The Little Mistakes (boyxboy)

Chapter 1

“Apa, please!” I heard Bradley beg.

He was talking to one of our fathers, Connor. We called him apa, which was Hungarian for dad. We had absolutely no ties to Hungary, but I came across it one time when I was seven and Bradley was six, and we had just started using it on a regular basis. It helped us to differentiate between which parent we were talking to.

“Caise doesn’t even want to go to America!” Bradley continued.

I fixed my eyes angrily on my ceiling. I set my jaw and barely held myself back from screaming in annoyance. I didn’t know why they had to do this outside of my bedroom. The basement was mine, there was no need for them to be down here.

“Bradley, how many times do we have to tell you? The answer is no.”

“Dad!” Bradley yelled.

I heard steps walking overhead. Next I heard someone coming down the stairs. “What’s going on now?” I heard my dad ask my apa.

“Oliver,” apa said, sounding really annoyed. “Please tell Bradley one more time that he’s not going to America.”

My dad groaned, immediately getting just as irritated. The last two weeks, since they had made the decision, all my parents seemed to get were countless complaints. I was always picking fights because they wanted to send me to America for five months. Bradley was whining because they wouldn’t let him go with--or instead of--me.

“Bradley,” dad said. “You are not allowed to go. That’s all there is to it. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

“But dad! It’s not fair that Caise gets to go when he doesn’t even want to. Apa, let me go with him!”

I felt my resolve break. “You’re acting like a damn child, Bradley!” I yelled while still laying in my bed.

“Shut up,” he yelled at me through the door. “You can’t even talk. You’re getting the chance of a lifetime and you’re acting like a dick about it!”

“Bradley!” apa scolded. “You’re not going and that’s final. So quit with the attitude, we get enough of that from your brother.”

“But it’s boring here in New Zealand!”

“Keep it up and you’ll be stuck here in boring New Zealand and grounded!” apa said, warningly.

Bradley just swore and complained as he finally retreated up the stairs. I swear sometimes he seemed a lot younger than almost seventeen. That was probably due to the fact that he was always throwing fits like a spoiled brat. The kid seriously got on my nerves quite often.

“Great now he’s pissed off too,” dad said. A second later there was a fist hitting my door. “And if you’re not packed by Thursday night, Caise, so help me God.”

“Fuck off!” I yelled.

I knew my dad was going to be angry as hell when I said that. But I honestly didn’t care at all. A few months back I’d installed a new knob on my bedroom door by myself, without their permission. It locked and everything. Obviously I hadn’t given either of my parents a key. I didn’t want them anywhere near my stuff. And I didn’t want them coming in to talk to me when I just wanted to lock myself in there.

Naturally my dad started yelling at me because of what I said to him. I just laughed and ignored him as apa wrangled him up and carted him off up the stairs. I could still hear him grumbling as they went, too.

Honestly, what did they expect from me, though? I was an asshole. A problem child who always got in trouble at school. I’d been suspended six times since I was fourteen. I couldn’t help it. I seriously hated people and I was pretty temperamental. So given that I already had an obvious attitude problem, they tell me that they’re shipping me off to another country on the other side of the damn planet. Of course I wasn’t going to be happy about it. I’d have to leave the only person I liked in the slightest--my best mate, Eryn.

Ever since my parents’ closest mates--Tony and Alyson--got into that car accident six months ago, everything had changed. Their car had been hit by a huge truck, killing Alyson on impact. Tony, on the other hand, had gone into a coma before dying a couple days later. The worst part of it all wasn’t even that people who were really close to us had died. What made it so bad was that they’d left behind two amazing children.

Sacha and Ariel were the most innocent girls I had ever met. Even me, the most heartless guy in the world, felt awful when I heard about what had happened. It didn’t seem fair that those girls lost their parents. It wasn’t fair that things like that could happen to one of the best families I had ever known.

With their parents tragically gone, and having no other family whatsoever, my parents had taken them in, being their godparents and all. That was all super fine and just dandy with me. I actually had taken a liking to the girls over the years. Sacha had just turned fourteen a week before the accident and last month Ariel had turned eleven. I thought they were the most precious things in existence. They even made me smile every once in a while.

The only downside to having them live with us was that my parents now had four kids to take care of. Plus our dogs, Crow and Garner. So they had their hands full of responsibility. Then you add in the fact that I was a total screw up with a sour personality, it pushed them over the edge.

And that’s why they decided to make me go visit my uncles Marck, Kristian, and Scott, and my aunt Vanessa. Sure, I liked them all just fine. They’d never done anything to me, and even though they aren’t actually related to me, I’ve always thought of them as family. The only problem was that the last time they visited, I was only thirteen. A lot had changed in the last four--almost five--years. I definitely wasn’t the same person. I was worse now. And I’ve hardly talked to any of my relatives that lived in America.

So then three months ago, my parents demanded a family meeting. We all sat around the kitchen table, willingly (everyone else) and also not willingly (just me). Apa had started all mushy and nice, but then my dad had piped in and got straight to the point. They explained how difficult it was to take care of everything now that we had two more family members.

Basically, they were making me move out there to do five months of school. It was stupid because it cut into my 12th year of Secondary school. It was getting close to the end of August here now and I had been forced to get my exams taken care of and all that within the last few months. The administration thought it was weird but they helped my parents make the arrangements anyway.

They said that if I went to school in America from the end of August to the beginning of January it would work out. I could make up anything I needed when I got back in January and I could start my last year of Secondary school in February with minimal hiccups.

Naturally, hearing that hadn’t gone over very well. We fought loudly and viciously. Bradley had even gotten into the argument because he had been dying to leave New Zealand for ages now. My parents told me that they were sick of my attitude and my outbursts. They said they couldn’t handle much more of it and that apparently it would do me a lot of good and teach me a lot if I went overseas. That had just pissed me off even more.

I stared up at my ceiling once again. I couldn’t stop thinking about how badly I didn’t want to leave. I just wanted to stay here and get into trouble with Eryn and take Crow and Garner to the beach for hours at night. I was going to miss everything. California was going to be nothing like my life here. I didn’t want to make that kind of change. I liked being on my own and if I went away, it wouldn’t be the same.

I sighed and rolled onto my side in bed. I reached for the television remote and paused as my eyes fixed on the suitcases and boxes across the room. I didn’t really need to pack that much. Just plenty of clothes. And stuff like my laptop, some books, and other electronics I used a lot. Apa said that they’d ship me more of my clothes after I got there. That’s why I needed to pack up the boxes. Because a decent wardrobe for five months wasn’t going to fit in two suitcases and a carry-on.

It was only Tuesday and my flight left on Friday. I was already packed completely. I liked to be prepared for things, and I had gotten bored the last couple days, so I just started going through my stuff. Of course, if either of my parents--especially my dad--asked if I was packed yet, I would give them a hardy, and sarcastic, no. I just loved to be a pain in the ass. And I didn’t want to make my departure easy on them because I really, really didn’t want to leave in the first place.

I snatched up the remote and laid back in bed. Once I’d flipped the television on, I let the sound fill the room as background noise.

I was technically supposed to be in school right now. But once I’d finished the arrangements for America, my school dismissed me a couple days ago. Eryn was still going, though, so that made my days super long and boring. Even Bradley and the girls were still in school. It was like my parents just wanted to torture me as much as they could.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I shifted my weight and dug it out. I knew who it was going to be before I even checked the message. Eryn was my only friend. Literally no one else in my class would talk to me because I was such a jerk. Only people who were Bradley’s age--mostly girls--would try to talk to me. But I wasn’t interested in them. I wasn’t interested in anybody who didn’t leave me the hell alone. Except for Eryn. He was my best mate and always would be.

Bro, able to sneak out tonight?

I checked the time on my phone. It was only after eleven. My parents were probably making sure that Ariel was getting to bed. Bradley and Sacha would probably stay awake for another hour watching television. More than likely my parents would be in bed before then.

Yeah, let’s give it another half hour, I typed back.

Sweet as, I’m so bored man.

I know, it’s like prison here. I need out.

I waited a minute before getting a response.

Haha I know exactly what you mean.

Eryn’s parents were a lot more strict than mine were. Sure, you didn’t see him being shipped away to other countries, but that was only because they didn’t have relatives that didn’t live in Oamaru. I’m sure if they had the option, they’d send Eryn away. He was about as bad as I was when it came to suspension and causing trouble.

My parents should be asleep soon, I’ll meet you at the bottom of the hill in ten mins, I sent.

Bringing Crow?

I thought about it for a minute. Crow was almost as old as I was. He got tuckered out easily these days. And since I was planning on bringing him to the beach with us on Thursday night, I should probably leave him behind tonight. Garner was young, though. Only a year old, basically still a puppy. He was the same breed as Crow, blue chow. And his personality was pretty much the canine version of mine. We got along great.

Nah, bro, but I know Garner will probably tag along.

Alright, see you in ten.