Turn Our Guns to Fists

I Could've Guessed It

There was no answer, so Zack knocked again. We waited a few more minutes. "Welp guess he's not home." I started to walk away but Zack grabbed me by the backpack that I was wearing and pulled me back over.

"I have a key."

"You kept it?"

"Well, yeah. Sometimes when he's gone I come over and straighten everything up a bit."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured you'd be mad." He shrugged like it was nothing.

"I would no-," glared at me, "Okay, maybe I would've, but still." He walked into the house and I followed close behind. It almost the same it did as when I lived here. Except a few things, some of the picture frames were now broken, faces of pictures were torn out or scribbled on, it was mostly just dad and mom in the pictures, there were a few with Jay and Maddie. But none with Zack or I.

"He still gets mad. He still thinks it's our fault for some reason." Zack whispered after noticing me staring at the pictures. "Come on." He led me up stairs. There where holes in the walls all down the hallway. I looked at a picture on the wall, one he had apparently punched, the glass was shattered, still at the floor below the picture. It was slightly bent at some parts like it had been taken out and put back in the frame a few times, but everyone was still intact in this picture. It was the last family picture that we took before mom died. "That one was my favorite." Zack smiled at me. We continued to walk until we got to my old room. Zack pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

"Why's the door locked?"

"I didn't want him to ruin any of our rooms or the stuff we left in them, so I put locks on all of our doors."

"Oh." We walked into the room. My bed was just the way I left it, some things that I had left here were still in the same spots. I walked over to my dresser that still had all my books and pictures on it. "I almost forgot about all this stuff."

"You should come by and pick it up sometime."

"I might." I smiled at him. "So where is dad?"

"He could be asleep or he could be at work." Zack shrugged.

"Let's go get everyone and get out ASAP." Zack nodded and we went downstairs.

______

"That was great guys." We all started walking out the door.

"I'll be right out." I walked back into the house. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a note.

"Dad,
I hope you are doing okay. I'm sorry that haven't been talking to you, I'm sure you can understand why. If you ever need me, you can call me at the same number I've always had.

I still love you,
       Tyler"

I laid the note in the counter then started back toward the door, I turned back around and walked back to their room. I slowly opened the door and saw dad passed out on the floor, a bottle of tequila beside him. My breath hitched and I cringed at the smell of the alcohol. I quietly went over to moms dresser and looked at all her stuff. He had left everything exactly where it was. I looked at her nightstand and saw exactly what I was looking for. I grabbed the three notebooks and the silver cross necklace that was hanging out of one of them. I turned my head as I was about to walk out the door. "I love you dad." I whispered then left the house.

"Whatcha got?" Zack walked over to me.

"Her necklace and her journals, I was going to read them and I was going to ask you if you would object to us giving the necklace to Maddie, she loved it so much."