The Fall of the Aftons

156: Elizabeth Afton

A few hours after Michael had left, he finally returned, the makeup around his eye smudged and his hair a little messy. Beth had been sitting on the couch, watching Supermarket Sweep reruns as she waited for him to come home.

"Beth? What are you still doing up?" he asked as he took off his suit jacket, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. "It's past midnight! You should be in bed!"

"I was waiting for you!" she said with a grin, leaning over the arm of the couch to see him better. "How was it?"

He chuckled softly, carefully taking off his shoes and leaving them by the door before flopping onto the couch next to her. "It was fun. A lot of fun. Very tiring with all the dancing, but a lot of fun."

"Did you ask him to dance?"

His face went red at the mention, and he laughed nervously, fidgeting with his tie. "Actually, um... He asked me to dance. I was about to chicken out, but he asked me when the slow dance started, and we... We danced."

"How did it go? Did it go well?"

He nodded. "Y-Yeah, it did," he said quietly, smiling softly. "We're, um... We're dating now. He's my boyfriend."

Beth grinned, excited for him. "Really?! Yay! Good for you!"

He chuckled. "Thanks."

~ ~ ~

A few weeks passed since she and Michael started living at Henry's. Then a month. A month and a half. Two months. And before she knew it, school was almost over. But one day, instead of finding Henry in the car lane standing in front of his car, she found Michael standing in front of the school with his backpack and two duffel bags. Without saying a word, Michael handed her the smallest duffel bag and walked away, motioning for her to follow. She followed him without a question, though was very curious about where they were going. Especially since Michael looked like he'd been crying.

"What... What are we doing here?" she asked when she watched Michael walk up to the porch of the Aftons' home. "I thought we were living at Henry's."

He sniffled softly, wiping his eyes before unlocking the door and pushing it open. "Henry, he's... He's dead," he mumbled. "So I... I decided that we're going to live here."

"Why?"

"Because this is our home."

"Are we going to be alone? Like, no parents or adults in the house?"

He hesitated, throwing the duffel bag and his backpack on the ground. "Yes," he said quietly. "But you absolutely cannot tell anyone about our situation, okay? I don't want us to be separated in foster care. We're all we have left." He suddenly turned to Beth, his face intense. "You need to promise me that you won't tell anyone." His voice cracked and his expression shifted to one that told her he was about to cry. "Please, Beth. I can't lose you, too."

"I promise," she said, determined.

He smiled slightly, kneeling as he hugged her tightly. "I love you, Elizabeth."

She dropped her duffel bag and hugged him back. "I love you, too."

~ ~ ~

Beth quietly opened Michael's bedroom door, silently tiptoeing her way to her sleeping brother. "Mikey?" she whispered raspily, gently shaking his shoulder. She sniffled softly, rubbing her eyes before shaking him again. "Mikey..."

Michael groaned quietly, slowly sitting up as he wiped the drowsiness from his eyes. He blinked a few times, trying to wake up more, then focused on Beth, his expression going from careless to worried. "Elizabeth? What's wrong?"

"I-I... I had a bad d-dream, so I went to go wake Daddy up, but I..." She sniffled and wiped her teary eyes. "I forgot he was dead, so when I saw his room was empty, I-I..."

"Oh, Bethy," he mumbled sadly when she started to cry. "Come here."

She nodded slightly and climbed onto his bed, snuggling up next to him. "I'm sorry," she murmured, hiccupping.

"It's okay. You miss him. I'm not blaming you for anything." He held her tighter, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry he's gone. I know how much you cared for him."

She nodded slightly in agreement, resting her head on his shoulder. A few hours later, she was asleep in his arms.