Painted Lights - bxb

Chapter 11 - Anyone Named Sebastian is Hot; Thems the Rules

I took a moment to think over her words before I responded. "Okay. So you know the real story, so what? It doesn't change the fact that you didn't believe me when I tried to explain the first time, and then shunned me out of my own home." I knew I was being cynical, but I didn't care. What she did to me still hurts.

As I spoke about it, I felt Xander's swell of pride deep in my chest.

"Malik, I'm trying to make things right," she retorted.

"Yeah? I'm trying to explain to you that if you had listened the first time, you could have avoided all of that trouble. You managed to waste everyone's time, and hurt me in the process," I stood up after that, brushing the sand off of myself. Xander stood up with me and gave my hand another supportive squeeze. "I don't know what you're trying to gain from this, and frankly, I don't care," I snapped.

"I'm trying to get you to come home!" She yelled, looking up at me with frantic, angry eyes.

"Yeah, I know," I rolled my eyes. "It was a nice try with Dad's necklace, but this is a whole new low, even for you."

She brushed off my insult, replying with, "you could be in the ocean with your family, where you belong! Instead, you're gallivanting around on the surface with some useless nobody!" She gestured to Xander with a look of disgust on her face.

I felt Xander's anger, but before he had the chance to unleash it, I snapped first.

"You can come here and drag me all you want, you can make up whatever shit about me if it pleases you, but I will NOT stand here and listen to you insult my soulmate. I won't be going back to the ocean, Mother. But keep that disrespectful mouth running, you're doing great," I spat.

Her face contorted into a scowl as she crossed her arms, like a child not getting their way. "You're being ungrateful! I went through all of that trouble to find out the truth so I could make things up to you, but you're not even appreciating my efforts."

"Thank you so much for your efforts," I replied in a flat, monotone voice. "I really appreciate how much effort it took you to come here, wait for me to arrive on the beach, and then drag my soulmate through the mud as if he wasn't even standing here," my voice dripped with sarcasm and anger, I felt like an asshole, but I couldn't stop. "Now use some more of that effort to fuck off," I hissed.

Then I squeezed Xander's hand slightly as a signal that I needed to leave, and then he led me away. With a final glare back at my mother, Xander said, "I hope you're happy with yourself."

Our walk back to the mansion was tense with my underlying anger. I was practically stomping through the forest, and I didn't care about my outward display of anger, I was done.

We didn't speak the whole time, not even when we got back to the mansion. Our movements were in sync as we had the same destination in mind; the basement.

Our goal in going to the beach was to give me time to swim again. I missed the water, and Xander knew that being in my element would help. Now that the space has been compromised, we settled on the fish tank in the basement.

As I angrily threw my shirt off, Xander stood in front of me, grabbing my now bare shoulders as I tossed the fabric away. It landed pitifully by my feet.

"Take it easy," Xander pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me. I stared into his eyes for a moment, my anger melting, replaced by something else.

I ruined my relationship with my mother.

I mean don't get me wrong, that woman is insufferable. But that doesn't mean I don't love her. She's all I have left of Dad, and despite what she told me, I was having a really hard time believing that he could still be alive, especially after what she told me today. She never even showed me the ring, and as far as I knew, the whole thing could've been some elaborate plot to get me back into her arms. He's gone, and I just lost my other parent.