He's Just a Skater Boy (boyxboyxboy)

Chapter 167: Midnight Party

[A/N] Quickly a warm hug to all of the kind comments on my authors note. The nicer they were the less I knew how to respond to them because the more a simple thank you seemed insufficient. But thank you guys (˶' ˘ ' ˶ )‧₊˚♡

It was very few comments I was actually addressing, there were just a lot of likes on those comments so I felt like there had to be some group of people that were angry at me. It concerned me especially knowing this chapter has it's fair cliff to hang off as well....

That said a while ago I discussed introducing a cliff-hanger rating with a patron of mine, so hopefully that will help. So this is the first implementation....  

Combining the actual cliff-hanger with the intensity of the storyline we must give this chapter....

🚞🚞🚞🚞    4 out of 5 cliffs!

[Atlas's POV]

I leaned on my bedroom door and considered lighting a cigarette just so I could fill my room with a bit of smoke. They'd be unhappy with that but maybe that was the point.

I never liked this feeling, it was pathetic, but it was there.

It felt like I was betraying them watching the wall quietly like I was and wondering why I felt so uncomfortable inside.

My parents anniversary was tomorrow, something Lily with her great memory for dates remembered instantly and even brought them a gift to take with them on their usual night out, setting off tonight and returning tomorrow night.

There was a lot of laughter. The comedic card she'd written for them was written like a fairy tale, insulting all three of them in third person in a string of jokes. But she avoided insulting me, which meant avoiding mentioning me all together. I wasn't sure if she thought I was temperamental and might flip out on her or still felt a particular way and just didn't want to, but it felt awkward to sit there and hear the laughter and know you aren't included.

They were loving it; dad was slapping his knee every time something made the two of them laugh. It didn't seem to occur to them as odd that it might be a bit odd for the card to only include the three of them as characters. And then the end came and knight in shing armour character washed up and saved them all and that was me, no jokes, just unlimited cringe.

I sat there and looked at them and they slowly looked back at me and the laughter died relatively quickly. Rather than making her feel uncomfortable they kept a smile on their lips and hugged and kissed her and dinner finished a little quicker than before.

After dinner they got into some nicer clothes and off they went, dad looking about five years older, and then aging again in the youthful glow of my mother.

Quickly they went off, my mother smelling of magnolias as she hurried down the hall in her heels, dad opening the door for her.

Lily took a bowl of ice cream up to her room and went in no issue, and I went up to mine.

After a while of sitting there with that sinking feeling I hated so much I got up.

I inhaled and stepped out into the hall, down the hallway and up to my parents room, opening the door slowly and slipping inside.

I didn't go in here often or anything, but sometimes I did, just if I felt... I don't know... disconnected or something embarrassing like that.

I sat on their bed and looked up at the floor to ceiling cupboards at the opposite end of the room and sat and stared for a while, a notably different scent in the room, maybe from a diffuser.