chapter 6

Nicole's POV

"Ms Erickson you're under arrest for assault with intent of murder."

My eyes winded as they barged in, both of them. One of them turned me around, fiercely and pushed me against the wall.

He cuffed me while reading Miranda rights to me. I closed my eyes and shook my head to stop the tears from falling. I saw the other one taking Matthew with him.

"Where are you taking him?" I asked, raising my voice at him. I struggled with my hands in these cuffs.

"Don't worry, I'm taking him to your brother at the hospital." He said reassuringly. "Just be careful with him." I said helplessly as he walked away from me with Matthew, who started crying in his arms. A lone tear fell from my eye as the police officer escorted me out off the house, into his car.

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I rested my head on the bars and closed my eyes, exhausted. It's been an hour since I'm here, locked up with a thieve, a druggie, drunken driver and probably a rapist. I don't know if they really did these crimes because they definitely look like it but let's be honest, who am I to judge? I don't know their stories. I don't know their back rounds. They could be innocent for all I know. Maybe they were just caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

I keep hearing my mom's voice calling my name. It's only been an hour since I'm here and I'm already going crazy. Wait....I can hear her voices clearly. I opened my eyes and saw both of my parents staring at me. My mom had tears in her eyes while my father glared at me. I stood up from the ground, since there's no seats to sit on, I sat on the floor. "Mom. Dad." I whispered.

My mom told the guard to get me out immediately. He nodded, taking his keys and unlocking my cell. I guess they bailed me out. I smiled a little.

I didn't get the chance to step a foot outside when I was attacked by my mom's hugs and kisses.

"Oh....honey, Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they treat you badly? I'll sue them if they did. Please tell me you're okay." She kept asking question after question with no answers being given. She stopped rambling and touched my cheek. "What did you do Cole?" She whispered, I could barely hear her. I lowered my head in vain to cover my face. I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed of myself. How can I do such thing? In all these years, I told myself I was better than them......and now......I have tumbled in to their level.

My dad pushed my mom aside and grabbed my arm roughly, leading us out of the department. "Christian!!" My mom shouted frowning at my dad, who kept dragging me like a dog. I just kept walking, following my dad because I have no choice. I have no energy to argue with my father.

He pushed me inside the backseat and slammed his car door. I rubbed my arm, seeing a red mark forming on my skin. I closed my eyes, hearing my parents fighting over me. I covered me ears and leaned my head back on the headrest. I pressed harder at my ears, cringing as their banter got louder. Please God, let this nightmare end.

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I opened my eyes and saw the hospital few meters ahead. Wow, we reached faster than I thought. My father parked the car near the hospital doors and got out. I opened the car door, lazily. I have no attention of doing anything. I've given up. I really did this time. I broke down so many times in the past four years, on the edge of giving up, but in all these years I've had the power to stand up. I don't know how or what my strength came from before, but now.....I'm officially done. I've been humiliated, used, toyed at, disappointed from, drowned in toilets, my died grandma's necklace was stolen from me. I was punished by parents for 'losing' such fortune. It was never in my attempt for it to be stolen. I cried hard that day because I was always close with my grandma. She was my main happiness before she died. That necklace was everything to me besides Matthew. The energy and the will to continue my life is gone. You can call me a suicidal all you want but all I want to do right now is to cry so bad, that it hurts but I can't. I seriously can't. My brother who should be by my side is my fucking bully. My family don't know shit about what I'm going through and now I sound like a whining cat.

All of a sudden, I'm standing in front of a door, pushed inside by my dad. I stumbled and looked around me. The first person I made eye contact with, was Lauren. She stood up from her seat, eyes wide, mumbling my name quietly in shock.

I broke our eye contact and saw Brad lying on the hospital bed with a black eye and a bandage wrapped around his head, Ashley was sitting next to him. I would be lying if I said I wasn't satisfied with how he looked. See, I'm going crazy. Brad glared at me murderously and I glared back. I noticed that neither Jonathan or Matthew are here.

"Apologise." My dad ordered. I stayed quiet, still glaring at brad. "RIGHT NOW!!" He raised his voice, ordering again. I can see my dad fuming in the corner of my eye. I smirked and turned to my dad, leaving brad's glare to himself.

"No." I said simply. His jaw dropped open like everyone else. I was never this defiant before, specially to my parents. The Cole the knew, the weak and naive, is gone. If they don't like the new Cole, wait...scratch that, the new Nicole then they can suck my ass. If I'm gonna change, I'll change everything.

"How dare you disobey me? You better apologise right now or you're grounded young lady." my dad warned me, pointing his finger at me.

I turned to brad with a blank face. "Brad." I said still looking at him blankly. "I'm so sorry for causing such damage." My face converts into a cocky grin. "but I'm not sorry for beating the shit out of you because damn. it. felt. good." I finished.

My mom stepped in front of me "Cole..." She sighed with a longing look on her face. She placed her hand on my left cheek "what happened to you?"

"It's not Cole mom. It's Nicole now." I said as I removed her hand from my cheek. Wow, I'm turning to a real bitch, but it's seems like the world is lovely for these kind of people. "And nothing big happened to me. I'm just slammed with reality." I said and stepped back. I looked at Lauren, who frowned at me. She stared at me confused. Nothing to be confused about Lauren, I just decided to change. I spoke mentally.

My dad stood in front of my view, blocking my sight from Lauren. He slapped me hard across my face, turning my head to the side. I stumbled a few steps back, bringing my hand to my cheek. Everyone gasped loudly including me but what did I expect, I'm being a complete asshole, specially to my mother. My face hardened but that doesn't mean he can hit me whenever he wants. I stood straight and looked at my dad, who seemed shocked as well. I frowned at him.

"Why do you seem so shocked dad? You finally did what you wanted to do since you caught me and Rita 'smoking' cocaine that day in the backyard." I said sarcastically, putting extra attention on smoking, since my dad didn't believe a word I said to him.

My dad's ears turned red since I reminded him of how a disgrace I am to the family. "Nicole whatever facade you're doing right now needs to stop." My dad pointed his finger at me, trying to stay calm.

"WHAT FACADE DAD??? WHY CAN'T I EXPRESS MY FEELINGS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE CAN??." I yelled, surprising my parents and the whole 'gang'. Well, I still had a lot in my mind. I continued " WHY AM I ALWAYS TO BLAME DAD?? WHY IS EVERYTHING MY FAULT?? MY LUNCH MONEY IS STOLEN, MY FAULT. MY FACE IS BRUISED, MY FAULT. MY GRANDMA'S NECKLACE IS STOLEN, MY FAULT. EVERYTHING AND NOTHINGS ARE MY FAULT. I SUFFERED IN SILENCE FOR A LONG TIME BUT THAT'S ENOUGH. That's enough." I lowered my voice and darted my eyes to the floor, feeling numb again.

I felt eyes on me, watching me silently. My heart is racing as l waited for a sound. I looked up and meet my dad's eyes. He spoke "I thought I could forgive you when I found you with Rita. I told you so many times she's a bad influence but you never listened. You said she's your best friend. I come back from work today to a phone call from the police department in California. How could you do such thing? How could you hurt brad like this? Putting him in hospital? You're not my daughter, you changed the day you entered high school. You became a monster and just now, you showed your true colors." My dad finshed, gazing at me in disgust.

I was surprised to say the least. How can my dad say such things? How can he just say indirectly that he's disowning me? I smiled sarcastically "I should have known. I should have known you wouldn't believe your own daughter. Well, I guess I'm not anymore since you disowned me. You never trusted me since that day with Rita. How can you trust me now?" I stated frowning at him.

"Well, what did you expect? Since you entered high school you've been locked up in your room all day long, and when you're out of your room, you're always with Matthew. You never spend time with the whole family and not to mention the bruises on your face, proves to me, that you always have fights in school and somehow you're never in trouble. What are you? Huh? a bully or something." My dad said in rage but keeping his vocals down low because we're at the hospital.

I looked at him, fuming. I laughed in disbelief. "Are you serious right now? you're the one who's always at work while I stay at home and help Mom take care of Matthew. You never noticed me unless I'm in trouble. Which never happens because I'm never in trouble, you put me in trouble. You assume I'm in trouble. Ever since that day with Rita, you never trusted me, you always blamed me, you never took notice of me. You stopped caring and stopped being a real dad." I answered with as much rage as I can.

"You know what, that's it, when we go back home, you're out of the house." My dad had enough and announced his final decision.

"FINE!!" I said turning around and heading to the door. "I don't ever want to see your face again, you hear me, and stay away from Matthew." He fumed, stopping me from my track.

"You can't do that." I whispered and turned around to look at him in the eyes. He can't be serious. "Watch me" he threatened.

"If I ever see you near Matthew again, I'll send you straight to jail." He continued.

"Christian!!" My mom snapped and glared at dad, speaking for the first time in a while. "You can't make such rational decisions like that without my opinion." My mom stated.

My dad ignored my mom and glared at me. "You're telling me that I showed my true colors. Well look at you, you're the one who's showing his true colors to everyone around here. Everyone thinks that you are the best dad ever, the funniest, the sensitive, the understanding....well, they're wrong because I've seen who you truly are." I spat at my dad, and turned around, but before I leave I said without turning back "And I promise you, you won't see me ever again."

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A/N

WHAT?!! Nicole is kicked out off the house and she's changing to someone else. What do you expect to happen next?? Write in the comments.

Vote and comment whatever you want.