Aden
I curse when my phone goes to voice message again. I have to stop myself from tossing the phone at my window shield. This is about the hundredth time I've tried to call April to only hear her voice mail answer.

I don't care if she's mad at me. I'm more then ready to have her curse and yell at me. I just need to talk to her. I need to be able to explain.

If she doesn't answer I can't keep her safe. I have to talk to her and find out how much she knows. More importantly I have to make sure she doesn't put the pieces together.

I remember the video my father had showed me of April in her room. The feed had been a live one of her sitting on her bed.

Anytime, son. I can make my move at anytime and no one could stop me. My father's voice repeated in my head.

After my father's men had pulled me off of him that was the video he'd showed me. He had threatened April and the only thing that had stopped me from trying to strangle him had been the three body guard that held me down.

"If you want to keep her safe you play by my rules now and you make sure no one talks." My father had said.

I glared back at him. My anger had taken over and all I could see was red. The two men struggled to keep me held back. When I jumped forward they'd been the only thing to hold me back and even my father had to step back.

"See son this is the difference between the powerful and the powerless. Without power all you have is your anger. Power is the ability to make things happen. Power is what allowed me protect my family and my livelihood." My father said.

My father walked back towards me. He bent down so that we were eye level.

" You want to protect your little girl then you're going to need the power to make it happen, but I'm done giving you hand outs. You want the power then you're going to have to take it. Until then know that every breath your little b'tch takes is the breath I allow her to breath." He'd said.

My hands tightened around the wheel as I think back about what had happened. He wanted a war. In some sick way he probably thought making me go up against him would turn me into the weapon he always wanted me to be.

I didn't care in more. Giving into my anger was exactly what he wanted but I didn't care if I was playing right into his hand. I just wanted to see him bleed.

My inner monster clawed to the surface and I did nothing to try to fight it back. What was the point of the son of the devil pretending to be anything else then the monster he was born to be.

The only thing that keep me from going after my father right now was April. My father was a cruel man but not a dumb one. If I attacked him right now he'd have a safety plan to take out April.

No, if I was going to take down my father I would have to be just as smart as I would be ruthless. The cops, judges, and thugs who were loyal to him acted as his protection. If I was going to take him down I'd have to take apart his empire piece by piece.

But before all of that I had to make sure April was okay. I thought about maybe distancing myself from her. If my father thought she was of no importance to me she'd be safe, but the only way that worked was if my father believed it.

My father would have no problem with killing an innocent girl like April to test my affections. That's why the safest place for April would be right next to me.

I pulled up to the school and hopped out of the car. I raced into the building hoping to see April inside. It had been a few day since Jamal's death, but I hoped by some chance she'd deiced to return to school.

I ran up the stair to the history room. I sighed with relief when I saw April siting in our usual spots. This was the first time she'd ever made it to class before. She was staring out of the window but turned to look at me when I got closer.

The look in her eyes made me freeze. Normally her eyes were bright and lively but now they looked sad and distant. There was so much pain inside of her brown eyes. Pain that I'd never wanted to see there.

My heart twisted. I'd already failed to protect her.

"Aden." April said in a soft voice.

I nodded although I'm not sure why. I took my seat next to her not breaking eye contact. I'd expected her to yell and scream at me, but she just stared silently into my eyes.

"You're face." April said.

She'd noticed the cuts and bruises from the fight with my father. We'd traded blows before I ended up on top of him with my hands wrapped around his neck.

"Accident." I say

April doesn't question it.

I could have dealt with the yelling and the anger but the sad look inside her eyes tore at my soul.

"You're back." I say trying to start a conversation.

April gave me a small nod. "I...I couldn't stay there...there was to much...Jamal-he...he's everywhere I look inside of that house."

The short pauses in April's speech were full of pain where she could not get the words out. Guilt weighed heavy on my shoulders.

"April I'm-"

"Please don't" April whispered looking back up at me. "I've listened to so many people apologize for what happened. If I have to hear one more apology...I just can't."

April turned away and looked back out the window.

"April about my father-"

"I don't want to talk about it. It won't change anything. It won't undo what has been done so just...don't." April said turning back to look at me.

For the first time since I meet with my father my anger was quailed and replaced by a since of shame. I'd failed her and she wasn't mad, she was just hurt. Knowing that was the worst kind of punishment.

April turned away again and when the teacher walked back into the room I was forced to look away. We sat the rest of the class in silence. I tried to sneak glances at April but every time I did she wasn't looking my way.

The bell rung and we all stood up. April left before me and I raced to keep up.

I reached out a hand to touch her arm. "April"

April jerked away from my touch as though I'd burned her. She stared at me with wide eyes. That one action was enough to tear my heart apart.

"April, I understand if you want to be done with me but we need to talk." I said.

April's body relaxed slightly. "I'm not."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not done with you, Aden. I still...I care. I care about you and I don't want to lose another person I care about. I can't." April's voice broke on the last word. Tears filled her eyes and just when it seemed that she was about to cry she held it back. "But I don't know how to be around you. I don't know how to be around anyone. Everything hurts."

I look into her eyes and feel her pain as though it was my own. This is the most vulnerable I've ever seen her and like a wounded animal getting to close can do more harm than good.

"I don't blame you, Aden, but I..." Her voice broke off again she looked away from me.

"It's okay, April. I understand."

April looked back at me."Have you ever lost someone, Aden?"

I shook my head. Although my life had not been without it's struggles I'd never known that kind of pain.

"Then until you do, you can't understand." April said simply before turning back around.

I may not have been able to understand completely what she was going through, but I had an ideal. I knew if I ever lost April my world would come crashing down.

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Author's note: So Aden daddy crazy... Hopefully he can get him to leave April alone and still pass biology because yeah school is still a thing even when you're plotting to take down evil dad.

Double A's relationship took a hit on this one but maybe they'll be able to mend it. Either way Aden is going to have to look out for April.

Aden after the fight...

Until next time...