𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒¹ - steven conklin

9. anatomy

.୨ৎ ꒰ anatomy ꒱ ୨ৎ.

"where'd all the kids go?" susannah appeared on the backyard porch, with a big cake on a glass stand.

"more for us!" willow was now laying on a deck chair, chatting with cam cameron, who didn't want to show that he was pretty upset about belly being drunk and ignoring him, but it was pretty evident.

"that's the spirit willow, my eternal optimistic!" susannah laughed.

belly and steven's dad and his girlfriend were chatting at the food table, adam fisher was with conrad, they were trying some new football's throwings, but his son was clearly not interested at all, or at least anymore.

behind susannah, belly and laurel walked out of the house.

"oh, i want the piece with the strawberries!" belly rushed down the steps, but tripped over and fall, dragging on the ground with her susannah and the cake.

"belly are you okay?" laurel quickly helped her daughter, while adam approached her wife.

"honey are you okay? here let me help you" he tried to grab her hands, but she refused.

"adam, i'm fine"

"come on, please" he begged.

"i got it , i got it. stop it!" she shouted. willow who standing next to cameron, was shocked. her mom never used to shout, she was always calm and pacific, it was very hard to make her angry, she always saw the glass half full.

she got up and went inside, while everybody was sparing glances at each other, not knowing what to say or what to do.

"i think it's time for me to go" cam mumbled, but willow didn't respond.

she was standing there, almost panicking; something between her mom and dad had been off for months, but she had refused to believe it until that moment. they were the perfect family, nothing could be wrong.

suddenly, everybody was inside, and she was left outside with her thoughts. in her entire life, never a fourth of july had been worst than that one, which was supposed to be the best so far.

⭑○◦

laurel and susannah were fighting. it never happened at beck's house. nobody used to be upset at the beach house, cousins had always swept away every negativity.

she entered the kitchen with her brothers. their dad was sitting at the table, with a glass of pomegranate margarita in one hand.

"what is going on, dad?" willow asked, sitting on a stool.

"nothing, sweetheart."

"when mom fell. she yelled at you. and for months you two had been weird"

"mom didn't know you were supposed to come" conrad added.

"it's none of your business kids" his tone became strict.

"ehm, yes it is. you can't come here make everything a mess and leave as if nothing happened"

"willow, you three have nothing to do with this situation"

"we're are a family! you didn't realize for months your problems were also ours?"

"what are you talking about?"

"you two were always fighting about everything, you spent more time away than  nobody was taking care of us! you weren't there at conrad's graduation. i bet you don't know anything about what we did in the last six months. i had to start going to a fucking therapist!" she was gasping, gesticulating and shouting those words against him.

"and your therapist suggested you go to the bonfire without your mom knowing? or getting drunk at a party and kiss your best friend?" he replied.

willow's heart skipped a beat. she was now crying, despite the fact that she didn't want him to see her vulnerable.
he couldn't really meant that. he had to be joking. how did he even know about the party?

"don't talk to her like this" conrad stood up, slightly putting himself in front of her.

"there it is, the big brother. you should have protected them, conrad. you're the oldest! but i understand, sure, you don't like responsibilities." adam didn't like at all the fact that conrad quit football.

"don't load on his shoulders what you should have done!"

"all this situation is fucked up. your desire to always be against me is the worst thing that could happen right now.  you think your mom is a saint, but it's not how you think she is!"

"leave. go away" willow said, pointing the hallway without flinching. adam stood there, trying to understand if she was serious. "leave!" she repeated. without saying anything, he walked out of the kitchen, grabbed his thing from the hallway, and left the house.

willow sobbed and conrad hugged her. she hold him tight and cried on his shoulder. he was the only one that could understand her completely.

willow's dad was basically half of her, but he didn't know anything about her. everything crumbled in that exact moment and she realized she wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

they still worked out without him. susannah was too busy arguing with her husband and following him in every wrong move he made. indirectly she was forced by him to neglect her kids.

and each one of her kids felt guilty for not noticing. they always blamed her, when she was also a victim.

conrad was silently comforting willow,  but so she was doing. finally, someone defended him from his dad, and he was forever grateful to her sister.

jeremiah was quiet. for him, his dad was still his superhero, someone to look up to. he didn't fully understand his siblings and wasn't a arguing person either. sitting on a stool, he was crying silently.