Dirty Laundry [REPOSTED]

Chapter 28

Against Lance's pleas, Rosa ended up pushing both Sophia and Lance into her bedroom, claiming that their already instigated punishment would triple if either left the bedroom unhappy. She was determined to have them fix this grudge Lance held, and she wanted it happening now.

Once the door to the bedroom shut behind his mother, Lance immediately felt alone. He was sheepish, staring at the floor like a scolded child.

"I don't want to do this anymore than you do," Sophia whispered, gripping her hands tightly at her sides in fists. "But we're gonna have to do it. Sooner or later."

"I won't."

Sophia groaned, moving to sit on their parent's bed. "Well you have to. I know you hate me, so you can skip the dramatics."

It was pointless. Lance was still so angry, holding onto his grudge tight enough that he'd rather break an arm than let it go.

"I just," He began, still admiring the wooden floor underneath his socks. "I just hurt. It's a lot, all of it."

"I know."

"How do you though?"

Sophia sighed. "You're really going to ask that? I left my family. I made mistakes. You act as if didn't ever regret them, as if they never made me hurt too. They did."

Lance looked up from the floor, observing his older sister's face. It was wet, red and puffy, all from dinner. He'd never noticed.

"Then why did you take so long to come back?"

Sophia swallowed. "I'll tell you why. But you have to promise to listen."

Lance rubbed at his bottom lip, letting his nails dig into the fabric of his jeans.

He wanted to know, just as badly as any other family member might've. He wanted an explanation - he deserved one. Lance could bury his pride for just one moment, all to sit on that bed next to Sophia. He could just ignore that nagging voice in his head, he could pretend his grudge wasn't there. For a moment, just one single moment, he could try.

He took his place at the edge of the bed and sat a foot away, twirling the edge of his shirt in between his thumbs.

"Alright," He whispered, nodding his head. "I'll listen."

Sophia sucked in a breath, turning to look at her little brother. She was a face of remorse, regret, sorrow; the emotions poked at Lance's heart a little.

And then she began, revealing to her brother the same things she had practiced in front of Keith just that morning. Her words were sincere, her tale was profound, and even though she was nervous beyond reason, Lance could tell she knew what to say.

"I made mistakes," She whispered. "You know them, I know them. I'm not denying them, Lance. I thought about each one while I was gone - they almost tore me apart. But," She paused, contemplating if she should say it. "I don't want to talk about them, I've dwelled on these mistakes. Instead I want to talk about how I affected you. You didn't deserve to lose me, Lance. And for that I am eternally sorry."

Lance bit his lip even harder, trying his hardest to not respond. He wasn't sure if he should deny or accept the apology - so he let her continue.

"I wasn't ready to come back. I couldn't, and it wasn't because I was a coward. It was because if I did come back? Things wouldn't have ended well. I would fallen into an inescapable pit. Being out there, on my own, away from the safety of Mom and Dad? It saved me. I was forced to survive, and through that I learned how much I depended on our family. I'm not saying that depending on others is wrong - in fact, I encourage it. But there is often a time when you rely on someone too much, and when that happens you no longer learn how to protect yourself. I learned that, Lance. I learned that I am my own person, and that I am the only one in charge of my own destiny."