Can't Think Of Title Yet - Pretty Emo Story 🖤

2

I hovered behind mum awkwardly as she slid the key into the lock and opened the front door. It was dark at this point, and cold, so I was relieved to feel the flood of warm air and light spill out the door as she nudged it open with her hip.

"ANDREW!", my mum screeched down the hall and into the kitchen, "WE'RE BACK", my mother's way of calling my father hadn't changed after recent events, I wasn't that surprised. My dad shuffled out of the kitchen, still wearing his work overalls, my mums face screwed up into its usual cat's bottom expression when she saw he was still wearing his muddy wellies as well.

"Welcome back sweetie" he muttered as he pulled me into a bear hug. I could feel my ribs crunching against each other, but I didn't mind, a hug was exactly what I needed right now, even though I wasn't prepared to admit it. When his grip finally relaxed, I spotted the twins (Jonnie and Carla) guarding the kitchen door like gargoyles.

"Harry!", Carla chanted as she ran full pelt towards me almost knocking me clean off my feet. She smiled up at me in that innocent way that kids do as she hugged my knees. She was clutching one of Jonnies toy cars again. Carla never really liked all the barbles and make up sets mum brought for her, so instead she would play with Jonnie's cars. Good on her, I thought.

Jonnie however stayed by the door chewing something with his brow furrowed in concentration and his head tipped to one side like a curious puppy.

Eventually he slurred, with an air of triumph, through his food, "I don't like you with the bandages on, they look weird".

"Jonnie!", and there it was, the outburst from mum, said with the usual air of indignation, "don't speak with your mouthful and don't insult your sister like that she's hurt!"
"Nice to see you two, too", I mumbled, straining a smile. They couldn't know what happened, no, I would convince them everything is fine.

•••••••

I was sat on the top step of the stairs. I could see the thin slither of light escaping from the kitchen where my mother and father were. They had been arguing for a good twenty minutes now, although they seemed to of calmed down now.

I leant my head against the wall. The bandages were rough against the raw skin on my face, and they rubbed and scratched with every movement I made.

I could tell Carla was awake, she was humming to herself softly, Jonnie was fast asleep though despite all the noise mum and dad were making. When the twins were little Cassidy, Lucy and would play games on Jonnie. See who could wake him up. This never worked of course, he was nicknamed the sleep demon for a reason. I whimpered pathetically. They promised they would be there forever, besties till the end of time. I felt a tear blossom under the blood-stained bandages

I perked my head up, sameone was shuffling around. It was Carla, She mudged open the door and gave me that puppy dog look that she had perfected over the years

"You should be asleep, Carla", I whispered, as she shuffled towards me sheepeshly.
"I can't sleep, mummy and daddy are too loud", she sniffed. Had she been crying?

"Come here", I stuttered, I didn't really know how to handle this situation. "it's okay they're just having a little disagreement". However, it didn't sound like a little disagreement to me. They were arguing about me. I heard my mother's shrill voice pierce my eardrums; they had started yelling at each other again.

"Let her live her life, Andrew, she can't spend forever looking back into the past we should focus on her future now. And getting her back to school will brighten that future!"

"You just don't get it do you, she needs time to recover, give her-"

"She's spent two weeks in hospital, she's had enough time to recover for heaven's sake!"

"But this is high school were talking about hele. The scaring on her face will attract unwanted attention and I don't want people hurting my daughter!"

"that's a fact of life, though and we can't change what happened she'll look like this forever and at much as I worry about her, she's 16 now not 6, shill can take care of herself."

"But-"

"No buts, she's going back on the 24th now shut the door, we will wake the kids up"

I spotted my fathers huge had pull the door gently closed as their conversation returned to a low murmur.

I glanced down at Carla; she was asleep. I wrinkled my nose up in slight disgust as I realized she had been drooling on me.

I could hear the clock from the living room, clunking monotonously in the background. And eventually the low drone of conversation downstairs was drowned out by Michael Macintyre spitting out jokes from the tv.

I closed my aching eyes and slid softly into dreams tainted by Lucy swirling just out of reach in the darkness...

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 860 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬