Birds || Fuenciado

Chapter 17: Overspill

I got Mike a pair of new custom drum sticks for his birthday - black all over with white music notes clustering at the bottom and spreading thinner the further up the drum stick they go. At the bases are his initials: M.F. He's testing them out right now, and downstairs I can hear a drumbeat drifting up from the basement - I don't recognise it so I'm fairly sure it's the new Good Charlotte single, which dropped two days ago and which Mike hasn't stopped squeaking about since; not that I can blame him. It is a great song. He seems to be enjoying my gift, so I can't help smiling. I make sure to capture every smile he has, these days.

As long as nobody asks Mike how school is going, he's the perfectly happy, sparky, bubbly kid I know and love, the one I recognise - but whenever someone even mentions the place its like someone is slowly, painfully driving a knife through his gut and the colour is being syphoned from his face. At the beginning of the holiday, the mention of school brought his reluctance to talk about it, and now, just a few weeks in, uttering the word 'Clairemont' is likely to bring tears to his eyes. He's happy for now - but he'll have to go back eventually, and I have a horrible feeling about that coming day.

But right now, I just try and absorb the fact that my baby brother just turned eighteen and is now a legal adult - and at the same time try not to panic over the fact that I'll be twenty in a few months.

"Vic, you've been at that window for fifteen minutes," Mom chuckles fondly, and I turn around to see her standing in the doorway of the living room. She looks damn exhausted - even more than me after a gruelling nine to five - but retains her lovely, caring smile, and those kindly eyes behind her glasses, which she readjusts as she smirks at me. "He'll get here when he gets here."

"Yes, that's true, but you're forgetting something."

"What's that?"

"I'm incredibly impatient and overly eager. So when you put it together, it really makes sense for me to be standing at the window staring at the road waiting for him to come down the street with his suitcase in his hand and - never mind, there he is!"

Mom laughs as I spring away from the window and bolt for the front door - mid October, two months ago, I would have been embarrassed beyond belief at my overzealous attitude; but Jaime and I have been together for about a month and a half now and he makes me happier and happier every day, so really, my excitement is both unsurprising and unashamed as I slam the door handle down and go to pull the door open.

It's locked, and the handle jams immediately and I curse, turning around, fumbling for the door key, and then unlocking it before trying again with more success.

Jaime is about fifty yards away from my house but as I hang out of the doorway, dangling by one arm and waving, he has no trouble spotting me and waving back too. Today's outfit is a galaxy themed sweater and a thick scarf patterned with bird prints - quite rightly. It's really fucking cold today and I'm shivering just standing here in the doorway. He's pulling along a small suitcase and carrying two large paper bags in the other, and looks as though he's struggling a little - so I bounce out of the house and skip along the street to meet him despite only wearing socks. I regret my decision about halfway down. The ground is colder than I thought it was going to be.

"Hello," I chirp as he stops walking and I boing to a stop before him, tipping my head forwards to kiss him in greeting, and he grins.

"Aren't your feet cold?"

"Fucking frostbitten, actually," I admit, looking down at my feet dressed up in sheep-themed socks. "I thought it wouldn't be as cold. Need a hand with your bags?"

I reach out a hand to take one of the paper ones and he gladly passes it over. "Please. But don't look inside it. Your presents are in there."

As we start walking again, back along the street towards my house, where Dad is now standing in the doorway rubbing his arms against the cold, I raise an eyebrow. "You do realise that just makes me want to look at them more?"