On and Off the Track

T W E N T Y F O U R.

I put the phone down instantly, dropping it back down onto the bedside table with a bang. I emerged from my room not to much later, fiddling with the skin around my nails. Mila was still sat at the table, looking down at her phone, my presence causing her to look up at me.
"You okay, you look like you've seen a ghost" she remarked, breathless as she said it through a small laugh, weakly I smiled.
"Nah, I'm okay. Just tired" she nodded, not believing what I said, but content with the answer. She slapped her hands on her thighs, sighing as she stood up.
"I need to go, I've got a shoot in the afternoon. I need to start getting ready for it"
"Of course, go ahead. Thanks for being there for me last night and all the other times" I hugged her closely, she was there for me a lot lately and I really appreciated it. Opening the door for her, I waved her goodbye. Closing my door quickly to ensure I didn't see that one neighbour of mine. A part of me appreciated that message but the other part made me even more angry at him. Im not sure why I felt anger towards him, none of it was his fault. It was all of our fault. Mainly Lando's for acting like such a baby but I can see what Mila was saying, I would hate it if I saw him with another girl. I made my way back into the kitchen, placing a piece of toast in the toaster to begin making my breakfast. I stared blankly at the cabinets, waiting for my toast to pop up. The whole apartment still as the morning sun rose up through my window. A large bang echoed through my apartment, the sudden shock making my muscle tense.
"Bronte, what the hell happened last night" the booming from the corridor and heavy foot steps thudded as they followed his voice, my body slacken as I realised it was my father. My mum following closely behind, holding his arm to tried to stop him from releasing his anger. I rolled my eyes and lent back. "You had to cause a scene didn't you. You had to have everyone looking at you. You just had to embarrass me and your mother" an exaggerate sigh left my lips, only leading to his fury to increase.
"You think this is funny, do you?"
"No obviously not, does it look like I'm laughing"
"Well it doesn't really look like you care, why were you talking to Charles anyways. What about lando?" I chuckled laughing at the fact he cared more about Lando then his own daughter. He didn't care when he forced me to go to the race.
"He's just a friend, I can talk to who I want. Why do you even care about what he thinks. We are broken up"
"That's not the problem right now, the problem is you causing a scene and embarrassing the family, what were you thinking"
I shot a look to my mother, my eyes showing my desolation that my body was camouflaging. Her eyes flicking to the floor, her lips trembling as she knew she couldn't help me.
"Believe me, it wasn't my fault. I didn't want it to happen either" I pleaded. My father paced the room, rubbing his brow to remove the headache pounding within his head.
"Louis" my mum spoke for the first time, her voice begging for my dad to calm down and be rational. Shooting her a look, she crawled back into her box. Scared to speak again.
"You are being ridiculous. Do you really think I meant for that to happen." I crossed my arms against my body, my foot tapping the ground uncontrollably.
"I don't even know what to think any more with you Bronte. You are like a different person"
"Is that so" my words slicing across the room, "what the girl that would do whatever you say and was you little puppet"
"That's not what you father meant Bronte and you know that" my mum spoke quietly from the corner.
"No Vivienne, Bronte is right. That is what I mean" my jaw dropped in shock. I could believe what he was saying.
"I'm not going to be up your puppet anymore. I didn't mean for the event last night to happen. Im sorry for what stress it may have caused you" my tone riddled with sarcasm. Both of my parents looked at me, my shoulders lowering subconsciously. The tension in the room suffocating at my neck.
"That's it, we obviously can't get through to you. We are leaving" throwing his hands up into the air, grabbing my mothers hand and pulling her out the apartment. I watched my mum teary eyes express as much worry as she could at that moment. I threw my body around, my arms propping me up as I leaned in the counter, my legs weak as they shook with anger. Tears biting at my eyes as I tried to hold them back. I sponged away the escaped tears, breathing deeply. I could feel the flight response kick in, increasing my heart rate, flooding me with added adrenaline. I paced round my apartment, trying to stready my breath. The adrenaline leaving my body, causing my limbs to feel heavy. I collapsed onto my couch. The sinking feeling, relaxing my body, eating my now burnt toast.