𝔠𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔟𝔬𝔶 • max

five

this chapter includes abuse

after i finished my food, c/n left my room and i picked up my phone. i scrolled through instagram for a bit, before opening spotify and putting on the "my favorites" playlist.

i started to move my shoulders to the beat, and smiling when the chorus/beat drop came on.

my door opened suddenly, making me jump and turn off the music. it was my uncle.

"y/n. we're home alone," he whispers. he smells of alcohol.

"i-i-" he grabs my arm and pulls me closer, until he hears the sound of my brother playing fortnite in his room.

he lets go, and runs out of my room - and im sure my house as a whole.

i trembled, my heart racing from the stress. for once, i actually thank my brother for playing video games so often. suddenly, my phone rings.

i answer without checking the caller name, and i almost intstantly recognize the middle-of-puberty voice.

"hey," he says. i answer with a shaky voice-

"u-uh, hi," i mumble. max goes silent for two seconds, and speaks.

"are you okay?" he asks. i tell him i am, despite the very obvious fact that im not.

"well... um, i just called to make sure youre fine. not like i really care or that it benefits me, i just had to get it off my chest." i chuckle at his tone.

"okay, max. by the way, are you from here or-?"

"i grew up in the bronx and my family still lives here, but they didnt want to deal with me so they sent me to this camp. fucking sucks, but hey," i could hear the smile in his voice. "less annoying siblings make for a good summer. and less yelling at night, and not having to deal with people getting jumped multiple times a night."

"yeah. those situations really do suck. i live in brighton beach, you know - that one place that you can walk to coney island from? i dont understand why theres an option to take a fucking train from here to there," i smirk. i hear him laugh.

"damn. ill ask if the camp counselors have plans to go there anyday. im sure they do, though," he says. i smile.

"whats your family like?" i ask. he sighs, and lingers on an 'uh' for three seconds.

"well, my parents dont like me. im the oldest kid. im fifteen, and my little sister is six. im sure i have a younger brother somewhere in new york, from my dad. just dont know where. my family is super dysfunctional and fights a ton, and i have like a hundred cousins who hate me too. so, what about you?" he finishes. i say a quick 'damn, that sucks. im sorry' and begin describing my family.

"my mom is an alcoholic but she isnt the abusive type. sometimes she'll say things or forget things that i tell her, but thats pretty much it. my brother is in his room all day, except for when he has to work. we have two cats, c/n and o/c/n, three birds named bi/n, bi/n/2, and bi/n/3. bi/n and bi/n/2 are parakeets while bi/n/3 is a cocktiel. um... we live with my grandmother, whos probably going to pass from all the stress of missing my grandfather, and my dad lives in manhattan with my other grandmother. i have a little brother from my dad named l/b/n, and an older sister from my dad named s/n. i dont have any other sisters. um..."

i trail off, not knowing what else to say. if i mention my uncle, who knows what max'll think.

"thats... pretty much it," i say. max is silent.

"thats a lot of stuff to remember," he finally says. i giggle.

"why would you have to retain all that information, loser?" i ask him.

"for when i meet your family the day we start dating," he jokes. i laugh out loud, and blush.

"smooth, max. smooth," i smile. "sorry, but, i have to go. im a bit tired."

max says a small 'ah' before saying bye. he hangs up first.

he really fucking cheered me up.