The Bad Boy or His Brother

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

            “Cameron,” she says softly, shaking my shoulder slightly. I groan softly and turn over, looking at her, squinting when I find my lamp shining brightly into my eyes. “Sweetheart, I have to leave for Arizona, your Great Grandmother has been put into the hospital and things aren’t looking good.” She informs me and I nod.

            “When will you be back?” I ask her, my voice hoarse with sleep as I sit up, my eyes shut so I can avoid the brightness.

            “I don’t know yet, as long as it take I guess. I have taken two weeks off work so that will probably be how long I stay down there.” She tells me softly, her hand running down the side of my head softly. “Will you be okay here by yourself?” she asks me slowly.

            “Yea mom, I’ll be fine. Just go do what you need to do.” I tell her, opening my eyes and nodding, giving her some reassurance.

            She hesitates, looking into my eyes before nodding slowly and standing to her feet.

            “Alright then, I have written down all the numbers that you will need if you need to get ahold of me. Call me if you need anything or anything goes wrong, alright?” she asks me when she is done gesturing to a piece of paper on my bedside table.

            “Okay Mom.”

            “You don’t sound to promising, want me to just stay here?”

            “Mom, it is,” I begin, glancing at the clock. “Five o’clock in the morning and I don’t usually get up until eleven, everything will be fine, I promise.”

            She smiles slightly before nodding once more and pressing a kiss to my forehead.

            “I love you and be careful.” She tells me as she walks to my bedroom door but she stops and looks over her shoulder at me. “And no parties.”

∞        

            At eleven I wake up and lay in bed for at least ten more minutes. Listening to the silence that surrounds me. I am used to waking up and listening to the movement of my mother downstairs, and without hearing it, it is strange.

            I get up, tossing the blankets to the side and walking to my bathroom. I brush my teeth and throw my hair into a messy bun high on my head before throwing on some light eyeliner and mascara. I walk from the bathroom and walk into my bags of clothes on the floor.

            I throw on a graphic T shirt and a pair of jean shorts. I walk to my dresser and grab a pair of socks and throw them on along with a pair of converse. I grab my phone, although I put it on silence before walking down the stairs and out the front door.

            I walk to my car before sliding inside and sit in the driveway for a moment, taking a deep breath and putting my phone in the seat beside me, turning on the car and backing out of the driveway.

            She might actually give it to you, god knows she gave it to my brother.

            His words had been a knife to the heart, a punch to the gut, a slap to face. Everything. Every word in that sentence had hurt. But I am sure it hurts him to know.

            And it doesn’t make it any better that he had to find out from his brother at a family dinner one year after his brother was in jail.

            I shake my head slightly, turning the knob on my radio. When nothing good is playing I stop at the stop sign and plug my iPhone into my stereo and begin playing my Macklemore playlist.