You protect your family.
Always.
That’s how Mom and Dad raised me even before they adopted me. Blaze is my best friend and when my bio parents became abusive, he was there for me, and later, so was Colt.
So, when Colt’s dad rolls into town, I know I have to be there for him too. Colt’s dad is just as abusive as my dad used to be, but Colt’s dad only shows up once or twice a year when he needs money. The last time he came in, he wiped out his mom’s bank account, stole anything of value from the house, and left all while Colt’s mom was at work.
Unfortunately, Colt was home that day and ended up with two black eyes and a broken rib. That was almost two years ago, so we knew he’d be here anytime. We may have only been fourteen, but Colt and I make a vow. This ends this time.
I can only imagine what Blaze would think if he knew. I know he wants us safe, but he has never had to live in that kind of fear. I know what it’s like to finally feel safe, loved, and not have to worry. I want to give that gift to Colt.
So, when he doesn’t show up to school? I know. I call Mom and make up a story of getting my period and needing to come home to change. I hate lying to Mom, but she picks me up. I think she knows I’m lying. She could have brought me clothes to change into, but she never even suggests it. I just don’t think she knows my plans. I know she would stop me.
We live on a huge ranch, so we kids have been driving cars and trucks for a while. Then after everything with my bio parents, I have learned how to shoot a gun, and I’m good. I can hit a moving target spot on. It has made me feel safe knowing I can protect myself even though that scumbag is behind bars for a long time. Maybe my gut knew I’d need it today.
So, when Mom goes to the barn to see Dad, I grab my gun, bullets, and keys to the ranch truck. I leave a note for Mom and head back into town.
Back to Colt, sending up a silent prayer I’m not too late.
On the way, I call Blaze and tell him he needs to meet me at Colt’s place. He says he’s on the way and for me to wait until he gets there.
It’s a ten-block walk from the school.
I have every intention of waiting, I do. But when I get there, I hear screaming and his mom crying. My heart breaks. I whip out my phone, dial 911, and rattle off Colt’s address. I leave the phone on the seat, never hanging up, while I jump out and run to his front door before I can think. I see Colt hiding behind the living room couch with his hands over his ears. He’s crying. What I see his dad doing to his mom over the dining room table is, well…
I may be young, but I know what rape is. His dad is waving a gun around with a crazy look in his eyes. I know I have to do something fast. The thought of Colt being hurt turns my gut.
I get in the door quietly but not enough. His dad sees me and turns his evil smile on me. He throws his mother to the ground like a rag doll, and she hits her head on the corner of the dining room table. In a split second, I notice the blood coming from the cut. It’s a lot of blood.
It’s then I see his dad stalking toward me, and I whip out my gun.
Before he can aim his, I pull the trigger on mine. He drops to the floor and red blood pools around his head. I just stand there in shock.
I killed him.
I killed him and I don’t even feel bad. What’s wrong with me?
I see Colt run to his mom, but I still can’t move. My eyes don’t leave the blood pooling around his dad’s head. The thoughts I have right then surprise me like I wonder how hard it will be to get the blood out of the wood floor.
Then I feel Colt’s arms around me, trying to pull me from the house.
“Your mom,” I say a bit in shock.
“She’s gone, Sage. Let’s get out of here.”
We get outside and sit on the porch steps. Colt pulls me into his lap and holds me close, running his hands over my arms, asking me over and over if I’m okay.
When I finally look at him, I notice he has a black eye forming and a busted lip. He has a bruise that looks like a handprint on his arm and some blood on his shirt.
Without thinking, I lean in and kiss his black eye ever so gently. His body shudders, and he sighs and pulls me even closer.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
He lets out a sigh of relief. “As long as you’re okay, so am I.”
He holds me and, in his arms, the world doesn’t matter. Then I hear him whisper, “Thank you, Sage. I love you, always.”
Blaze runs up at the same time the sheriff gets there. Mom and Dad are about fifteen minutes behind them. Colt wants to protect me, but I tell the truth, all of it. The sheriff, a family friend, says it was self-defense, and he will overlook me driving without a license.
I have a hundred hours of community service and several lectures about when to call 911 and doing as the dispatcher says.
Mom and Dad take Colt in, no questions asked. Six months later, he is officially adopted.
A few days after everything settles, Mom and Dad sit with me and ask why I did it. Why I didn’t wait for them. They aren’t mad. They just want to know.
“You protect family, and Colt is my family.”
They tell me they are proud of me but go over all the things I should have done differently. We talk for hours about what I should have done and what happened in detail.
That’s why I love Mom and Dad. They may not have liked what happened, but they will share the burden with me.
From that day on, Colt and I share a bond. One that will be tested over and over. In the end, it will be what saves us too. That love is something no one can break.
Not even me.