Battle of Love

Chapter one It was the usual Saturday morning at home, filled with chaos and drama I woke up with the sound of my mom’s scream downstairs “Evans You will do no such!!” She yelled “I won’t tolerate any trash from you anymore Even if you want to cheat on me You won’t let my friends find out and make me a laughing stock” I groaned and rolled on my bed pulling my pillow over my head If this was what marriage was all about, then I don’t want to get married I thought as I took a shower and decided to visit the next street to see my male best friend Jake Jake was not only my best friend, He was my childhood friend, we grew up together He knew everything about me as well as I do about him When I had my first menstrual period, it happened at his house and he almost fainted at the sight of seeing me bleed He thought I was dying The memory always made me laugh Jake had grown up to be a tall handsome young 19 year old He was always the center of attraction anywhere he stepped into People couldn’t stop staring at him Not only was he handsome, he was a smart pupil and was funny He knew how to enjoy life Taking it neither too hard or soft He was every ones dream boyfriend…The soap opera type But to me, he was one crazy person out of the human species All he did was annoy and prank me, he always made me want to beat him to a pulp Despite all these fine qualities, Jake always managed to land himself with messy girlfriends Since his first date when we were 15, all he received were heartbreaks and problems I saw no difference between his relationship and my parent’s marriage The longest his relationship ever lasted was his present one which is 6 months and counting Jake never made it so far in a relationship before, I was surprised Jake is still with Lucy who attends the same school with us She was the leader of the renowned group of spoilt kids known as the “Chic” Due to the fact that her parents spoilt her with material things She took the chance to flaunt and bully the less privileged with it She was known to harass some students who are on scholarship and call them “poverty stinking kids” I was still wondering what weird and rude taste Jake had in women when I pulled in front of Jake’s family mansion Even though I was from a wealthy family as well, Jake’s family house still took my breathe as it did 14 years ago when I visited him for the first time for a picnic when I was 4 It was a tall building painted in black, the interior designs were top notch and most of the furniture appeared dark and cold yet majestic… expensive and beautiful There was always this dark aura surrounding Jake’s family members His uncle was an handsome cold man I’ve never seen such a cold beauty that matches his He never smiles but still acts welcoming , I always has a soft spot for uncle Ryan ever since I started visiting Jake’s home As I pressed the doorbell and waited for response, I thought about my parents Their arguments was becoming more frequent than before, they were never happy couples but their pretense to be happy was so scary My mom was the director of my high school while my dad worked in the mayor’s office They were both the “hotshot power couple” many dreamed about but none knew that their marriage was filled with a lot of filth I was the only child responsible who had to deal with all their mess and pretend to be happy My only escape route from the falseness and lies was my best friend, Jake When things got suffocating, he was my solace, like today My thoughts were interrupted by Jake voice, I didn’t even know he was in front of me already… he looked at me from head to toe and said like a prophet “You’re stressed again… Come in and let me feed you a gallon of ice cream “ I laughed happily, tossing my hair and entered after him “You know how to perfectly brighten my dark moods” I said as I sat down with a large bowl of ice cream Jake gave me “My parents are having their arguments again… It’s becoming more frequent My dad’s cheating again and he’s not even sorry about it..” I said with my eyes getting watery I pretended that their messy marriage never hurt me and I don’t care but I always felt sorry for my mom She was beautiful, diligent and she loved my father Why did she end up with an asshole like him? But what made me more furious was that “Why wasn’t she leaving him?” Jake’s arms were already wrapped round me…I closed my eyes and savored his scent Jake always smelled nice… “Very soon, We’d be done with high school and will have to go to college You won’t be home to witness this anymore..” he said caressing my hair I smiled and nodded After spending the rest of my day with Jake, I decided to go home by 7pm but as I was leaving An entourage of 12 black jeeps rode into the compound They looked so expensive and classy… the doors opened and men dressed in black suits came down I saw Uncle Ryan come down as well, I wanted to run to greet him as I have always done but he looked ice cold and unfriendly, He walked pass me ignoring me like he had never set his eyes on me in his lifetime leaving me confused and hurt I decided to report him to Jake in school on Monday There was something odd and eerie about Jake’s family members I knew his mom was dead but I never met his dad, Jake confirmed that he rarely meets him as well, they are filthy wealthy but the exact source of their income is unknown They act eerie and cold, like some sort of cult or assassins I couldn’t imagine his family turning my precious Jake into something cold and eerie like Uncle Ryan, I shuddered at the thought That’s impossible, Ryan was going to go to college with me and will become the world best surgeon he has always wanted to be I reached my parents house and entered but screamed as I saw blood everywhere I screamed so loud that I thought my lungs were going to burst Then I heard my mom’s whimpers I saw her behind a big cushion… she was a bloodied mess “Mom..?” I whispered She looked at me and suddenly looked embarrassed that I saw her looking in such way She tried to turn away but I was already hugging her tightly “I’m sorry” she said choking on her tears “I’m so sorry “ she repeated crying harder There’s nothing to be sorry about I thought as I petted her hair This was the first time my dad has resorted into using physical harm on her But we all saw it coming, he was getting out of hands It was so obvious that sooner or later, he was going to raise his hands on her I looked around the room if I could detect his presence and said to my mom “What will you do now?” I asked my mom hoping she was ready to get a divorce and report him to the police “Nothing He has apologized..” I disentangled myself from her and looked into her face My mom’s eyes were filled with tears and hurt She obviously wasn’t happy but why was she still staying “You won’t understand Annabelle… You’re still young and beautiful Sooner you will understand Marriage is more complicated that it looks” she said rubbing my face with care Water fell from my eyes… only if she knew how much their marriage obsession had ruined my feelings toward marriage or relationship I had never fallen in love with someone I had never been in a relationship, the truth was that I was too scared to be in one I always wondered if I would become so obsessed with the person and would end up like my mother What if I met someone like my father, A manipulative human and narcissist He was very great at playing victim, he would suddenly become the person who needed justice and not my mom I was never going to be a fool’s love or become someone who will never be able to stand for herself in a relationship And I wasn’t mentally prepared to face this type of issues yet so I avoided anything called love like a plague “Oh Annabelle… my pretty daughter I’m sorry “ my mom said as if she read my thought She hugged me tightly and I closed my eyes wishing I never remembered this incident but worse was coming Little did I know that this was the beginning of a great storm coming A severe storm