*Hey everyone, sorry this is late! I'm having a crazy week between interviews and then graduation commencement on Saturday but after this week I will have a lot more time to write.*
ERYK'S POV:
Even though I felt better about convincing Charlie not to move, I had been tossing and turning still, trying to figure out a way to deliver the news of military school to Cody. He was sound asleep in the closet and has been utterly silent since he bursted in here a few hours ago to apologize after his punishment. I still don't know what to think of that.
"I hope he didn't lock it." I said to myself as I climbed out of bed to tread across the fragile wooden floor to the closet.
Opening the door carefully, I could see that he was still asleep on his stomach with his arms tightly gripping the sides of his pillow. There was dried residual from his tears sticking on his lower cheek and chin. It wasn't the first time he had cried himself to sleep after a punishment, especially not one from Charlie, and I doubt this will be the last. Cody is an introvert at its finest, but man can he be as stubborn as a bull.
I took the blanket from his body and threw it on the floor just a few inches from his bed frame. Turning him to his side facing the wall, I easily slid my hands under his side and picked him up, dipping his head low so I would not hit it against the door frame. Even thought the thought did cross my mind.
"Alright buddy, come on." I whispered as I placed him gently on his bed, putting the pillow under his head and covering him.
The door creak open slowly, just enough to have Cody shudder and I shield my eyes from the hallway light.
"What're you doing?" Charlie asked as he leaned against the door frame.
"I got him out of the closet and wanted to put him in bed."
He nodded and then reminisced in how peacefully Cody looked in his blissful sleep.
"When will you tell him? If you want me there with you then I will make sure I am."
"No, I'll tell him. Tomorrow." I looked down to his face, instantly feeling a drop in my stomach. "Maybe, probably not."
Charlie smiled slightly, but then inhaled sharply and began nodding in thought. "Well, I have some chores for him to do tomorrow and he needs to get them finished before his next punishment."
I looked up at him instantly. Honestly, I did not think Charlie was serious about that...I thought he only used it as leverage to get Cody to comply for the first one. I've had a multiple punishment from Charlie before, but mine was only for three days after he caught me driving the riding lawn mower around. Which I crashed into the old tree out back. Thankfully there was no serious damage to it, otherwise I don't know if I'd be here right now.
"Can't you just let him go...?"
"No, I need to get through to him. Discipline is something he needs to learn, especially if he is going to play a school sport this upcoming semester."
Nodding my head this time, I turned back to him once more before standing and heading back to my own. Charlie turned off the hallway light after ensuring I was tucked in.
"Goodnight Eryk." He whispered.
"Night Charlie."
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ERYK'S POV:
"Hey, I'm leaving for work and I won't be home until late. Here's some money for a pizza." Charlie leaned in near me to make sure I was listening.
I heard Charlie's words, but my brain was barely awake so I hardly made any sense of them. It's 6:37 in the morning, why couldn't he just leave me a note?
"Yeah, okay." I said as I slumped back against my pillow.
"Alright, go back to bed. I'll see you later." He exited my room quickly, pulling the door shut behind him.
I realized that I could sleep for another hour if I really wanted to but there was no point. It would take me another hour just to fall asleep, maybe I can get some stuff finished early so I can get more sleep later.
"Ugh, here we go." I whispered to myself as I got out of bed, slipped on a shirt and some socks before heading downstairs to make breakfast. I am starving.
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CODY'S POV:
Rolling over on my back during my sleep woke me up immediately as my nerves were punctured from subtle pain. It took me a few minutes before I realized where I was, I could have sworn I went into the closet last night but I was so frustrated that I barely remember anything. For a brief moment, I was relieved to remember that Charlie was at work so I wouldn't have to avoid him during breakfast but then I remembered the punishment waiting for me tonight.
"Oh crap." I said under my breath.
"Hey you're awake." Eryk said as he came charging into the room, pacing instantly as if he was preparing for a speech.
"What's the matter with you?"
"Huh?" He snapped out of his thoughts. "Nothing. Come downstairs, I already have breakfast made and it's going to get cold."
"Nah, I think I'll ride today out in bed." I leaned to my side and pulled the covers over my head.
"Oh no, no, no, no, that isn't happening. Charlie has chores for you and you haven't eaten anything in a while." He ripped the covers off of my bed and threw it on his so I wouldn't be able to reach for it again.
After a few minutes of building the energy to get out of bed, I got dressed for the day and was practically pushed down the stairs by Eryk. Why does he have to live so much like Charlie? Where he does everything on a schedule. It's annoying.
"You dragged me all the way down here just for bacon and eggs? Man you could have at least of made waffles."
"Shut up and eat your breakfast." He said as he slapped the eggs and bacon on my plate. "OJ or gatorade?"
"OJ." I picked up my fork and began scarfing down my food despite my inner hatred for eggs.
He poured me a glass and then grabbed a gatorade for himself. Why is he acting so weird today? It's as if he suddenly got a burst of energy and forget about all of the sudden changes we would be making soon.
"Why aren't you eating?" I asked.
"I already ate, I actually need to tell you something." He gripped the back of the kitchen table chair and leaned forward.
"Oh no, the last time you told me something with this demeanor grandma ran over Chummy with the lawn mower."
Chummy was our pet rabbit that Eryk got on his fourteenth birthday.
"Mom should have known better to let grandma ride the lawn mower after Easter dinner, you know how much she liked brandy." He smiled slightly. "No, this is actually something a lot more..." He paused and looked up at my anxious face.
"What is it?"
"Um...nothing. It's nothing, it can wait." He engulfed his entire class of OJ before turning back to put the cup in the sink. "Are you finished? We need to go to the gas station."
"What for?"
"I need to get gas so I can weed-wack, thank god the grass is already cut so I don't have to worry about it."
"Alright then, let's go." I put my plate in the sink before slipping on my shoes and following Eryk out the door.
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ERYK'S POV:
Damn, I can't believe I wimped out of another opportunity to tell Cody. I've obviously known him all my life, and most of the time I can gauge how he will react to situations but in this instance I have no idea. I'd imagine some anger, shock, and probably discouragement, but after everything that's happened over the last few days I can't be certain of anything. In my opinion we strengthened our bond...we now have an understanding that can be applied to all aspects not just dark instances of our past. However, I feel as though this news will be like taking two steps forward for me and then one step back for us.
He's right, I should have made waffles to sweeten the bad news.
"Do you know how to pump gas?" I asked as we exited the store.
"Yeah, I fill my car up almost every day." He mocked as he glanced down at the gas can in my hand.
"Shut up, don't be obtuse. Here I'll show you how to do it." I went over to pump 3 and sat the gas can down right below the curb that the pump was sitting on.
"Okay then."
"First, you pay. Check. Then you remove the hand and sometimes you have to flip the lever up to initiate the process," I did as such. "and then you always go with unleaded, which is number eighty-seven. After that, you click on it and put the nozzle into whatever it is you're filling up," I put it into the gas can tightly. "and then hold in the trigger. Easy isn't it?"
"Yeah it's not so bad." He sat down on the curb and watched me finish filling the can. "Do you think we'll be able to do stuff like this at the new city?"
And there goes my heart rate.
"There's always something fun and exciting to do anywhere you go." I had to think of something quick and unanimous.
"You seem off today. What's wrong?" He leaned back, placing his palms against the concrete to look up at me. "Does this have something to do with what you wanted to tell me earlier?"
I finished pumping and placed the nozzle back into the slot before getting my receipt from the tank. I never was any good at lying or hiding things from Cody, he's always been someone that I've looked after and confided in but this would be news that would imply us being separated for so long.
"Come on, spit it out." He said as we started walking back home. "You're going to have to tell me eventually so you may as well..."
"Cody we're not moving." That was the good half of the news so at least I managed to start with that.
He had no reaction at first, he merely shrugged his shoulders and even smiled slightly. "Okay? That's good news I guess, I didn't want to move anyway, but why did that bother you so much?"
"Because, um...because..." I put the gas can down as we reached the corner, a few blocks from the house. "Because I'm going to be leaving."
Looking up at me, he was as lost as all can be. He stared at me with no emotion, which only intensified my apprehension.
"Did you hear me? I said I'm leaving..."
"W-what? Leaving? Where're you going?"
"Charlie gave me permission to enroll in military school and I'm going to apply for this upcoming semester. If I get in, I'm going to be living on their campus."
"For how long? Where is their campus? Will you be home often?" He started hammering questions at me.
"For the entire school year and maybe the summer, I'll be home on holidays but it's going to be hard to get away. The campus is about forty-five minutes away."
I watched as his shoulders slumped and his expression turn grim as the thought of living everyday without me being there finally sank into his mind. His eyebrows furrowed after a minute of silence between us. In the last eleven years, we've never spent a day away from each other. He's been by my side and I his since the beginning, we always depended on each other and we always looked out for the other. This was going to be hard for me as much as it will be for him, but I can understand how much more this affects him.
"Eryk, what're you fucking nuts? Why do you need to go to military school? You can't just pick up and leave after everything that's happened!" He hollered before running across the street and alongside the sidewalks.
I picked up the gas can and immediately chased after him. "Cody! Get back here!"