Reverse Rivalry

Boundaries You Should Never Cross

The atmosphere in the living room was tense but silent.

Skylar sat on the huge sofa nursing his nose with an ice pack. He winced every single time he touched it. He felt sorry for the bruised organ. Blood had started running like a facet out of it when Jale shoved his fist up the thing with no mercy. Skylar wasn't amused. At this rate, his nose would never recover from Jale's reoccurring assaults.

The door to the house opened cutting the silence in half. Skylar looked up to see Mrs.Kierson, the one and only, standing in the doorway with her signature ginger hair in a messy down bun. She was Jale, the short female version.

"I take it you like the house," She said addressing Jale who was staring at his mother like he just witnessed a murder. Skylar's amusement returned. Jale's eyebrows furrowed. Mrs. Kierson rolled her eyes and shrugged her blue pumps off her feet and walked into the room. The confidence she exuded was authoritative, calm, and decisive. Her steps were steady and commanding as she approached Jale and dropped her bag on the centerpiece in front of him.

Jale's grip on the couch arms tightened.

"Listen, boy, I will not be taking your bullshit over this, I'm working very hard to fix your problems, not my own,"

"Like you give a shit. if this didn't benefit you, you wouldn't give a fuck, "Jale answered meeting his mother's hard stare with defiance. Their gazes interlocked in an intense stare.

"You're right, without you in the house and you moving out, I can finally breathe again, I can finally stop feeling fucking guilty over choosing myself,"

"I have every right to hate you mom, every goddamn right, I'm sorry if you weren't able to handle that and forced me to live with this imbecile," Jale hissed.

"I'll say it again, you're fixing your problems, not my own. I would rather you finish high school than drop out for something this insignificant," Mrs. Kierson's face was void of emotion as she turned and retrieved her bag from the table. She dipped her hand into it and drew out papers. She nonchalantly threw them into Jale's lap then turned to Skylar.

Jale was definitely a chip off the old block.

Skylar stared at her. Her gaze wasn't welcoming nor was it hostile. It was just dismissive like he was dirt in the air.

"Your face must have seen better days," Ms.Kierson commented moving to sit beside him. She moved her long elegant manicured fingers to clutch his face to examine it. Her eyebrows furrowed. She must have been in awe at her son's immaculate handy work.

It was truly a masterpiece. Skylar had never felt more fucked up in his life.

"That boy has already broken the first rule,"

Skylar smiled slightly.

"Rule one: No fighting. That's fucking rich. I can't stand Skylar Lain for 10 minutes without wanting to shove my fist into his blow-,"

"Language, Jale, I've had enough of your dirty words," Ms Kierson commanded in a clipped tone. Jale's voice faded in a snap and nothing more left him. Skylar loved it, he loved the dynamics of a dysfunctional family, especially Jale fucking Kieron's.

He had watched on the sidelines from rosy cheeks and too big of shoes that didn't fit his small feet as Jale's family was at the peak, the peak of affection, love, and solidarity. He had scorned the blatant hugs, the kisses from both his parents and the boy's annoying giggles in his young mind. He had crushed plenty of pencils in half while watching it unfold.

Until it started falling apart. The golden boy's picturesque life vanished into thin air.

"This rule is ridiculous!" Jale fumed crushing the paper in his hands.