Army Boy

Chapter 19

With the motor still running and his hands clenching the steering wheel like his life depended on it he could feel every vibration of the car. His eyes were in front not daring to look at the house next to him. The sun blazing in his eyes but he didn’t dare to look away, every blink was accompanied by a little heart attack because he had a foolishly belief that when his eyes opened up she would be there, in front of the car looking at him and demanding the answer to the question that even after so much time he didn’t know the answer "Why?" only the pure fictive imagine from his mind of her saying this word in his face was nauseous.


The car wasn’t moving It was parked in front of the house for quite a while now.


"….by Bo…"


So why he didn’t turn off the motor?


" Ca… you h… me? BO…..!"


Why he didn’t turn the key and stop the motor? He knows why because,…


"BO…!"


Because he didn’t dare to, because even now he still wanted to bolt out of here the moment he knew he could. Because….




"BO…. I know why you broke up with Lori!"




It was like a bucket with cold icy water was emptied on his head, Its head snapped to the passenger seat where his little sister was looking at him with a cold neutral expression. Her posture was relaxed like she just made a mundane commentary on the weather but she lookedat him expressionless with a deep cold in her eyes.


That look only was worse than any insult, any punch, any punishment she could have given him. For a second he wanted to see her angry at him, demanding the full story, even if possible she knew the full story already, just to end with him getting yelled at and possibly getting a very deserved punch, but that didn’t happen. Ronnie-Anne was just looking at him with a cold neutral expression like in front of her was just a stranger… no, his sister was looking at strangers far better than she did at him now… he was worse than a stranger to her, and he couldn’t put in words how much this hurts. Her tomboyish little voice was ringing again in his ears and this time he was hearing her loud and clear.

"I don’t know the full story but I know it started when Lori got her picture in the newspaper for helping with that case, but something I know 100%..."


With a quick hand gesture she opened up the car door and turned her head back to him her previous look was replaced by a much softer one but keeping some of the coldness, while her big brown eyes were looking directly into his eyes she said.



… you're an idiot"



She jumps out of the car and closes the door after her. What hurt the most was that she was right. Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding he let his head fall on the steering wheel on top of his hands that were still clenching the poor wheel with all his might. Even after the moment with his sister, his hands were still clenching the steering wheel for his dear life as if the moment his hands unglued themselves of the object made of leather and plastic he would be dragged by an invisible force in that house… to her.

A sigh escaped his lips "Where all go wrong?" He could blame the distance, but they had been in a long-distance relationship for far too long, he could blame the lack of communication with the convenience store going better than ever and her studies and workload becoming more demanding they had barely had any time to even text to each other. Yeah, that is a good excuse. Didn’t he use the exact one with his family? He didn’t remember what happened he just wanted to be left alone and just told the first lie that came to the top of his head hoping it would work.


He thought it worked but after looking at his sister, it didn’t. They knew, they didn’t know the full story but they knew and that was what was breaking his heart. Lori was like a part of the family, everyone loved her, why wouldn’t they? She was perfect far too perfect for someone like him. He didn’t deserve her.


Looking through the window he saw his sister walking at a snail pace towards the house. Her little brown eyes lack the bravado she so often shows looking at the Loud's house like the exam of her least favourite subject.


'…heh! At least I wasn’t the only one nervous.'


Having this thought flash in his mind he couldn't help to notice some changes in his little sister. Her hair looked glossier than ever and it was swaying graciously left and right, her current clothes were a pair of dark blue shorts with a sport dark purple crop top with a very familiar yellow hoodie tied around her hips and a pair of black running sneakers. He remembered except for the hoodie Carlota tried to put her in this outfit a couple of weeks ago but she said and quote " No offense Carlota but I rather eat these than wear them"



His sister never cared so much about appearances, most of the time she wouldn’t even brush her hair saying "That’s why they invented the ponytail" She would regret it it later when she would struggle to brush her hair. A total of 180 from him. He loved to prep himself looking his best, brushing and using products in his hair and choosing the clothes he looked the best keeping his casual image. Before he wouldn't go out of the house without checking his appearance twice in the mirror.





Now… he turned his look towards the side-view mirror, his once neatly perfectly arranged hair that he was so proud of was looking like a ratted mess, his skin that before he carefully took care to not let any imperfections looked pale almost dead with huge bags under his eyes and looking down at his clothes… he didn’t even look when he put these on, he was wearing his old clothes, they were wrinkled, stained and old, mostly because he got them from the top of his laundry hamper filled with his dirty clothes.


Another sign escaped his lips once again. He looked back at his little sister that was still walking at a snail's pace and slowly his hands relaxed.


'Come on Bobby that’s why you come here. She didn't deserved what you did to her, not for such a stupid reason'


His hands unglue slowly from the steering wheel, and when he says unglue his hands it means that he was gripping so hard for so long the steering wheel that it stuck on the skin. He could see the skin stretch and unglue itself after he raised his hands slowly. the polka dot pattern of the steering wheel was imprinted Inside his palms, another prove how hard he was griping the wheel.


He looked down at himself again and saw that the t-shirt under his open green shorts was acceptable clean with a quick move he took his green shirt off and threw it on the back seat. He stopped the motor and opened the car door with a simple click. He got slowly out of the car and closed the door.


'Alright, you got out of the car. You can't go back, come on.'


A step after another, he slowly got closer to his sister who was still on the path towards the house.


He raised his hand and let it drop on his sister's shoulder. At how fast he turned her head towards him he believed for a second he broke her neck.

"Bobby?"

She was genuinely surprised, but inside her eyes, he could see a glimpse of knowing. Like she knew he would come with her before she would reach the house, and he knew if asked she would blame her slowing steps on him but he knew it wasn’t true. She was terrified to see the little albino boy and he also wanted to see his little brother.

"Let's go see Lincoln"


He didn’t sound sure or brave or even cool how it usually happened with these moments in movies but he said the words aloud and he knew for his little sister that was enough.

He nodded her little head and both of them started to walk towards the house in less than a couple of seconds they were on the front porch knocking on the door. They knew to not touch the doorbell.


*thud, thud, thud*


Every step that got closer to the door increased the volume of his prayers inside his head to not be Lori the one who opened the door.


*Click*


"Ronnie-Anne? Bobby?"


And his prayers were listened the one who opened the door was the comedian of the Loud family, Luan Loud.


The Santiago siblings couldn't help but notice her red eyes and dishevelled hair. She looked at them weirdly with a look Bobby couldn’t decipher, but it made his sister tense.


"Is Lincoln here?"


After mentioning the name of the boy with white hair a warm look appeared in her eyes, her posture relaxed and a small smile blossomed on her cute face.


"Yeah he's here, he's home. Why are you two here?"


When she spoke about her brother she had one of the most beautiful expressions he had ever seen but then her attitude changed in the blink of an eye when she spoke with them. Bobby can understand why so. They must have been through a lot and coming the second after they settled in wasn’t the best idea but Ronnie-Anne dragged him by the foot and threatened him with some pictures from his childhood he never wanted to reach the internet.


"We just wanted to see, Lincoln, c-can we see him?"


At the second mention of the boy and stating their intention her brown eyes widened in surpsurprisen slowly her eyebrows frowned in irritation.