The Muffinteers - Union of the SMP - Book 2!

Tommy's (maybe) Faultless Plan - Bad POV

"Hello?" Bad put the phone to his ear and sank down into a chair. His back ached from leaning into a dolly for thirty minutes without rest.
"Hey, Darryl."

"Oh- hi, Aunt Mina. Whatsup?"

"Why haven't you called recently?"

"Oh- sorry. I've been a little busy, you know." He laughed. "The trips been kicking-"

"That's no excuse." Her voice was hard. Cold.

"What?"

"That's no excuse to disregard your family."

"I'm not disregarding my family, Mina. I'm with friends."

"Over family. On Christmas."

"My goodness- Mina. You've known for weeks I wouldn't be home for Christmas this year!"

"That doesn't change anything."

"You were fine with it! Why are you suddenly so upset?"

"I was fine with it until you stopped calling."

'I called you- like, two days ago. I told you. I'm busy- please-"

"Too busy for family?"

"I'm not pushing away family."

"You are. You're with internet people who play games with you."

"And? They're my friends."

'Friends are people you meet at school, or- or work."

"I did meet them at work, technically." There was silence, and Bad was debating whether or not he was safe to talk again when his aunt spoke in a low growl into the receiver.

"You know that's not a job to me." She had said it. The miracle words that hit him right in the heart he was so desperate to share to everyone- but she had hit him right where it hurt the most. The one part of his heart he refused to give away. He didn't speak.

"Don't go all silent now. We've had this talk, you know- about how when the money runs out, and when the internet gets bored of you, you're going to be left with no experience, no degree or real talent. Then what? Are you going to come crawling home to me, begging to stay? At least then you might actually be around for Christmas-"

"Stop!" He choked. His throat felt tight and his eyes kept trying to close on him.

"Don't speak to me that way. You know that in the end, I'll be right and you'll be left without a career or a life plan. You're too old for these video games. I'm tired of-"

"STOP!" He didn't mean to shout. He didn't want to. But there wasn't anything he could really do to stop the emotion from taking over. "Just- stop."

"No, Darryl. You should be spending Christmas with family, not some stupid group of internet pansies who-" He ended the call. He would listen to her tear him down, but not his friends. He dropped his phone onto the wood of the deck, shaking hands going to his hair as he pulled his knees to his face and hid his face in them. For years, he had been getting this, but it still didn't change how it made him feel.

"These- these are my family. This is family. This is family. This is-"

"Bad? Are you out here?" He went silent at the sound of Skeppy's voice ripping him into his cold reality. If he was still enough, his friend wouldn't notice.

He heard footsteps, and waited until they went away to raise his head and stand up, taking his hoodie sleeve and wiping his face. He wasn't sure if a tear had fallen.