Once they hear the door, the room falls silent. No one looks at each other, all shocked by the words that seem to echo throughout the room. Dallas didn't know how to react, even though he knew those words would come at some point.
The topic of their foster parents had been approached many times throughout the past few weeks, but this one moment made the boys' skins crawl. The youngest boy felt goosebumps glide up his arms, despite the long sleeve he was wearing.
Milo gently places his headphones on the coffee table, moving to stand up. He clears his throat. "I'll go check on her."
With the silence broken, five pairs of eyes follow the sixteen-year-old out of the room. They all knew he was probably the best to help calm down the situation, besides Atlas, but he hadn't been home for hours.
After a few more minutes, some of the tension leaves the room. Caleb relaxes in his seat on the couch, picking up the teen's forgotten controller. "She didn't mean it Dallas." He tries to be as nonchalant as possible, but he knows they are all still processing it.
"I know she didn't fucking mean it." The oldest boy brushes off his friend's words, not wanting to show how the argument affected him.
The missing trio enters the house, oblivious to the mood clouding the living room. Kai pushes Preston's shoulder, laughing about some joke he had made. Atlas follows silently behind them, tired of their antics.
"I'm never riding in the car with you two again." Atlas rubs at his temples, hoping to ease the throbbing ache. He had dealt with the rowdy boys all afternoon and was done with them.
Kai pushes out his bottom lip, a fake pout falling onto his face. "Come on, Atty. You know you love having us around."
The youngest boy continues his way into the kitchen, looking for bandages to wrap his hands. The knuckles on his right hand are red and swollen, with dried blood sticking in different spots. The older boy doesn't fare much better, his split lip ready to start bleeding again.
"Make sure you clean that, Kai. You don't want it to get infected." Atlas crouched down, grabbing the bottle of rubbing alcohol from under the sink. He hands some bandages to Preston, who was struggling to find them elsewhere.
The younger boy smirked. "Wouldn't want your face to get any uglier, right?"
Kai quickly circles the counter, pushing his brother. The two grab onto each other, trying to gain the upper hand. "Careful, I could easily give you a matching cut." The older boy locks Preston in a headlock.
Atlas let out a sigh as he watches his brothers play fight. "Don't hurt each other. Let's just get cleaned up so we can go to bed." He spins around to face the sink, getting a wet towel ready to clean the other boy's hands.
"The fuck is going on in here?" The eighteen-year-old quickly spins around again, finally looking over at the living room. Preston had already made his way over, noticing the awkward silence. Kai takes a seat at the island, spinning it around so he can pay attention.
It was Milo's turn to reenter the room, a nervous expression on his face. "She's gone."
Atlas walks to the younger boy, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Who's gone?" He remains calm, not wanting to escalate whatever situation the house was in.
"Ella. I went to check on her after her fight with Dallas, but she's not in her room." His anger projects his voice around the living room. He leans closer to his older brother, bringing his voice to a whisper this time. "I think she climbed out her window."
Preston chuckles from where he stands, shaking his head. "How'd you guys mess that up again?"
The video game on the tv finds its way on mute as Caleb and Milo recount the events that had taken place only minutes prior. The trio who had missed the argument were rendered silent, just like the rest of the group.
"She never fucking listens," Dallas mutters under his breath
Avery plops down in the seat next to her own brother. "Maybe she doesn't want to listen." Dallas brings his attention to the girl, raising his eyebrows for her to continue. "She's been following the rules her whole life and when she finally gets a break from her overbearing parents, you're there to push her down again." The boy rubbed at his jaw, processing the words. Avery shrugs her shoulders. "Just a thought."
"We wouldn't even have to deal with this if someone hadn't given her information." Preston glared at Charlotte, who had yet to say a word from the corner she was standing in.
She glared right back, hiding her nervous hands behind her back. "I didn't realize how much we would be keeping from her. Sorry that I wanted to help her."
"I think we all made it clear in the beginning how much would be kept from Ella," Avery chimes in, joining in on the glaring contest. "You knew what you were dealing with going into this and now you're mad at the consequences."
Charlotte turns her glare to the girl, annoyed at her for butting into the argument. "Just because you're all fine with lying to Ella, doesn't mean I am."
"Like Avery said," Preston cut in, "you knew what you were getting into when you agreed to help us."
"She hates me because she knows I'm lying to her about something." The girl's voice rises along with her anger. "Imagine if any of you were in my shoes."
Preston throws his hands out in anger as well, gesturing to everyone else in the room. "We don't have to because we know how to keep secrets." He laughs under his breath. "We all understood what would happen if we went through with it."
"Will you all just shut the fuck up?" Finley grumbles from his spot on the floor, slipping his headphones back on both ears as he shuts out the world around him. He is done listening to them all argue.
Caleb clears his throat. "There's no point in arguing. What's done is done." He watches as his oldest friends rub their hands down their faces. "Kai, Preston, how did the fights go?"
"Not great by the looks of it," Milo decides at that moment to chime in, having remained silent throughout the argument.
Kai smirks, proud of himself. "You should see the other guys." The boy stands from his spot in the kitchen, clapping his hands together. "Well, this has all been fun, but I'm going to head to bed." No one stops as he heads to the stairs and disappears.
"That's probably our cue to head home." Caleb places his hands on his knees as he goes to stand up. "Come on, Avery, before mom and Dad come looking for us." Avery mirrors her brother as the two starts heading to the door. "We'll talk more tomorrow."
Left in the living room, the brothers all stare at the carpet, lost in thought. Charlotte lets out a breath, taking a seat in a now empty spot on the couch.
"I guess one of us should go find her." Dallas rubs at his jaw, debating if he should just leave his sister go for the night. He didn't feel like dealing with her attitude again.
Milo clears his throat, scratching his head. "She's probably at Kody's house. They've been hanging out a lot recently."
"How much do we even know about this kid?" Preston chimes in, calling Kody 'kid' as though he wasn't only a year older.
"We know enough." Dallas glares at the same spot on the carpet. "Not an address though."
Charlotte wipes her hands on her jeans. "I know it." She brings out her phone, ready to send one of the boys the address.
"I'll go get her." Atlas takes his phone out as well, waiting for the incoming message. "I assume you need a ride home, too, Charlotte?" The girl nods her head, not wanting to bring more attention to herself after her argument.
The older boy walks back to the kitchen to grab his keys and jacket. Slipping on his windbreaker, he stares at Dallas. "Don't be down here when I get back. We'll deal with all this shit in the morning. Got it?" The nineteen-year-old nods his head, finally looking up. "Good. Let's go."
Charlotte and Atlas exit the living room, heading to the vehicle outside. The remaining members in the living room slowly disperse. Milo returns to his controller, joining Finley in their video games once again. Preston moves back to wrapping up his swollen hands, grabbing an ice pack from the freezer. Dallas stands from the couch, not muttering a word to the others as he heads to his room.
YOU ARE READING
The Misspent Youth
Teen Fiction"Every secret has an expiration date" Ella Colt is an ambitious sixteen-year-old who is being raised by her adoptive brothers. Her adoptive parents left when she was barely a teenager without notice. She was raised thinking that it was merely becaus...
