~The Black Phone • Vance x Finney~

-Chapter 13-

Tw/cw: Child abuse, swearing, alcohol/alcohol abuse

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“Vance- I’ve been gone for like two weeks. I need to get home,” Finney said. “Plus, it’s been just two minutes since we’ve sorta made up. I don’t even know where our friendship stands.” Vance frowned at the word choice.

“ I just don't want to drag you down with me," Finney said once more, sighing.

"What do you mean by 'drag me down with you'?" Vance had a puzzled look on his face, which was still covered in his small droplets of  liquid sorrow.

"Erm. Nothing. I'll see you around Vance." Finney stood up from Vance's grip and held the boy's face once more.

He burned holes into Vance's teary eyes. However, Finney saw more than tears. He saw a boy, a lonely boy. A lost boy. He truly does love this boy.

"Sorry for punching you. And…yelling," Finney said finally, trying his best to mask his pity and love.

Vance smiles sadly, tears welling up once more. He has never felt this way before. He’s not sure what emotion he’s feeling.

Clarity?

Closure?

No, not closure.
He feels quite the opposite–almost as if he just opened a door.

…Love…?

Probably not.

Right?

* * *

Finney stands outside his front door. He’s frozen. It feels arctic all around him. In his defense, it is October in North Denver. He was just about to turn the knob when all of a sudden his sister whipped the door open and enveloped Finney into a warm hug, melting all the ice that developed in his throat. He hugs back tightly, sensitively.

Gwen won’t let him off that easily, though. She pulls him back and grasps his face.
“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??! DID THE GRABBER TAKE YOU?! YOU ARE SUCH A DICK YOU KNOW THAT!?? I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I HATE YOU!!!”

“Gwen,” a voice behind her interjects, coldly. “We have neighbors.”

Finney looked where the voice had come from. His father. He looked tired, exhausted even. Purple circles underneath his eyes as well as redder than usual. Not from grass, more like from…tears?

“Son, get inside,” he says rather horsley.

Finney walks in, and Gwen closes the door. Terrance seems to be having trouble speaking until he finally says, “Finney, get some rest.”

‘Woah. Terrance Blake, telling me to get rest? Where did my father go? This is weird. Really weird.’

“Finney. Go.” Terrance looked slightly annoyed at Finney’s spacing-out, but he tried to collect himself.

“Okay,” Finney said, eyeing his father wearily. He walked past his father and into his room.

His room, just as he left it. He slowly crawls into bed and pulls the covers over his head, his ears, his eyes. And drifts off, melting into galaxies, into dreams, into a beautifuly featured face he treasures deeply.

* * *

Saturday morning. Finney awakes at almost noon. He stares at his digital clock in disbelief. He didn’t remember being that tired.

After dressing himself, he walks into the kitchen and abruptly stops when he sees his father standing there. He wearily looks at his father before walking to the bread bin and grabbing a slice. It’s when Finney pulls the lever to the toaster that Terrance finally says something.

“Where were you?” he asks, barely able to contain his annoyance.
“I’m sorry, dad.” Finney tries to straighten up, and he starts to slightly tremble when his father speaks once more, now with increased intimidation.

“I didn’t ask for an apology.” He continues once more after a moment of silence. “Where, were, you?”

Finney hesitates. “I was at the abandoned park. It’s about two blocks from our house.”

Terrance stares deeply into Finney’s eyes and breathes in. He didn’t seem exactly as angry as Finney would have thought. Actually, Terrance seemed more disturbed or sad than anything else Finney would have thought him to be.

“For the love of god, please don’t run off like that again,” Terrance said, eyeing his son wearily. Finney’s eyes widened in pure confusion.

Terrance continued again. “I’m going to be completely honest here; I was too caught up in my own problems to notice that you were gone for the first week and a half.”
Finney wasn’t surprised by this. If anything, that’s what he expected to happen.

“It was only these past couple of days that I realized you were gone. I was on my way to call the police and notify them of your disappearance when Gwenny opened the door and hugged you.”

Finney’s father started to make weeping noises but had no tears anywhere near his ducts.

He was faking!

Finney knew it, not even for one second could his father show any kind of fatherly love.

“Er, I’m sorry for worrying you and taking off like that,” said Finney awkwardly. Terrance nodded and chuckled, all while pretending to wipe off his make-believe tears.
“What can I say, you’re a sixteen year old boy, you’re meant to cause mischief.”

The beer-smelling-hillbilly-of-a-man took a deep breath and looked at Finney with narrowed eyes and with the most intimidating intent to gain the boy’s attention.
“I am serious. Never leave like that again. Do not test me once more unless you want serious problems.”

“Of course, dad. Wouldn’t dream of it. Can I leave home for a couple of hours?” Finney asked, wincing internally at his father’s are-you-kidding-me-look.

“What do you think?” He asked, flinging the fridge door open and yanking a beer bottle out of it.
“Right. Sorry. I’ll be in Gwenny’s room.”
And with that, Finney left and jogged down the hallway to his sister’s room. He knocked on her door before opening it and walking in. Not much later was he basicallhy attacked by her and pulled down onto her bed where she held him by the neck and hugged from behind.

“Jesus Gwen! Calm do-”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” she spoke firmly before adding with a violent shake, “You ASSHOLE!”

“LANGUAGE, GWEN,” yelled their father from the living room.

Finney and Gwen looked at each other and snickered quietly before Gwen shut her door and sat back down on her bed, where she started asking Finney questions and updating him on her friend drama.

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Hey guys. Sorry for the delayed chapter. It's here, tho!!!

This chapter is just me getting back to writing the story. Don't worry, I'm not discontinuing it :]

Thank you for your patience and grace. Have a great day!!