Scarlett's POV

Five years and nine months ago

"Okay, you can do this," I assured myself as I sat down at the dinner table with my parents with a plate of Le Gigot D'Agneau, a traditional French roast lamb.

My parents are both French, born in the beautiful French village of Amboise. My mother is a gorgeous, tall woman with curly red hair, hazel eyes, a few freckles scattered across her face, an elegant and agile body, and an amazing taste in fashion.

My father is a handsome man standing at approximately six feet and three inches with ordinary brown hair, blue eyes, and a well-defined jaw. I inherited my mother's hair, hazel eyes, agility, and fashion taste, and my father's strength. I was born in France, but we moved to America when I was twelve years old, and we have all gained our US citizenship when I turned twenty years old.

This may sound ridiculous, but it's actually really cool to have a dual citizenship.

I discovered that I was into girls when I was roughly fourteen years old. I acquired a humongous crush on one of my girl-friends but because I was the popular "French Ginger", I was afraid to act on my desires as it would have tarnished my reputation and image. So... I dated high school boys and pretended that we were perfect when underneath there were problems as I wasn't as intimate with them as they wanted me to be. I hated high school and being called a ginger but as a teenager, I was desperate to tolerate and do whatever was needed to be done, so I can be on top of the popularity chain.

Once I graduated high school and transferred into college, things took off in a very different direction. When I was nineteen, I fell in love with one of my female classmates. She was the most phenomenal subject in the class that absorbed my attention and whom I studied as much as I could. We started to chat immediately during our first class together where the teacher made us partners for an assignment, almost like he knew....

Anyway, to make this painful and heart-tearing memory as short as possible, we quickly became friends, and I eventually asked her out with the trepidation that she would not only reject me, but also expose me to everyone. To my surprise, she not only said yes to me, but she was also tremendously thrilled. We dated for over a year, and we did everything that couples do, including sex which was outstanding.

But things went downhill when she betrayed me and left me heartbroken. I can't imagine trusting my heart to anyone again. So I dealt with my pain through one-night stands with random women.

All that people knew was that Abriana and I had a ginormous fight, resulting in a destroyed friendship where we ended up avoiding each other like the plague.

I've never revealed to my parents that I'm into girls, because I was uncertain at how they would react at the news. I've seen how other parents react, and there was no guarantee that mine would be any different, despite the fact that they loved me to the moon and back.

"Mamá, Papá, I have something I need to tell you, and um... I've been trying to find the right time for this," I announced hesitantly.

"Oui, mon biquet?" (Yes, my lamb?) My mother asked as she stopped eating and directed her attention towards me.

I nervously fidgeted with my fork, thinking that maybe this was actually a bad idea, and I was about to commit a terrible mistake from which there was no point of return.

"What is it?" My father interrupted my racing thoughts. They were both looking at me inquisitively.

Here goes nothing, I thought as I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my pounding heart that sounded like a thousand drums thundering in my ears.

"I'm gay," I blurted out, and suddenly I felt as if a great weight was lifted off my shoulders. I released the deep breath that I've been holding and felt peace flow over me in tranquil waves.

Their expressions were hard to decipher. Are they angry? Happy? Shocked? I couldn't define.

"You're what?" My father squinted his eyes and leaned forwards as if he didn't hear what I said, even though I knew that his hearing is perfect.

"I'm gay. I'm into girls, and if you won't accept that, then I---"

"I knew it!" my mother exclaimed joyfully, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Wait, what...

"See, I told you she was gay. Didn't I?" My mother bragged to my father and looked at me with an ecstatic and proud expression. "Ma chérie, nous sommes tellement content pour toi!" (My darling, we are so happy for you!)

"Oui, we are very excited for you mon amour," my father beamed.

"Wait, what did you mean when you said that you knew it?" I asked, still confused on that part, as I couldn't recollect a single moment where I would have given them that impression.

"Oh, I just had a feeling. Call it a mother instinct. When I told your father about my suspicions, he thought that I was wrong, but I am not! Ha!" She gleefully said to my father.

"Yes, you were right ma chérie. Just as long as you give us grandchildren, I'm fine with it," he added.

My mother smacked him on the back of his head, to which he responded with an "ow!"

"Don't listen to your father. We will always love you no matter what. You can be a lesbian, a horse, turn into a man--"

"Now easy on the last part," my father warned.

My mother ignored him and continued, "no matter your sexuality, your gender---"

"Ah ah, easy on the last part," my father interrupted again, to which my mother again smacked him on the back of his head, this time harder.

"Anyway," she continued, as my father groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "We love you, and you'll always be my precious daughter no matter what."

"I mean... wow... I... I didn't expect such support from you guys. I... I love you too," I stammered, tears threatening to pour down my face like a waterfall.

I stood up to embrace them in a tight hug. I had no idea what I ever did to deserve supportive parents like mine, but I was extremely grateful for them.

After dinner, I stayed at my parents' house like I always do when I visit them, and I was already in my senior year at college. My parents had preserved my room full of teenage mementos, partially because I still visit pretty often, and they didn't want to mess up their only daughter's memories.

I had painted my own bedroom with a maroon color and changed the colors twice because after some time I would dislike the color, which was typical teenage behavior. The wallpaper was now a beige color and posters of Megan Fox, Laetitia Casta, Léa Seydoux, and Kate Moss still littered the walls. I could see how my mother would have had suspicions about my sexuality, because she was always the more observant parent. I mean, mothers usually are, right?

As I laid there, I thought about the number of times when I could have been my true self and not put up a facade for my parents whenever I would bring my ex-girlfriend over for dinner. Regret and guilt tugged at my heart for lying to my parents all these years.

Out of nowhere, I heard some patter on my window. At first, I thought it was simply my imagination and ignored it. However, a few seconds later I again heard the same clattering on my window, which sounded like rocks so I went to investigate. Which turned out to be a terrible mistake.

Glancing out the window, I spotted Robert, my ex-boyfriend to whom I haven't spoken to for some time, standing on my parents' lawn catapulting rocks at my window. He noticed me and mouthed some words that I couldn't make out.

"What?" I whisper-shouted irritatingly, glaring down at him.

"Hey Scarlett! Come on down!" Robert quietly yelled, waving his hand to me.

"Why?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "We broke up a long time ago, remember?"

"Come on, don't be like that babe," he pouted. "Just climb down from the window like we used to do. I want to talk to you."

"Seriously? We are not teenagers, Rob," I huffed. Seriously, what did this schmuck want from me?

"I'll catch you if you fall. I promise."

I sighed and looked down at the distance to the ground. Roughly ten feet down was the patio roof from where it was another good ten feet or so until the ground. I hesitated, thinking that it was a completely stupid idea. I mean, why the fuck should I do something that a boy, an ex-boyfriend at that, tells me to? What am I thinking?

Nothing, I realized. At the moment, I didn't want to think. I was exhausted, frustrated, and the only good thing that happened to me recently for weeks was successfully coming out to my parents. The wound in my heart was still as fresh as the day it happened, and rational decisions didn't seem to be my friend nowadays.

So when I started to climb down, I must have miscalculated or something because the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground with an excruciating pain in my rib area and Robert's stupid face just inches away from me. I had to force myself not to vomit at the stench that drifted from his mouth.

Fucking turd must have had garlic for dinner I thought, not even trying to hide my disgust.

"Are you okay?" He worriedly asked, his voice laced with fake concern. I noticed a hint of amusement in his eyes that quickly vanished. I knew he enjoyed seeing me hurt, and better if he was the cause of it.

"What the fuck do you think?" I snapped.

I groaned, feeling the pain shoot through my body as I tried to get up.

"Wait, let me help---"

I didn't let him finish as I grabbed him by the collar and kneed him in the groin, emitting a yelp from him as I pushed him off me. I stood up and watched with a grimaced smile as he rolled around on my parents' front lawn, groaning and holding his crotch.

"Fuck! Scarlett! Why?" He cried as tears began streaming down his face. I didn't even realize that I had kicked him so hard. Or maybe it's because he's a weak bitch.

"Are you seriously asking that question?" I yelled and glared at him. "If you are, you're a bigger idiot than I thought."

And with that, I kicked him in the groin again, causing him to shriek out like a dying animal as his face turned redder than a ripe tomato. I probably wouldn't have stopped there if my parents hadn't rushed out of the house at that moment.

"What in the world is happening here? What is he doing here?" My father demanded. "You. Get out of here. Now." He lifted Robert from the ground by his collar and dragged him across the lawn until they reached the gate, where my father threw him onto the sidewalk like an unwanted dog.

I suddenly felt a searing pain in my ribs, making me gasp and fall to my knees. Taking deep breaths was impossible without experiencing tremendous pain that tore through my body in waves. I felt several tears escape my eyes as I struggled to breathe. I dimly heard my mother yelling for my father as I rolled onto my back and the last thing I remember was seeing my father's blurry face before darkness filled my vision.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of my body. I tried to sit up but a burning pain in my upper body forced me to stay down. It felt as if someone was prodding me in the ribs with an iron-hot cattle prod.

"There she is." I heard my father's familiar voice and turning my head to the right, I saw both my parents sitting beside my bed with relieved smiles on their faces.

"How are you feeling, darling?" My mother asked, her eyes filled with concern and love as she gently placed her hand on top of mine.

"I'm... fine," I replied slowly.

And I was surprised to realize that I actually did feel fine. Despite finding out that I have three broken ribs and a lung contusion that had required an immediate blood transfusion, I felt... alive. Maybe it was the drugs that they gave me. Or perhaps the concussion from the fall. But the pain... it was like ambrosia to my mind, filling me with peace and tranquility.

I loved it. And that's when I decided that I'll finally sign up for boxing and punch my way through life and the pain gnawing at my heart, threatening to tear me apart if I didn't take immediate actions.