... almost three years, rome thought to himself as he stares at his reflection in the mirror, he wondered why he acted out, perhaps it was out of whim or impulse that he felt the need to hurt his little sister.
his eldest brother alessandro kept him in check, and he was put in a mental asylum, his brother was pathetic to him. 'how could a little girl change them so much?' rome thought, he resented adriana, she took their mother away and the affection of his brothers, rome always been the youngest and wildest child who constantly needed checking.
alessandro could be doing activities that people his age do, such as getting laid, going to parties, but here he is, stuck with raising his baby sister.
rome splashed more cold water onto his face as he tried not to get irritated at the thought of having to see his little sister, today is the day that he gets dismissed from the mental institution.
| | | |
rome stood his chest out as he walks down the halls that kept him sane, he didn't miss it and wasn't going to, his older brother met him halfway.
"Romeo." alessandro says as he extends a hand out, "Alessandro" rome says as he shakes his eldest brother's hand, "how are you feeling." alessandro asks as they walk out towards the car park. "tired, could sleep." he responds, "our little sister." alessandro starts to say but rome makes a disgusted look, "she isn't my little sister. she won't ever be." he says lacing every word with purposeful blunt. "right. my baby sister, she's staying with me, stay away from her." alessandro concludes.
"will do, is that all?" rome says nonchalantly as he gets into the passenger side of alessandro's car. "..yes" he retorts, starting the engine and off to the residence.
noah had been anticipating on their youngest brother's arrival, he was nervous, and so he kept himself distracted by playing with his baby sister. adriana had been situated on noah's lap as she was finishing her fruit cups and strawberry cake.
according to the doctors, adriana had been traumatized that her memory was wiped, and she wouldn't remember what rome did to her, or who he is. parts of noah was happy at hearing that, and that she wouldn't have to remember that he stood in fear as she was hurt, the other half was disappointed that she wouldn't remember him teaching her how to walk.
"where is bubba" adriana asks as she looks to noah who was deep in thoughts, "he's picking someone up, and remember to keep your distance okay?" noah says, "is he a bwad pwrson?" adriana innocently asks, noah frowned at the question, "..yes, he's a very bad person, so keep away." noah responds, he could fondly remember rome and him playing football, and doing what any other brothers do, it was hard to believe that it was the same one who dared to hurt his princess.
alessandro knew this day would eventually come, he just didn't realise it would happen so soon. he loves all his siblings equally, and to have a conflict within their little family disrupts his internal peace, he had to step up to be a father figure for both his siblings at the age of 16, and he barely could experience anything a normal guy in their teenage years could experience. he was happy though, he didn't miss anything, raising his family was far more important to him than to go out to parties.
when adriana had been born, it was like their entire worlds changed for the better or for the worse, it made alessandro become more fatherly than before. he wouldn't care what noah or rome did while in school but since adriana's birth, he wanted them all to succeed and be a role model for their little princess. it's true people say he dotes on his baby sister too much, but who wouldn't?
adriana will always be the light to their blood stained family. rome looked amused when arriving back, 'everything's changed' he thought as he sees the pillars are the new addition.
'i remember playing ball back there' as he sees the field beside the manor, he clearly missed the days when he was 7 and his eldest brother was just 16, as a young boy he admired alessandro, and wanted to be like him, but the more he grew up the more he came distant from him ever since adriana's birth.
11 years earlier .
rome hopped off the bus as noah followed him behind, "wait up." noah says to his younger brother, "i can't! andro is going to be back home early" rome says excitedly, alessandro had to drop out of school to work different jobs to care for his younger brothers, as they approached the house alessandro welcomed them both equally with love. "Hey bros how did school go?" he asks the two of them as he helps them with their sports bag, "andro i can do it myself" noah says as he goes to set his soccer bag down. before alessandro had quit school he had been the school's all-time star football player and when they heard he quit they were sad to hear that, he could've became a professional football player. "andro, i want to live out your legacy" the young rome says as there had been sparkles in his eyes as he looks to his older brother.
alessandro chuckles as he gives his youngest brother a pat on the head, "I'm sure you will." he says confidently, "hey your birthday is coming up, what would you like?" alessandro asks before rome left to his room, "i really want your football jersey." rome says excited, "that's all? are you sure? i mean if you are just saying that to avoid spending our money i saved up." alessandro reassures, rome shook his head, "no, I truly want it." he says, and alessandro couldn't help but feel touched, "alright." he says before he turns to assist noah. at the beginning noah always hated that alessandro would boss them around, he hated being taken care of, he wanted to be independent, as for his baby brother he worshiped the grounds that alessandro walked upon. "im fine i can handle it." noah says, frustrated at the math problem presented, when their father left they only had each other and their mother was never in the picture, the truth is, they all had different moms, but their father was what brought them together.
On Rome's birthday, as always he would ask "do you think, my mom would come back?" as he looks to alessandro, "im sure she would." he says.
as time went by, Rome's mom did come back, but with another child. On Rome's 13th birthday, his mom abandoned him, he couldn't but feel resentment towards the unknown child, the child that took his place, the love and adoration he's received was taken away from him, just like that, he was like a nobody in his family. Rome felt guilty, he wanted to try to love his new baby sister but he couldn't bring himself to, no matter what he did, he was green with envy, everytime he saw the child he would just want her to die.
rome had been stuck with watching over their baby sister, even on his birthday, 'what a lousy 14th birthday' he thought, and adriana just turned a year old and was still practicing how to speak, but only came out with incoherent words. rome couldn't stand her and so he pushed her and then that's when alessandro just arrived back, and of course he was blamed for everything.
Present
rome tried to erase those memories that he longed to bury. "welcome home." alessandro says as he leaves to find adriana. rome felt weird being back after a long time being away, he immediately went off to his room and his room remained in tact and he saw the Jersey of Alessandro's sitting in the glass case in his room.
it's incredible how one can change drastically, rome always wanted to be normal, wanted his family back to normal. a part of him was wanting to see adriana, then, the stronger parts of him urges him not to.
| | |
noah had leaned against the doorframe as he watches alessandro help change adriana into new clothes, "you know, the more you treat her like your daughter, she's going to grow up thinking I'm her uncle" noah states, "well who's going to act as her father?" alessandro asks a rhetorical question,
"i could" noah simply says, but was quickly shut down, "no, I wouldn't allow it" the eldest brother says.
"bubba, what you guys talk about?" adriana interjects the two, bringing both their attention to her.
"well, honey we want to know who would make a better father to you." alessandro responds, adriana looks at them confused, "bubba i don't know" she replies, as alessandro finally finished putting her top on, "it's alright" he says.
alessandro pov:
it was only natural for me to step up as the man of the house, so when noah asks that question, it made me realise how much i do treat adriana as my own. maybe it's because my instincts just took over, a child left motherless, and fatherless. i didn't see the problem, so i continued to act as her father.
it's been a few days since rome has been back home, adriana has been kept away from him which i was happy about, there were some things that i didn't want her to ask rome.
"bubba!" adriana calls for me as she makes her into my office, i closed my laptop and welcomed her into my lap, "what is it?" i ask as i help seat her on my lap, "i go to school" she states, "you want to go to school?" i ask i haven't even thought about enrolling her yet, "uh huh" she says nodding her head eagerly, "alright." i say then she gave me a peck on the cheek.
my heart, everytime she does that goes skipping a beat, "why don't you go play with noah" i suggest to her, since she wasn't planning on leaving my lap. "i wanna be with bubba!" she exclaims, which i chuckle, "but isn't noah your bubba too?" she looks at me for a solid minute, "okay but i be with alessy" she says, "alright.. but im doing boring stuff" i say trying to convince her to leave, i didn't want her to see her mother's name on my laptop, "i colour!" she says standing up on my lap to reach for a couple of paper, 'holy shit if she steps backwards she's going to hit me in the groin.' i mentally thought but to my relief she finally settles herself back to my lap as she begins to draw.
i reopened my laptop, and quickly closed out of the email, then a new email pops up, which quickly catches my eye, it was my ex.
'why the hell would she be emailing me?' was the first thing i thought of, so i opened the email.
~~~
i was staring at the email for a few solid minutes, before i registered the information, "no fucking way." i said aloud, almost forgetting adriana was sitting on my lap. "bubba?" she asks, "nothing baby." i softly say as i give her a kiss on the temple, "what is fuck?" she repeats the foul word, "no, no, don't say that. that's a bad word." i said.
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published: 10.17.21