*McKinley's POV*

"Mhm," I mumbled in conformation as I tightened the seatbelt around my waist. My father hadn't been home for the past few days for a business trip, leaving me without reason to cover up the nonexistent bruises.

Adjusting the rear view mirror, my mother glanced out the back window as she backed out of the empty driveway, double-checking the seats behind us to ensure we'd brought the decorations.

"I had no idea Heath's mother was in a relationship. He has never said anything about it to me; only how his father had died when he was a young boy. Now I'm wondering if..." she trailed off, tapping a finger against her chin as she signaled left and pulled onto the highway.

"If...?" I prompted her to go on.

Shaking her head, she lifted a hand off the wheel to wave it in the air in a show of nonchalance as she refuted, "Nevermind. I'll have to question him more in depth about it. His uncle stopped by for a visit at my office once and quickly mentioned his daughter was Mason. What a small world, huh?"

Neither she nor I could've known just how small the world was, but we were about to find out.

The remainder of the drive ensued in silence with only the sounds of impatient drivers' horns blaring when a car was stopped for a second too long when the red light turned to green.

I'd lulled off to sleep halfway through the drive only to awaken once the tires of the car rolled over the gravel road leading to a modest sized building with tangled vines hugging the structure to give it a majestic aura.

The instant the car was put in park, Mason came sprinting down the road, auburn hair flying widely in the wake of her excited dash. She reached the car in record time, yanking open the passenger side door before I had the chance to.

Latching onto my arm, she spoke in rapid succession as I struggled to catch up.

"Heath just texted me saying that he'll be here any minute with his mother. He had a hard time thinking of ways to keep her busy without making her suspicious so he decided to come straight here. We need to get these decorations up fast."

Processing her words as quickly as I could, I snatched the blue tinted decorations from the backseat and sprung them up inside the spacious room along with Mason's help.

Out of breath, Mason bent over and rested her hands on her knees, swiping a hand across her forehead as she huffed a huge sigh of relief.

"Whew," she said, "We did it."

We took a second to look around the room filled with various shades of blues casted among the decorations. A few tables with blue tablecloths were stationed close together as places for the guests Mason's father had invited. Being a part of Heath's family, he knew the people to invite.

Speaking of him, Mr. Levingston burst through the mahogany doors, crazily motioning his arms as he ushered the guests inside to hide under the tables. He flicked off the lights just as I found a spot under a table joined with my mother and Mason.

Heath's Batman figurine painfully dug into my hip as I crouched beneath the table, waiting in joined hushed silence thick with hardly contained excitement.

Muffled voices spoke on the other side of the doors lined with blue streamers and we all held our breaths in anticipation.

"Are we there yet?" A feminine voice wondered, answered by another voice, "A few more steps, Mom."

A third, deep voice joined Heath's and his mother's with a chuckle muted by the doors. "Hopefully the baby won't be as impatient as you."

Every hair on my arms shot up as goosebumps spread across my entire body. I recoiled from the shockingly familiar voice that sent my dreams spiraling into endless nightmares during both the day and night.

Mason jabbed my side, shooting me a wide grin as the doors slowly creaked open and the lights were turned on, but I couldn't match her overjoyed expression when the man on a business trip returned home a day too soon.

As if on command, the guests surged out from their hiding places, yelling, "Surprise!"

I stayed underneath the table, feeling utterly detached from my body as it betrayed me, rooting my hands and feet to the floor in a state of disbelief.

Ms. Johnson's hand leapt to her mouth that had dropped open once she'd removed the blindfold from over her eyes which immediately pooled with tears. Heath's face became ghostly pale when his eyes met mine from across the room despite the tablecloth practically hanging down in front of me.

A hand dropped on Ms. Johnson's shoulder as the man with whom the hand belonged to beheld the room in a single glance; a hand that had caused my entire life to spin in circles out of my control after suffering through the infinitesimal amount of beatings brought upon me by those very knuckles.

I unsteadily clambered out from my hiding place, feeling dizzy as I stood on my feet, staring at my father from across the room.

He couldn't be Ms. Johnson's...boyfriend.

But then why was his other hand rubbing the baby bump on her stomach as he smiled at the crowd?

The smile turned sour when his eyes landed on my mother's before continuing to my own. The entire scene faded into nothing as the three of us stood stock still, deciphering just what was going on.

My father's eyes darkened on his wife and daughter. I couldn't detach my eyes from his and see how my mother was reacting in fear he'd snap at any given moment.

I strayed from his gaze after a seemingly long amount of time, focusing on the dull blue eyes of Heath Foster as they faded to gray. He visibly gulped, at a loss as to what to do.

Fire ignited in my veins, spurning my body foreword without permission from my brain. All I knew was that this was Heath's fault and he would pay.

He had to have known my father was cheating on my mother with his mother.

I strode right up to him, ignoring the guests as they felt the tension in the air. When I was just feet away, I slipped the Batman from my pocket and launched it at him with all of the strength I could muster.

Fear, anger, hurt, and absolute shock fueled the rocket that showed zero signs of slowing down. The figurine smashed directly into Heath's mouth, slicing a cut on his lip as it clanged to the ground.

A collective gasp arose from the onlookers, but I couldn't stay to watch what happened next. I didn't want anyone to see the burning tears cascading down my cheeks in a flood as I stormed out of the room.

Blindly running down random hallways, I swiped my hands over my cheeks to dry the tears that endlessly flowed.

I didn't stop running until I had made it outside, allowing for a new kind of pain to take over as the fierce wind nipped at the exposed skin. It was far better than the pain tearing at my heart as I fought to take breaths over the tears I choked over.

Collapsing on the sidewalk, a million thoughts zipped through my head at once.

My father was having an affair. Heath knew about it and didn't tell me. Heath's mother was pregnant with my father's baby. My poor mother.

Images of Heath's bruised and scarred flesh flashed in my mind and I gasped.

What if my father-?

A strong pair of arms swooped under my armpits to interrupt my thoughts, effortlessly hauling my body from the ground as an inked tattoo flashed across my vision seconds before my back was held tightly against a sturdy chest.

"I'm so sorry," a pained voice whispered against the howling wind as he brushed his lips against my ear.

Knocking the leather-clad arms from my shoulders, I spun around and threw my fists at the blonde haired boy standing before me.

I relentlessly struck Heath's chest with my punches, grinding my teeth together as I incoherently shouted accusations at him.

"How could you not tell me? How long have you been suffering through my father's abuse? How long have you known?"

All throughout my fit, Heath stood there and took it all. My fists hit their target in a blur, smacking against the leather jacket he wore.

When it was evident my throws were succumbing to weakness, Heath caught my hands in his and wrapped his larger calloused hands around mine, holding them against his pounding heart.

I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my mouth when I noticed the way his full upper lip had become swollen as blood dribbled between his lips.

I'd done that. I was just as bad as my father.

"I tried to keep him a secret because I was afraid of what he would do. McKinley, you have to trust me when I say that I only recently found out he was your father," he admitted, searching my eyes. "I'll explain more after. Right now, we have to get back in there before all Hell breaks loose, if it hasn't already."

Blatantly ignoring the majority of what he said, I hesitantly asked, "D-Does he...Does my father abuse you, too?"

The pained look on his face was enough of an answer.

********

I just wanted to thank you guys so much for reading this story as well as "Tracking Logan Foster". It really means so much to me that you all enjoy my stories and support me while I write.

I greatly appreciate all of your votes and comments. Thank you for being the best readers! :)

By the way, I had to change Mason's last name from the first chapter to Levingston so she'd have the same last name as Justin. I hadn't originally planned on her being his daughter, as you can see, lol.