Teach Me To Behave

23. To Be

"Justin?" I whispered rather loudly.

My heels clacked along the dark wooden floors, moving quicker than casual, but trying to keep myself on the ground. I smiled politely at some people that I strutted past on my way upstairs. I didn't want to be stopped by anyone to chat, but I also didn't want to look fidgety as I traced Justin's step.

At the top of the staircase I could see our long hall of closed doors. I walked to the end of the chain, where my bedroom was. The door was locked, of course.

"Justin!?" I called through the seal of the door. Knocking gently on the wooden frame, "Open the door, I know you're in there." I tapped the door again. As expected, he didn't answer. I pressed my ear against the door and could hear him breathing heavily, but he wasn't pacing like he normally did when he was upset or frustrated.

I looked to the top of the doorframe and prayed that my spare key was still up there. Alan used to purposely lock me out of my room or lock himself in there as he snooped through my things whenever he got a chance. So I started keeping an extra key at the top of the wooden frame. And thankfully, it was still there, three years later. I snatched it tight in my hand and brought it to the key hole.

"Mila?" My mother's voice sounded from directly behind me. I turned around quickly, keeping the key behind my back.

"Mom?" I smiled nervously, "Hi."
She tilted her chin upward a bit. I could hear Justin's steady breathes on the other side of the door. I wondered if and she could too.

"Everything alright?" She asked watching the closed door as she spoke.

"Yeah, uh, Drew-" I thought as quickly as I could, "He must've ate something bad. He said his stomach was acting up after eating some of the cheese squares downstairs. I was just making sure he was okay." I bit my top lip, but then pushed it down with my tongue trying not to look more nervous than ever.

Mom nodded her head believably, "That's strange. I'm going to go have them set a new tray of cheese." I nodded vigorously. Mom turned on her heels and took a step backward as she headed back downstairs. "If he needs anything, there's those upset stomach chewable tablets in the medicine cabinet in my bedroom bathroom."

I nodded, "I'll go grab him one." I began walking away toward my mother's room and she headed down the steps. Once she'd completely descended, I returned to my bedroom door and shoved the key in the slot. I slid the door open, wide enough to just barely slide my body in before closing it behind me.

The bathroom door was open and visible directly across from where I stood. Justin stood in the bathroom, in front of the sink, his legs shoulder length apart, glaring ahead of him, with his bloody fist clenched at his side. The square mirror that used to hang over my bathroom sink was shattered to pieces. The glass bits surrounded the sink counter top and spread across the floor in the bathroom.

Justin turned to me slowly, his fist unclenched and relaxed, "Im sorry I-" He looked down and tried picking up the mess he'd created.

"No no-" I said not moving from the other side of the bedroom. "Don't touch anything. The butler will get it." I explained not wanting him to hurt himself with the shards of glass. Justin obeyed and stood back up. He said no more. He just watched me.

I tossed my spare key on my bed as I walked toward the bathroom slowly. I curled my fingers and motioned for Justin to step out of the bathroom. I carefully maneuvered myself around the big pieces of shattered glass and opened the small cabinet below the sink. I grabbed a hand towel and soaked it with hot water, then I snatched a large bandaid before locking the bathroom door from the inside and pulling it shut.