Matty shrugs as my parents both look lost. Even Seth and Laurence are confused. “Guess not.”
“Guess it wasn’t you who stood by and watched him ruin my life, beg me to leave this world because I was nothing, huh?”
His lips curve into a grin and he shrugs again. “Nope, guess not.”
“Matty, is that true?” my mom asks, her eyes wide.
“She’s insane, Mom. I don’t know. You might want to up her meds.”
“Fuck you,” I scream, taking a step toward him. “You are a worthless piece of shit who will never amount to anything ’cause you take pride in hurting other people.”
He scoffs. “You are the only one I don’t care about, Avery. I mean, how could I? When all you do is beg for attention instead of shutting your fucking mouth.”
Turning to my parents, I hold my hand out to my brothers. “Do you see this? Do you see how they treat me, and yet you do nothing,” I yell and Matty laughs.
“Why would they? All you do is bitch and moan. ‘No one loves me.’ ‘All you care about is hockey.’ Me, me, me. All you care about is yourself. You’re the selfish, poor excuse for a human.”
I glare, my heart pounding in my ears. I swear to God, I have no clue who this person is. Family isn’t supposed to do this to you. Especially the person you shared a womb with. “Why do you even talk to me, Matty?”
“Believe me, I don’t want to.”
“Then I’m gone. All of you, I’m gone. You’ll never ever have to deal with me again,” I sneer as I back away, looking at each of the faces of the people who are my so-called family.
“Now, Avery, calm down. There is no reason to act like this,” my dad says, but I shake my head.
“Are you coming to my showcase in March?”
He pauses and looks to my mom for help, but she shrugs. “Now, Avery, you know that I can’t get away easily…”
“So that’s a no.”
“Well, let me see what I can do—”
“But you got time off for Matty’s and Laurence’s first games. For Seth’s game in Jersey. But you can’t get off for something that’s in five months? Can’t move your schedule around?”
“Avery, that’s different. I have to know the talent coming up.”
“No, it’s ’cause I don’t matter to anyone in this house. I’m just a fucking problem. Someone who is always in the way.”
“That’s not true,” my mom says, taking a step toward me. “Honey, we love you.”
“Yeah, maybe you love me, but you sure as hell don’t care about me. That’s fine. I’m done with this family.”
With that, I turn to walk away, just as Matty says, “Oh, there she goes, attention-seeking Avery throwing a fit ’cause no one is up her ass.”
Turning around, I bite out, “Fuck off.”
“Don’t you see why you are treated the way you are? Because you’re pathetic. No one cares. Hell, half of us don’t even love you.”
“Matthew,” my parents exclaim, but Matty doesn’t care, he just glares.
“So please, don’t lie to us. Keep your promise.”
“Why don’t you just shut the fuck up?”
“Make me.”
I really don’t know what gets into me. I don’t even know what is happening, but then I’m across the room, slamming my fist into his chest. But he’s so much bigger than me and he just swats me away. Hard. I lose my footing, slamming my face into the counter. Then I’m on the floor, and his laughter is filling the room as my mom rushes to me.