STUCK (Tate Langdon x Y/N)

escaping the fire

Yep. You heard me. Death.

When I was going through the same thing, o felt almost lethal, like any little blip in my day could make me lash out and hurt someone that I care about. The same things happening to Tate. It's been two weeks since we've last spoken, and he's getting worse.

I've seen him yell at Addy, over nothing. He's paced about his room talking about how much he wants to get rid of his mother, and he's been so mad when going and coming back from school. Constance thinks he's depressed, but clearly doesn't know about the backstory of this house. But I'll give it to him, I hated Westfield High when I went. The kids were just idiotic and only cared about drinking and drugs.

It's Christmas Eve, this might make Tate a little happier at least, but I highly doubt it. Christmas, it's about family. He doesn't like being around his pernicious mother, he hates her, it's irrevocable. He cares about Adelaide so much, and he doesn't seem to know why he's lashing out so much, yelling at her for everything. I've seen him be ashamed of himself late at night, pacing around his bedroom.

I found our pictures today. They fell out of this book about birds, must have been a bookmark or something. I don't know how long he kept them for, but it gave me hope, that there's still something inside of him that's hanging on to himself, to me.

Later on, I decided to go downstairs and have a chat to Moira. When I walked in she was helping prepare the food for the next day.

"Hello, miss y/l/n. How have you been, dear?" Moira asked kindly with a smile.

"I've been okay," I said, sitting down on the kitchen stools, "everything's been a bit manic lately, you know, Christmas and all."

She nodded, "Its hard isn't it? Seeing the family living in the house spending the day together, but we can't get out to see our own."

I thought of my parents.

"Yeah, I guess so." I said, looking at a coffee cup on front of me, "I have a question, Moira."

"Go ahead." she said, nodding her head towards me.

"Have you seen a change... in Tate? The way he's been acting?" I inquired.

"Oh yes," Moira said immediately, "He's been acting strange."

"Mhm. Hey, you wouldn't have the time would you?" I asked her.

"I think it's about 2:30pm, why?" She asked kindly.

"Oh no reason, just want to know when he's gonna be back." I responded, "I'll see you later,
Moira." I got up from the stool.

"Bye, dear. Let me know if you need anything." she said kindly.

I stopped myself from being seen by everyone in the house. Just as I reached the hallway, I heard the door swing open and stomping footsteps up the stairs. I looked up and saw Tate with an angry expression when entering his room. I went upstairs and Addy came rushing up behind me with Constance, I followed them into Addy's room and she sat down looking really upset.

"Why are they like this to me, Mom?" Addy asked, with tears in her eyes.

"Addy, I've already told you this. You're different to them. You aren't the same. Now come on, stop crying and come down and help Moira and I with dinner." Constance said obnoxiously.

"God, mother do you ever listen to what she has to say?" I looked across the room to see Tate standing in the doorframe.

"Oh Tate, you wouldn't understand. You haven't got any faults." Constance uttered.

"I don't give two shits, you have to listen to how Addy's feeling about these assholes." Tate shouted.

Who's he talking about? I thought to myself.

"They're high-schoolers, Tate! You go to school with them, you need to understand that these comments are only temporary!" Constance shouted back.

"Jesus, I didn't think you could get any worse. You said I don't have to go through what she goes through, yes. I understand that, but neither do you! You cant undermine her feelings when you haven't experienced the discrimination she receives!" He yelled, stepping closer to Constance.

"Tate, calm down!" she yelled.

"No! You're making her seem stupid for having feelings!" he was clearly getting riled up. Then I heard Larry coming up the stairs, while Tate was still yelling at Constance.

"Hey, hey Tate. You need to calm down." Larry said to him.

"Oh clear off, Larry. You're nothing to do with this." Tate yelled back. He grabbed Tate's arm and started pulling him out of the room and all in a matter of seconds, a fight had sprawled out. Tate punched Larry across the face and then said,

"You don't want to get on the wrong side of me today." with a smirk, quoting what I'd said to him the day before.

The whole family was in uproar, while Tate left the room with a smile on his face, leaving Larry on the floor with a bloody nose. I followed Tate into his bedroom. He sat down on his bed, and was just laughing. Laughing. He didn't feel guilty about the fact he'd just brutally injured Larry, it made him feel good.

Tate.... was becoming a sociopath.