09 - Family

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The daunting moment washes over me as I enter the familiar street known as my families street. I see the small four bedroom house with a brown tiled roof and trees littering the front garden and my nerves peak, I have more nerves now than I do before a race!

Liam parks infront of the place I used to call home and I can sense that he is nervous too, we lock eyes and know we have to do this.

"Well here goes nothing" I mutter angrily as we make our way to the light brown front door, my hand freezes before I knock. The last time I was here they didn't even put up a fight for me when I asked to leave to a whole other fucking country!

With a mix of anxiety, anger and adrenaline I knock on the door confidently and wait for a moment, I hear footsteps.

"We're not int-" the man known as my father starts to say before he meets eyes with me, he freezes the same as I do.

He looks the exact same as the last time I saw him only with a few added wrinkles and grey hairs.

"Honey, who..." the women known as my mother trails off joining her husband at the door, we stand in shock after a few seconds.

"Are you gonna let me in or just stand there?" I snap angrily at them, they couldn't even say hello to me, I'm the daughter for god's sake!

"Umm sure...I guess" my mothers says hesitantly, she's treating me like a stranger and that breaks my heart even further.

Liam follows me into the lounge room that isn't so familiar anymore. The room used to have a piano, two lounges, a TV and pictures of our family littered all over the place but now the piano was replaced with a fire place, there are new lounges and a new TV but what hurt the most was there were no pictures of me.

I'm not their daughter any more, they disowned me the day I left.

"So...what brings you here?" My mother pipes up which pulls me out of my sad thoughts.

"Well I just thought I would come....home...before the season starts" I explain hesitantly saying home because they have made it clear they don't want me here anymore.

"Oh, that's nice" my mother says and we enter an awkward silence again as tears threaten to pool my eyes but I fight them away.

"So, mr and mrs Armstrong, how have you been?" Liam asks trying to break the tension and they stare at him with what I swear was disgust, these entitled assholes!

"You know what no one really cares about their lives Liam so I bet they have been decaying away in this hellhole" i retort and they glare at me instantly.

"How DARE YOU" my father yells at me and I laugh menacingly, try me.

"How dare I? How dare BOTH of you for just DUMPING on the fucking street because I was trying to follow my dreams!" I reply which pisses them off further.

"Do NOT speak to us like that, WE ARE YOUR PARENTS!" That broke me further than I ever have.

"Oh, you want to pull the parent card now huh? Who was there when I was being bullied? Who was there when I moved out? Who was there for me when I moved to a different FUCKING COUNTRY? Who was there when I finally became successful? Because I know for sure it wasn't you two" I scold them and now they suddenly can't make eye contact with me.

"That's what I thought" I spit at them and Liam tries to comfort me but I walk to my old room.

I make my way to the old brown door with the pink sign saying, 'Amelia' I open the door hesitantly and I am brought to tears.

Nothing has changed.

My black and white checkered bed sheets are still there, my CD collection, my hot wheels cars and all my clothes but most importantly my karting trophies.

My eyes start to water thinking about the our joy I felt earning those to only be brushed off by my parents when I tried to show them.

"We did miss you, you know?" I hear my mother whisper from my doorway with tears in her eyes.

"And who's fault is that?" I whisper back angrily I take one more look around my sanctuary and start walking away.

I find Liam and once we have reached the doorway we are stopped by my mother and father.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" My mother pleads.

"And why would I do that?" I ask, my mother looks horrified.

"Because we are your family" my father yells causing me to chuckle menacingly.

"But I lost my family a long time ago" I say and walk to the car with Liam.

Once we are out of the street I finally let it all out, my tears flow like a waterfall.

Memories of my room and my childhood flash back, my parents constant rejection and constant fighting, Anthony's bullying and the others joining in and the overall toxic environment I grew up in.

I didn't realise but oxygen became scarce and I starting drowning in my own thoughts.

"Amelia, look at me, LOOK AT ME" I turn instantly to the warm eyes I know as Liam's, he gives me a comforting look.

"You were brave to go in there, your past is messy and traumatic but look at you now. You are an amazing racer like you always wanted to be and you inspire everyone around you. You have a family in the pit crew, we are all there for you and love you" Liam comforts and I can now breath, not evenly but enough to keep me stable.

The tears are still flowing freely but not as fast or desperate, I think back to my real family and a smile forms on my face.

"Well we should get back to them shouldn't we?" I state in a shaky yet confident voice.

We start driving off to the airport.

"Yes we should"

——

This chapter is kinda different to all the others but what do you guys think of me writing about every single race for this season?

- Author

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