Because of Karson

Chapter 44

Karson's POV:

Today was the day.

Today was the day that I would see my father for the first time since we moved down here. After yesterday, I was more than ready. With all my pent-up anger, I was ready to release it by fighting against my father.

When I saw Dakota, on the floor, as Jason stood above her, I've never felt so much rage flow through my veins. I was fucking livid. Seeing her on the floor, vulnerable and in pain, made me want to kill him. I've never felt so many emotions hit me all at once until yesterday.

Seeing her bloody nose, her purple abdomen, and the way Jason threw her around like a fucking toy made me nauseous. Seeing the only person I ever cared for this much to be in that type of pain made me want to do horrible things to that bastard. With everything she's already been through, and then Jason shows up just to hurt her? I couldn't even describe the type of anger I felt.

It was overwhelming. All I could see was red when I heard her scream my name. I ran as fast as I could to her and when her motionless body came into view, I immediately wanted to kill whoever did that to her. Of course it was Jason. Who else would've done something so fucked up like that? This girl couldn't catch a fucking break.

Even after I took her back to her house, I still couldn't shake away the anger that permanently rested in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't even look her in the eye when I gently placed ice over the bruised ares. I felt so guilty.

She kept telling me that it wasn't my fault, but I couldn't come to terms without thinking that it could've been prevented if only I didn't go into the locker room. Even after I left her house an hour later, I still felt so uneasy.

Her siblings were still with her friends, but I was able to convince her to let the people around her help her. She voluntarily chose to tell her siblings and my best friends why she was injured when I talked her into opening up to them instead of keeping it inside. I knew she struggled with feeling the need to keep everything inside because that's what her mother taught her. Her mother taught her that her emotions were invalid.

When she eventually told them what to expect when they saw her in person, they were livid. I knew that during the fight, I'd have to watch out for Jace, Braxton, and Colton because I knew that they would try to hurt Jason. We all wanted to, but we promised Dakota that we wouldn't. She always reminded us that we were the bigger person if we didn't stoop down to his level and hurt him the way he hurt her.

Dakota was too good for this world.

I quickly averted my gaze to try and clear the thoughts that clouded my mind. I was sitting on the edge of my bed as my leg anxiously bounced up and down. It was only a few minutes before we needed to leave, and I already had everything prepared.

I ran a shaky hand through my dark hair as I shot off my bed. I gently rolled my shoulders as my head tilted up to stare at the ceiling above me. I released a long breath before I let my eyes flutter shut. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

"Karson!" I heard Colton yell from downstairs as I huffed, opening my eyes as I began to head towards my door. "It's time to go!"

"Give me a damn second!" I yelled back as I quickly grabbed my bag by the door and walked out. I was only wearing shorts and a loose shirt so it was easy to change in and out of.

I quickly made my way down the hall until I reached the top of the stairs. My feet subconsciously skipped every other step until I landed on the bottom floor. My eyes wandered around until they landed on Braxton and Colton who were standing by the front door.

"Come on, man," Braxton sighed as he trudged towards me. He raised his arm and lightly patted my shoulder before draping his arm around my shoulder. They both knew how hard this was going to be for me, so they gave me some space this morning.