The White Wolf

Three: Big Brother

The abrupt opening of the front door, sounding our front door open automated security system to voice the entrance of the only other person to belong to our household.

"Hello!?" My mother called leaning away from the stove to see towards the door hoping to catch a sight of my brother. "Aaron, Honey! Are you hungry? You look like you've had a long da-"

"Why won't you just leave me the hell alone!" He yelled before rushing up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door close.

I watched as my mother swallow hard but look back to the pan in pain.

"Mom, don't take it personally," I whispered gently touching her elbow as a form of comfort.

She swallowed roughly again and nodded going back to stirring the meat she was cooking.

"Do you want me to go talk to him and see what's up?" I asked once again in a hushed tone.

Her mother gave me a soft smile that I hadn't seen in a while. "If you would be so kind, Syd."

Nodding I hopped off the counter and leaped up the stairs by two.

When I reached Aaron's bedroom door I pulled in a deep breath trying to calm both my nervousness and anger. Rapping my fist on his door, I tried ignoring his heavy music that was crashing into me.

After a minute of beating on his door Aaron's music toned down and the door opened.

His dark eyes found me before he spat out, "What?"

Aaron's floppy black hair-which he dyed-dipped into his fragile dark green eyes and was striking against his white skin. He was thin and slender. He had that sort of 'goth' appeal to him but since our dad's death, he had taken it to a whole other level.

Steeling myself I spoke strongly, "You know what! Why are you talking to mom like that!? She didn't do anything to you." Before he could answer I shoved my way into his room, following the stench of cigarettes.

"Sy-"

Beside his metal bunk-bed was little parity dish, a little white bundle with swirling and spinning angry grey smoke weaseling out of it, like one would see from a chimney in winter.

Plucking out an old bud, I stuffed the cigarette right in his face drawing his eyes down to the offensive item. "You're smoking in here!?"

"Sydney-" Aaron started reverting back to his usual self.

Aaron started getting angry and dark-if that was a way to explain it- and started to get in trouble more frequently after their father died. My mother and I couldn't seem to stop or slow it, but we had tried to help him. Our mother thought it was just a phase and thought that he would grow out of it, but now one and a half years later Aaron was still in that 'phase.'

We had never caught him doing drugs or smoking, but every now and again my mom or I would not the lowering whiskey line in the window ceil of our kitchen. While brokenhearted and hurt my mother seemed to nod and say as long as he was doing it in our house he wouldn't be out in the world to get hurt.

I had argued that therapy had helped me, but whatever private discussion mom and Aaron had he never went.

"No Aaron! You can't do this shit! You're going to hurt yourself, it's not healthy. And not to mention second-hand smok-" I started to ramble as I started towards my emotional breaking point for my brother

"Sydney, shut up. It's not like you know anything. I'm sorry if I'm the only one in this house that cares that dad fucking left us-"

"He didn't leave us!" I spat, trying so hard to refrain from screaming at him.

"Yes he was on his way to-"

"No. You know just as well as Mom and I know that Dad was killed by a drunk driver! The thing you're going to turn out to be if you don't cut this crap!" I felt my eyes begin to water.

"Sydney-" My brother frowned, he reached out to hold me.

Harshly stepping back from him, I carried on. "No, don't you 'Sydney' me, not when I know right when I forgive you and step out that door you are going to continue doing this-this shit!" Tears started to tumble down my cheeks.

"Bu-"

I cut him off once more. "No, Aaron you don't understand! I lost my dad; I don't want to lose you too. I can't lose you too. How would Mom feel!? She would have not only lost her husband but her son too. And would Dad want this for you? No, he would tell you to get up of your feet and get back to doing what you're doing. If Dad could be would be her-" Now tears were coming down like stinging waterfalls and my nose both burned and was stuffy.

My heart pinched together as I sobbed to myself, thinking about our dad, wishing all too much that he was still here.

Aaron came and wrapped his long lanky arms around me in a comforting hug.

Together we stood in the sad dark room and cried together.

☽✣☾

EDITED JUNE 17 2020