affluenza (1.) | ✔️

Mashed Potatoes and Music Rooms

The door clicks open and I watch as his smile drops. A medium-height man shows up, smiling softly. He had rich dark skin and short black hair that framed his face in stubble. "Sorry. I didn't realize Sebastian had a friend over. I'm Victor, his stepfather."

I smile, reaching up and shaking his hand. "I'm Braylen."

"Braylen, huh?" Victor asks, smiling in a friendly way. "Say, aren't you the boy that's gotten my kid in all types of trouble since you two met?"

Sebastian bristles. "It's my fault, Victor. And I'm not your kid."

Victor stiffens. "Right, I was just..."

His voice trails off as he stands there uncomfortably. I smile gingerly at him. "In my defense, he's gotten me in far more trouble than I've him."

Victor smiles again, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Well you kids better be getting inside now; it's awfully cold tonight. Braylen, you're welcome to stay for dinner."

Sebastian stiffens next to me, but Victor disappears. He wasn't forcing me into an answer right that second. I couldn't help but appreciate him. I turn back to Sebastian. "That wasn't very nice."

Sebastian rolls his eyes, looking away from me. "Hey, I'm serious," I say. "Victor obviously adores you. Did you see how glad he was to see you smiling?"

Sebastian scoffs. "That's your damage, Braylen. You see the best in everybody."

"That's my damage?" I spit. "What about that is even remotely damaging?"

He sighs. "Whatever. Just go home."

Heart thumping in anger, I cross my arms. "Who said I was leaving? I believe I was invited to stay for dinner." Sebastian's eyes widen in disbelief.

"You're not staying for dinner. I'm not going to play house with them and I'm certainly not going to have you there to make things worse."

I glare at him. "How would I make things worse?"

"With...with all your positivity and crap!" he yells as I fight back a laugh.

"You're just trying to think of reasons at this point," I say and turn to walk up the steps to the front door. "I'm going in now...we can talk when you grow up, okay?"

I start to push the door open, half expecting Sebastian to pull me away from it and yell at me some more. But he doesn't. He steps in front of me and holds the door open and I have to fight the butterflies that threaten to take flight in my stomach. I send him a small reassuring smile and he returns it with a playful scowl. "Never tell me to grow up again, okay, Brayls?"

"Then don't act like a child," I whisper back, walking timidly into the house. Unlike usual, it wasn't dead silent. Victor and a small woman with long brown hair and bright blue eyes look up at me.

"Oh! You must be Braylen," she says, immediately standing and wrapping me in a hug. "I'm Rachel. How do you do?"

"I'm good," I say, surprised by the affection but grateful for it all the same. She had kind eyes, the ones where you felt safe. "I'm sorry to intrude. I can go if you'd like."

"Nonsense," she says and I smile as I realize she means it. "We're having steak, mashed potatoes, and asparagus."

"Careful," Sebastian says, speaking up for the first time. I turn to him and am happy to see the smirk on his face. "Braylen has an unusual relationship with mashed potatoes. Doubt they'll last for long."