• Chapter 5
    ~Camren~
    My eyelids started to flutter and I felt someone holding my hand. I opened my eyes and saw Damien staring at me with anxious eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief when my eyes opened. I glanced behind him and saw my sister, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and saw that she was on the verge of tears.
    I looked around the room and saw my parents standing in the room. My face went pale. What were my parents doing here? They had left me and Jaime when I was sixteen. They’d always wanted a life without kids, but then I came along. They pretended to be happy about me, but I knew that they loathed me. I had ruined their perfect lives. For two years they planned to leave me in a foster home, but before they could they had Jaime. They kept us at home with a sitter for months on end. By the time I turned fifteen they began coming home drunk, and when I turned sixteen they stopped coming home all together. I didn’t know how to pay the bills, so they started piling up. Then the mortgage company came to reposes the house so we were forced to live on the streets, that is till I found a job and a place to live.
    My mom was the first one to speak “Camren, how are you feeling?”
    “How am I feeling? You left me and Jaime alone without so much as a warning. You left us in the streets and to fend for ourselves. Jaime is all the family I need. We don’t need you anymore. I look out for us now. I have a job and a place to live and a stable school schedule. I can take care of myself and Jaime. If I were to need help I wouldn’t call either of you, I would call Damien here. He is one of the two people I trust.” I said just as I ran out of breath.
    My heart rate was picking up, but I didn’t notice. Damien was the one to calm me down. He always had a soft spot for my health.
    “Camren, calm down, your heartbeat is to fast take a deep breath.” he said “Look at me, don’t look at them. Just concentrate on my voice and try to calm down. It’s going to be alright.” then to my parents “Would you mind leaving. You’re just going to make things worse by staying here. I can tell that you didn’t mean to leave your daughters, but you did and that has had a negative effect on them. It would be best if you left them alone and stayed out of their lives.”
    “Who are you to my daughter, young man? I demand to know. You tell me right this instant.” my “father” bellowed at Damien.
    “If you really want to know I’m her boyfriend. I care a lot about her. She means everything to me. I plan to marry her.” he said as a matter of fact.
    I was shocked that he was planning to marry me. It was like I was floating in my personal world. I couldn’t believe my own ears. I was so happy, I was glowing. I mean it I, actually, was glowing. I was radiating happiness.
    I was brought back to earth by the sound of my “fathers” yelling. He was yelling at Damien “What makes you think you can marry my daughter? I certainly did not give you my blessing. Just because in not in the picture doesn’t mean that you automatically have free will. You still have to tell me first.” he blew up in Damien’s face.
    That hit my last nerve “He did tell you first. I didn’t even know until now. You’re wrong about something, I do have freewill. I am eighteen now. I can do whatever I want to do. That means that I can marry Damien, without your consent. I am my own person. You don’t control my life anymore. You haven’t controlled my life since I was sixteen. That’s when you left me to fend for me and Jaime I’ve been doing just fine on my own. I don’t need your consent for anything.” I said.
    My “father” looked awestruck. He looked like a bumbling fool. He started stuttering in outrage. He turned on his heal and left. My “mother” looked after him, then she left. I was glad to see them leave. Jaime looked relieved to see them go. I was trying to calm myself down by taking deep even breaths.
    I was shaking with rage. I couldn’t hold on to my rage with Damien in the room. I had no idea what day it was. I was happy to see Damien with my own eyes. He was staring at me with lonesome eyes.
    I had to clear my throat so I could talk “Did you really mean that you would marry me? With or without my so called dads consent.”
    “I do. I don’t want to leave your side at all, for whatever reason. I love you and I want you to be happy. I know that you think that we aren’t ready for this, but I can’t put it off any longer. I want us to be a family, you, me, and Jaime. I know that you signed Jaime’s adoption papers last year and that you’re her legal guardian now.” he paused to take a breath’ “I’ll help you however I can. I just want to ask you this. Camren Elizabeth Reina, will you do me the honor, please take this ring and become my wife.”
    I got all teary eyed again “Yes, Damien, I will marry you. I don’t think that it’s too early. I think that it’s just the right time for this. We’ve been going out for two years now, I want to marry you. I want us to be a family. I’ve never met someone who I loved even more than I love you.” I told him.
    He and Jaime looked surprised by my decision. He quickly shook off the surprise and gave me a hug before he pulled the ring out of his pocket and placed it on my finger. I was beaming with happiness. That happiness was quickly removed due to a horrible, horrible memory.