Off One's Rocker - Lashton

Chapter Forty-eight

Chapter Forty-eight

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"Long time no see," Ben smiled as he walked into the familiar household where he grew up. Liz was preparing food for a family dinner whilst Jack was playing Fifa. "Where's little Luke?" he asked noticing the boy was not around.

"School," Liz shouted out. "He should be home in the next half an hour." Ben nodded as he collapsed on the sofa next to one of his brothers.

"How's University?" he asked watching the boy quickly move his fingers to control the players.

"Good," Jack said bluntly focusing on the screen.

"How's my favourite brother?" he asked nudging the boy slightly.

"Good," he said again before adding. "And we all know Luke was your favourite. He's everyone's favourite," Jack said sourly, recalling a few young memories of which Luke was always the centre of attention and like usual he was left out.

"Everyone but yours," Ben smiled watching the animated men on the screen run around.

"It was nice you know," Jack began after a moment of silence. He was still playing the game but knew exactly what he wanted to say. "Just me and mum here. She obviously talked about Luke a lot, she missed him. But, for once it felt like she cared about me. She babied me like she did Luke and I loved it. Then he came back and I've been pushed away again," he explained.

Ben sighed, he knew what his brother meant. Luke was always the centre of attention and he got jealous too sometimes. "I know, maybe you should talk to mum about how you feel," he suggested.

"Like she'd care," Jack scoffed. "She's too worried about Luke," he said rolling his eyes. It was not that he was jealous, he just wanted some attention every now and then.

"Luke's just had a bad year, she'll let him be soon. She's just worried he'll fall back into old habits," Ben reassured him.

Jack paused the game and put the controller down. "He has. We all know he's barely eating and probably throwing up but he's too good at lying."

"What do you mean?" the oldest son asked growing a little worried.

"He's lost a lot of weight again," Jack told him. "Mum took him to the doctors because he kept complaining of a sore throat. The doctor was sure it was due to throwing up, but Luke straight up promised her he was not throwing up. It was from the past. He lies to us. All of us and he is so goddamn good at it."

Ben sat there speechless staring at the ground. "Luke never lied," he said. The youngest son was always the one to snitch on them when they did the tiniest thing wrong.

"He does it all the time now and he's amazing at it," the middle son remarked.

"If you all know he is lying why aren't you doing anything about it. Get him a therapist or something?"

"Mum and Ashton don't want to cause an argument over it with him, he's good at that as well."

"You'll happily have an argument with him," Ben pointed out.

"I would. But he doesn't deserve it. It's his problem. We've all tried helping him, we got him better and he's right back where he started. Not letting anyone help him."

"I'm home," Luke called out shutting the door behind him. Jack picked up his controller again, unpausing the game and playing.

"Does he look like before," Ben asked getting ready to prepare himself.

"Basically, yeah," he confirmed not taking his eyes off of the screen.

Luke walked into the living room, placing his backpack on one of the sofas. "Hey, little brother," Ben greeted the boy and instantly noticed his extreme weight loss, he looked really underweight. "How was school?"

"Good," Luke said and Ben laughed at the same response to which Jack gave.

"You're looking a little skinny," Ben remarked as the blonde boy sat on the sofa opposite the two older brothers. Jack bit his lip knowing the conversation was not going to end too well. He listened in though, eager to hear if Ben grilled the younger boy.

Luke shrugged, "I lost a little weight, I'm fine though."

Ben did not believe it though. "How much is a little?" he asked raising his eyebrow suspiciously.

"Not much, I know I was one or two pounds underweight when I went to the doctors, but I've been trying to gain it back," Luke said admitting the partial truth.

"Liar," Jack muttered under his breath and the oldest brother looked at him and chuckled under his breath. Luke frowned at what Jack said and glared at the two. "No need to get in a pissy fit about it Luke," Jack pouted speaking in a voice you would use to a baby. "We all know you're lying."

"I am not," Luke hissed, his eyes burning into his brother's similar ones. 

"You are. I love listening to your lies when I know the truth," Jack teased watching the brother get angrier and angrier.

"Shut up," he seethed. Clenching his fists hard.

"I mean you know I don't like nor trust Ashton. But, I don't understand how he can trust you after all the lies you have told him," the boy continued winding Luke up. "Is Ashton really not worth the truth to you?"

Luke banged his fist against the sofa as hard as he could and stood up to exit the room. "Fuck you," he yelled

"Oi language Jack," Liz warned from the kitchen. Hearing someone storm up the stairs.

"Stop blaming me for everything, that was your innocent Luke who swore," Jack screamed back throwing the controller down in annoyance.

Liz walked through to the living room to see her two eldest sons sitting there. "What did you say to him?"

"The fucking truth!" Jack stated. "Something he needs to learn to tell."

"Jack!" his mother warned fed up with these little arguments.

"Are you going to get him help?" Ben asked

"He doesn't deserve it," Jack muttered, his arms crossed over his torso,

"It's just so difficult to get him to talk to someone. He just lies," Liz sighed.

"Aren't you meeting up with Alex later?"

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