Reader x Gwen - forever

11: dusty's truth

A few weeks later everything with levi was going smoothly but Gwen was on and off some days she would be attached to me other days she would avoid me like the plague! Example:
Tuesday 5th of March she was hugging and being touchy then
Wednesday 6th of March she gave me and Levi dirty looks and wouldn't speak to me,
Something was going on but that wasn't a problem for today, today was 27th March and I was getting ready for a party that Gwen and I was planning for dusty's birthday.

"Got the balloons?" Gwen asked me she had been panicking about making this party Perfect for dusty, we were working along side his mother and father,
Rick and perrie, the golloway family were nice overly nice it made me think I was being rude everytime I spoke, although dusty spoke like a normal young teenage boy his parents were posh and proper with their words. Dusty was not to call them 'mum and dad' but 'mother and father' he was not allowed to speak when he wasn't spoken too and interrupting was rude when there are elders talking, he was not allowed to eat when he liked, breakfast was 8 sharp, lunch was noon and dinner was at 7 exactly, any in betweens could be nothing other than fruit because all the "goods" were strictly forbidden to the children and only allowed to be touched by the adults.

I felt bad for dusty he should be able to do whatever he liked within manner for a child his age but he seemed happy enough the photos in his bedroom showed it, other photos around the house were strictly proper and professional, perrie said it was rude to be looking too happy in a photo, can you look too happy? all photos around the house weren't photos at all more like portraits not taken with a camera but painted on a canvas, male members of the family picture were standing straight, heads held high, one hand behind there back and the other placed on the sitting woman's shoulder whose legs were together, hands in lap and head held high with her hair in a tight bun wearing a dress you would see in the 1950s, though Gwen and I didn't judge we thought it to be very harsh and high strung.

"Yes Gwen we got the balloons but would dusty's parents like balloons?"
Gwen looked at me and rolled her eyes,
"At the end of the day y/n it's not their birthday is it?!"
I shook my head lightly muttering 'no' and finishing the decorations.

Dusty would be here soon as would his snobby parents but Gwen and I vowed to be polite and respectful to our friends parents even if it were only for a night.

~~~

I put on the music which I chose to be rock n roll, dusty's favourite.

Speaking of dusty he came walking through the door, stood straight and head held above his usual height, clearly his parents were not far behind, he wasn't smiling but you could tell he liked it by the glint in his eyes.

He broke the professional front act as soon as he saw us he ran up his eyes wide and his straight lips turned into a grin, eyes scrunched together, he was as happy as a now 13 year old can be.

Perrie and Rick walked up to us politely patiently waiting to speak, with a clear of the throat perrie took a breath in,
"Damien darling you know it's improper the way you're acting."
She said it calmly but we all knew she was mad and a bit disappointed in her son,
"Mu- mother it's dusty remember"
He was standing up straight again talking to his mum politely almost her height which wasn't hard as she was a short woman,
"Don't be silly Damien, dusty is a silly name and you will be referred to as the name we gave you at birth!"
She straightened his suit out and lifted his chin slightly as if his head wasn't held high enough already, sorting out a strand of hair from one side to another she stretched her mouth into a small polite smile,
"There there my boy, you know your father and I love you"
Dusty slouched only an inch when she said that but of course she had seen and straightened him back up again still holding the small smile, small enough for us to see but not others,
"Yes mother.."
He said in a small wary voice,
"Now! go have fun it's your party Damien but be polite we have a reputation to uphold you know this!"
Dusty walked away with his hands neatly behind his back, shoulders pulled back and walking in a straight line,
"Yes mother..."
It was a whisper but I heard it it was sad and tight almost as if it was strangled out of him.