Freaks

12- Chaos

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For once, Harper isn't alone this morning. Instead, Mitch is in the kitchen, slowly and tiredly cooking eggs for the both of them. Harper watches him from the table. Katy already ran off from work so she never told Harper if she said anything, she's assuming she did based on the way her father tumbles everywhere he goes.

He comes to the table and hands her a plate with more than enough scrambled eggs and extra pieces of bacon. While his plate seems more empty and his usual up and ready self isn't there today. As he eats, his fork keeps hitting the plate like it weighs a bag of bricks.

Harper wants to keep her questions to herself and not disturb whatever's going on between him and Katie but it's all she has to talk about.

"What's wrong?" She asks him as if she were clueless.

His heavy head turns up to show his downturned frown, "What do you mean?"

She raises a brow at his appearance and distressed hair.

He stops the fork in mid-air and blinks slowly, "I'm just tired."

"Why? You always go to bed on time."

"I'm not sure." He bites off his fork and wipes the bottom of his nose with his knuckle.

Harper studies him as he pokes at eggs and takes another bite, "Is it because of mom?"

His fork stays stuck in the eggs now as he puts an elbow on the table. "It is." He drops his fork and presses the bottom of his palms to the base of his eyebrows, breathing out a large breath of air. "But it's not because of her...it's me." His arms rest back on the table with a bang, "I mean...I did this. Didn't I?"

Harper takes her fork away from her mouth, "No—"

"Because I wasn't good enough."

"No, you didn't know how to be perfect. Especially when she never told you anything to begin with."

"It shouldn't have been like that, Harper. She shouldn't have to tell me. When we were falling apart I should've been the one to ask why she was isolating herself so much instead of ignoring it and taking off to drink somewhere."

"Dad."

"That's our problem. We don't talk to each other. We don't try to figure things out. We don't communicate feelings..." He shakes his head at his plate, "It's sad that it had to be someone else who woke us up from that. And, sadly, it's our own child."

I should've talked to Luka.

"Yeah..." Harper pauses and jolts her head, "I mean, no." Mitch looks up, "It's not sad, it's just how you guys are. You did something wrong...and now you can grow from it, right?"

He shoots a weak smile, "You're too good for us, Harper."

"No, I'm not. I'm just like the both of you." She looks down at her plate, "I just know how to see past my mistakes and embrace them. Make them turn out for the better."

Harper's phone dings, disrupting the soundless air. She looks and notices it's Jackson waiting for her. She jumps from her seat, "I have to go. Finish my plate."