The Boyfriend Tag

Question 12 - Part 2

Don't Forget to enter the cover Comp. Deets in the previous chapter ! It's open until February.

Email: to.rosa.f@gmail.com

IT'S ALREADY DECEMBER! Can you believe it? I hope to upload a christmas chapter :D
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And when the bus finally dropped me off in front of the shack I called home, it was late, really late. My phone tauntingly displayed a red bar in the charging rectangle, the device barely alive. I huffed a sigh of disbelief when I arrived, not sure how many words I possessed to thank the bus driver enough.

"I'm so grateful for this" I said yet again, and he graciously accepted my gratitude, doing a wonderful job of not displaying any annoyance.

"I'm happy to help" he restated, giving a mocking bow towards me as I stepped off the bus and onto the pebbled pathway of my house. I was more than exhausted, and the constant rumbling in my stomach was the perfect example of it. My hair was a mess and I felt like a reincarnation of The Joker.

As I was walked up to the door, I jolted to a stop to see that it was already already ajar, light shining from inside the house. There wasn't any sound audible from where I stood, causing my nerves to sizzle with anxiety. I stared at the tilted doormat, contemplating whether or not I should enter. What if something had happened to my family. Glancing at my phone, I huffed in annoyance when I was greeted my a dead device. So I poised the phone in a threatening, weaponry way, knowing my Nokia brick could cause some serious damage.

I carefully pushed the wooden door aside and padded into my house, praying that the floorboards would cooperate. My father , surprisingly, wasn't passed out on the couch, the lights in that room off. I inhaled to calm down, before tiptoeing down the hallway.

I froze when a voice became audible from beyond the kitchen door, and although they were merely mutters, I recognised my mother's drunken slurs.

"That's Flynn, he is a wonderful son, quarterback of his college football team, and handsome and such a -"

That familiar ache settled into me again, realising my drunk mother had slipped back into the idea that Flynn was alive. I put my phone down, no longer able to stand her chatter about Flynn as though he existed, and barged into the kitchen, expecting to see her talking to herself yet again.

But I felt like a deer caught in headlights when I was greeted with the sight of none other than Brayden himself sitting across from her on the dining table. His head jolted up as he heard the door open, and our eyes met. He stood up as I entered and I quickly looked away, placing all my attention on my mother.

"Aurora I-" he began to walk towards me, but I outright ignored him and walked past him to my mother.

"Flynn is dead, Mum" I said sternly, pulling her off the wooden chair.

"No I was just talking to this gentleman about sweet Flynn. Your brother is so talented-"

"Was. He's gone. He died three years ago" I grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her up.I had become specialised at keeping all emotions out of my voice when I said those words, staying harsh with my mother. I could feels Brayden's gaze on me, and it took all the strength I had not to crumble under his scrutiny. I had to be strong in front of my liquored up mother.

"Aurora let me-"

"Let me handle my mother now. We can talk later" I abruptly responded.

"No!" She shouted, struggling under my grip, trying to bat me off of her. "He's fucking here" her shouting became louder, more like screeches. I stayed silent, not budging my grip and pulled her towards the kitchen door. She resisted, planting her feet firmly on the ground.