ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀɢʟᴏᴡ || ʀɪᴄʜɪᴇ ᴛᴏᴢɪᴇʀ

~ Be My Baby ~

Elaine slumped, walking in direction of her old home. Approaching the house, her breath caught in her throat. She dreaded going back. She took a deep breath as she stood in front of the house. "I'm being paranoid." She told herself, head in her hands. The house itself looked to be in good condition, almost like she never left. The white siding, the red door, and the brown shutters made it seem like nothing had changed.

She sighed as she read the mailbox she and Chris had painted as children. She frowned at the memories the bright colours brought. She knew she had to remember, but what if she didn't want to? Who could blame her, Elaine's childhood was as bad as one of Richie's jokes. Sandra Fitzgerald sat relaxed as she read on the porch. She smiled at the sound of her children giggling in the distance.

Elaine dipped her tiny fingers into yellow paint, tracing pretty shapes onto the plain mailbox her father had installed a few days earlier. On the other side, Chris precisely painted small blue dots. He turned to peek at his sister's side, his eyebrows furrowed at the unnatural picture. The eight-year-old boy laughed, "Lainey, what is that?"

Six-year-old Elaine glanced up at him, dipping her hands in the paint once again. "I'm painting, Chris," She giggled. "What, you don't like it?" The smaller girl asked, her emotions quickly changing as she crossed her arms. Christopher shrugged, unsure what to say, "N-No, it looks great," She smiled, continuing to smear the paint over the box.

Elaine slid her hands across it, staining it with pink paint. "Don't get it on my side!" Her brother yelled, pushing her away. Elaine was taken aback by the shove and fell into the street, scrapping both her hands and knees. The little girl began to cry, her older brother grimacing at her. "You ruined it!" He shouted loudly. At the sound, their parents came running, flooding Elaine with tenderness.

"Christopher Fitzgerald!" Her father roared, "Go to your room and think about what you've done!" Chris only crossed his arms, running off to his room. At the time, Elaine was too young to comprehend how her brother felt. In the end, even now, she never really understood his feelings. Later that day, the girl continued to dramatically cry to her mother, her father continuing to scorn Chris.

She'd ruined his side of the mailbox and she was crying? How selfish. Elaine often took advantage of the pity her parents had for her, being the frail younger sister. She couldn't resist. Periodically, Chris would hold a slight grudge against Elaine, seeing she got in less trouble than he did. But he'd get over it and they'd be back to playing again in no time.

Plus, that love their parents had for Elaine didn't last very long anyways. When Chris was gone a few years later, the Fitzgerald family was torn apart. Elaine shook her head, pushing the memories aside. She walked up the front steps, taking a deep breath before she struck her fist against the red door. She eagerly awaited on the welcome mat for one of her parents to open the door.