Glory Be

Chapter Thirteen

Sydney stumbled out onto the street. He blinked quickly, trying to make sense of his blurry vision. Everything was spinning. Where were his hands? Sydney spun around, his boots kicking up dust. It was dark. Only a few lanterns were still lit. Sydney's eyes widened at his outstretched arms, and began wiggling his fingers, before trekking through the dark streets of Red Hawk.

What time was it? Where did he live? Something books...? A newspaper? Sydney groaned loudly. So annoying. Sydney walked around an unknown building multiple times, mumbling, before something looked familiar. He hummed a tune and started skipping down the sidewalk. Stopping once he reached the storefront with those familiar gold letters. Sydney rustled with the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. Stupid. Sydney tried again, again. Pressing against the door till he eventually gave up. He walked around the building, trailing the wood siding with his hand.

"Ouch," Sydney muttered. His eyelids started to lazily fall over his eyes, "Can't wait to go to sleep, can't wait."

Sydney approached the backdoor and wiggled the knob. The door opened easily, letting Sydney enter the building. He stumbled over something and struggled to regain his balance. What was that? Sydney swung around to look. The momentum forced him off-equilibrium again and he staggered into a wall.

A clattering noise came from above, and Sydney squinted up in the dark. Loud. Very loud. Sydney stood up straight and sniffled and headed towards the stairs. A form stopped him from advancing.

"Sydney, what the hell is going on?" Dad, it's Dad, "How drunk are you?" Peter walked down the stairs and grasped his son by his shoulders. Sydney tried to shimmy away out of his grasp, whining about the touch.

"Stoppp," Sydney scrunched up his face, "I'm not drunk... I only drank a little." He grumbled.

"Syd," His Father sighed, "You came in here making a huge ruckus and you've been out all night. What the hell is going on? Is this about our argument earlier?"

"Ugh," Sydney angrily groaned, "This isn't just yesterday, this isss everything," Sydney's eyes couldn't stay focused on his dad for long, "It's bullshit."

Peter sighed and turned Sydney towards the stairs, "Get. Go to your room." Peter gave Sydney a little push, "You're acting like a child for God's sake, you're an adult!"

"Children can't drink, Dad," Sydney mocked, "Go to my room, gotta go to my room."

"Sydney," His Dad repeated, taking a long deep breath, "We'll talk in the morning. When you're sober."

"I just don't wanna be here," Sydney mumbled as he took a step up the stairs, tightly clutching the handrail, "Everyday... Is the fucking same."

"I know Syd, you've made that very clear." Peter followed Syd up the stairs, urging him to continue ascending, "Now go."

"Just telling me what to do, when to do it," Sydney slurred. The end to the staircase spiraled in his vision. Sydney tripped back and fell into the wall again. Peter set up straight once again and helped him forward, "I get it... It's what it is... I don't want to leave."

"You're confusing me Sydney, what do you want?" Peter asked as he helped Syd at the end of the staircase find his room.

Sydney turned around and faced his dad. Tears were streaming down his face, "Dad, you don't get it." He cried before he began to sob incomprehensibly.

"Hey, hey," Peter quickly tried to deescalate, "Calm down Sydney, we'll talk in the morning." Sydney threw himself at his dad's chest and fell into his grasp, as he continued to mumble and cry, "Come here kid, you need to go to bed." Peter sighed, as he continued to guide Sydney, who was essentially dead weight now, to his room, "You know, this is exactly how I'd put you to bed you were a little kid." Peter said.