i like you but i cant say it

CHAPTER 4: the villain who needed saving (page 18)

The sounds of the keys jangling as Caleb struggled with the stammer at his hands only made him more anxious, but when he finally succeeded he felt a sense of relief wash over him. He was about to turn the doorknob but someone else opened the door instead.

"Dad!?"

"Where have you been?" The stern look on the man's face told Caleb everything he needed to know about his father's current mood.

Fear washed over the boy and his eyes went wide with dread, "I- I-"

"You know what I said!" The man with grey hair at the sides of his head fumed with anger as he interrupted the blonde boy, "If you sneak out again, you're never coming back!!"

Caleb's eyebrows furrowed as his mind went blank with zero results for a good enough excuse, his eyes still wide with fear.

"You are selfish and ungrateful," The man went on, "you've never done anything in regards to us giving you a home, you've never appreciated anything I've given you, I mean, look at yourself!"

"If you hate this house so much then you're never stepping foot in it again, GO PACK UP YOUR STUFF AND I WANT YOU GONE BY SUNRISE!"

Caleb felt his soul break with that statement, after all, we're born from nothing so we leave with nothing right? All it took was one mistake, one wrong move, one wrong decision, and your life would be over before you even got a chance to enjoy it.

Caleb looked down in shock and dismay, but flinched at the sound of Phill's yells telling him to "Get to it!"

Caleb stammered his way into the cramped house, the stench of alchohol stuck throughout the entire place and made him feel ill to his stomach, or was it the reality of the situation that made him feel like that?

He rubbbed the tears followed by a stream of sobs and sniffles as he packed his bags as thunder began to roar outside.