Supernovas & Escapism

Chapter Twenty-Two

     "Because she liked girls?" my dad shot back with an eyebrow raised.

     And like that, the atmosphere in the room changed ever so slightly again. It was enough to make me sit up straight in my chair, and for Glory to set down her fork. His expression was unwavering, looking like he had just took in a bad smell and was wondering how to digest it.

     "No," Katy said after a moment. "Well, I mean yeah, but only because she was making things weird."

     And before I knew it, I was crashing into this conversation. "Did you ever ask her about it? Like did she ever tell you."

     "Not in so many words."

     An annoyed grunt came from my father, as he pushed his chair back. The aggressive sound of the scraping of chair legs against floor was enough to make all three of us flinch. Before either of us had the chance to register it, he was standing, face still poised with an abundant amount of annoyance.

     I wanted to ask if he was alright, but that would have been breaking the pattern of behavior that was supposed to exist between us.

     Instead, he just heaved a heavy sigh, and made his way out to the kitchen. His steps seemed heavy and sluggish, as if worn down by the years that had been brought his way. I wanted to know what he was thinking, and I wished that he would just talk to us like he had done before anything had happened. His voice in this house only seemed to be a fraction of what it had been, and I knew I wasn't the only one that noticed this. But we'd be damned if we were ready to stand up and just talk about it. The Sutton's did not talk about what was on their minds to anyone, including each other apparently.

     My eyes dragged themselves to Glory, who had turned to face me. Without saying a word, she propped herself up from the table, ready to get up.

     "Where are you going?" I asked.

     "Out," she replied so monotone. "Tell dad I'll be back before curfew."

     As much as I wanted to stop her right now, I knew there wasn't really going to be any point to that. Regardless of who got in her way, Glory would always find her way out. There were times where everyone's eyes glazed over for a second, and the next minute you gained focus, you realized she was already out the door. Maybe it was time for me to pick up on some of those professional skills of my own.

*****

     This scene was starting to get a little familiar; feet crunching on the grass and dried, dead leaves, brisk air trying to batter my skin into submission. The gentle lull of wind that whisked everything up only seemed to intensify as I made it into the clearing which held the small playground.

     There was no doubt in my mind that Garth would be here.

     Despite how much he liked to pretend to not give a shit about what people thought about him, there was some truth in the actions he carried through. Like most people, he was a creature of habit, always going to be drawn back to this place; the creaking of the swing chains almost being like a siren call too him. It seemed to be an extension of him. No matter where he was, there was always a part of his presence that lingered here. And as much as I wanted to find it infuriating and cliché, I understood. This was Garth's safe-space; a place where he could go to think and just be himself without the pressure of being someone else looming over his head.