well, Grady and Levi, too. I'll be the moral support and brains behind the operation.”

“You would do that? You'd fly all the way to California to be there in case I need you guys?”

Ace grins, tilting his head as if to say, well duh.

“You and Alex are my best friends… and the knight blade boys have each other's backs, remember? So yes, I'm coming. And… maybe keep it a secret from Alex? I feel like he might fight us if he knows.”

I chuckle, my heart full of appreciation for Ace's kindness. For his friendship. I hug him tightly.

“Ace…thank you.”

“I've got this in the bag, Noel. Don't worry about him. We'll be right behind you.”

I'm sitting on the floor of the bathroom, waiting for any noise that tells me he's arrived. I did my best to explain where Alex's room is, but he still has to make it past the gate and into the home.

It might help that there's a party tonight after all… Ace appreciated that text when I told him.

He didn't think it was very cool that Alex locked me in a bathroom, though.

I'm trying to calm myself down when I hear yelling. I place my ear to the door and listen.

Yeah, definitely yelling. And it's right outside Alex's bedroom door.

My phone buzzes, and I pick it up frantically.

“Ace?”

“— are you three? You're not allowed —Hey, Noel! We're here! Don't worry, Levi is trying to get in Alex's room right now.”

“Hurry, please. It's already been like twenty minutes… fuck.”

“I know, I know; don't worry, Alex will be okay.”

“We're Alex's friends,” I hear Levi say, probably to the maid. “Open the door for us. Alex got in a fight and locked his boyfriend in there. C'mon.”

“She's getting the key, dude. It's all good.”

“I need to get to Alex now , guys.”

“Fuck this.”

“Grady, wait!”

Someone throws themselves at Alex's door, and it's loud. I hang up my phone and wait for them to save my ass. They make it inside with whoops and hollers.

“Knock knock!” Ace yells out, and I hear the heavy object sliding away.

I push the knob down, and it opens easily.

Grady is the first one I see, and I give him a relieved grin before I rush past all three of them. “Thank you! But I have to get to Alex now!”

“Wait, we'll come with you!” Ace pleads. “He might need us, too.”

I stop, turn around, and see just how ruffled they all seem to be because of Alex.

Grady is breathing heavily as he wipes his eyebrow of sweat. Levi looks like he's ready to kill somebody—which isn't that out of the ordinary for him. Ace is standing in the middle of them, eyes big and afraid.

They care. Alex has wormed his way into their hearts.

I nod. “Let's go.”

Trying to find where Alex is takes forever.

“Alex knows how to fight; why would he need our help?” Levi asks as we're rushing down a hallway and into another large room.

“Levi!” Ace yells his name like a reprimand. “You know why.”

“Tsk.” He grabs a glass off a tray as we pass the living room area, drinking it in one quick go. There's staff everywhere, guests in dresses and tuxes, not giving us any mind.

“I really hope he's alright,” Grady pipes in. “I wish he told us what was going on.”

“Trauma does shit to people, Grady.” Levi looks at the back of Ace’s head as he talks. “We just shove it down and pretend it doesn't exist.”

I don't try to understand Ace's weird reaction as he whips his head back to look at Levi, eyebrows scrunched together in worry.

Finally, I spot a hallway we haven't gone down that leads to double doors. I take a deep breath and walk quickly towards it, trying not to raise suspicion. The guys follow behind me. When I reach it, I turn the handle and discover it's locked.

My hand shakes in poorly concealed rage…

“Motherfu—”

“Let me.” Grady stands beside me, nods, and I step back.

The handle looks simple by design. Grady takes a deep inhale and throws himself hard at the door. It splinters the wood. When he pushes through, I follow directly behind him, allowing me to be the one that enters fully while Grady basically keeps the door open with his large body.

My stomach sinks when I see Alex on his knees, staring up at his father with a deadly smile. There's blood all over his teeth, and the left side of his face is splotchy pink from where he was presumably slapped. Cuts and blood all over.

“What the fuck?” Ace whispers behind me.

Levi tries to get past me, but I stop him. “No.”

Alex loses his taunting grin when he realizes it's me. “Don't,” he aims the command my way, and all I feel is rage.

I can feel his father glaring daggers at me, but I ignore it. “Oh, so this is why you wanted to stay with Sophia. You have friends there, is that correct? You can make new ones here. All of you, get the hell out.”

“Get your hands off him,” I demand, my hands shaking. His father scoffs.

“Who are you to tell me what I can or can't do to my son?” His hand grips Alex's throat, cutting off his air supply. Alex's head whips back as he struggles to breathe. He claws at his father's fingers, attempting to rip free from his grasp.

I lose all sense of reason as I rush at him, winding my arm back and punching the side of his face with every ounce of strength I have in me.

He grunts and releases Alex, who sputters and coughs while still on his knees. He drops to his hands, gasping for air.

“Touch him again and I'll kill you,” I threaten him. I'll do whatever I have to to protect Alex. He will never be hit again.

“Noel…get…out,” Alex struggles to say between coughing fits. I don't listen. All I can hear is his suffering, and I'm a second away from murder.

His father stands tall, well over six feet, and rubs at his cheek where I hit him. He's a very large man, but that doesn't deter me.

“You got balls, kid. Too bad you'll live to regret that.”

“The only one who will be regretting their actions is you,” I tell him.

Alex stands up from the floor and comes to stand in front of me protectively, his hand on my stomach, while he tries to back me out of the room. “Leave him alone,” he says to his father.

“Boys, let's have some privacy. My door is sadly broken, but perhaps you can stand outside and make sure none of my guests waltz in here?” He directs this to Ace, who looks dumbfounded.

There's a beat of silence. “You're fucking with me. Dude, I'm about to call the cops on your crazy ass. You just choked your son! And he's fucking… bleeding !”

“And I'll do worse if you don't get the fuck out of here,” he says cordially, with a grin.

“I know men like you.” Levi walks over to where Ace is standing, covering his view. He seems protective, like a shield for Ace. “Child abusers.”

“Child? I see no children here.”

“Alex is your son, and you more than likely beat him when he was a kid. Am I wrong?”

Alex's father scoffs. “That's irrelevant. Get out. I don't owe any of Alex's friends an explanation.”

I've had enough of this back and forth.

“Guys, I've got this. Stand outside the door and wait for us.”

“Alex looks like he can barely—”

I raise my voice. “Please.”

Ace gasps. The others glance at Alex and then at each other. “Are you sure?”

“For goodness’ sake…” Alex's father grumbles.

“Do it,” Alex speaks up, using his forearm to wipe at his bleeding nose. The others slowly walk out. Ace goes first, then Grady. Levi grabs the door on the way out, giving Alex an intense, lingering glance before shutting it.

Alex's father turns his attention to me. “You must be my son's boyfriend.”

Alex doesn't say anything, and neither do I. How did he figure it out? I just got here.

“For fucks sake, I don't give a shit if you're gay kid. I don't care who you fuck, but you can't be in a relationship with him. I won't allow it. You're my only son, and that responsibility comes with a wife and children. You're my successor, the only heir to all my fortune. You are a Madison, goddamnit!”

“I really don't give a single fuck about that. I’ll be a Hale one day anyway. I'm done with this family. I’m eighteen, and you can’t force me to do shit!” He shoves his hand in his pants pocket, pulling out his wallet. He throws it at his father's feet. “I came here hoping you'd give me the money I need for college, but I changed my mind. I don't care about your money. Take it. Fuck you and fuck Sophia. I hate you both.”

His father laughs. “Oh, son. I said it once before, and I'll say it again: I may not have brought you into this world, but I can sure as hell take you out.” He pulls at his tie until he has it right in one fist, wrapping it around his knuckles like a weapon.

“Try it. I'll gut you before you get the chance to lay another hand on me.” Alex laughs humorlessly, a painful, deep wound I can feel down to my bones. I watch as his father stalks forward, eyes blacker than coal, ready to beat his son to actual death.

Alex reaches into his pocket.

Pulls out a switchblade.

It swipes out when he presses into it, and his face gives nothing away. He's a mask of indifference.

“I let you hurt me for the last time. Touch me again, and I'll cut your throat.”