A WORLD ALONE , tsitp

3. freddy krueger

   

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

NO CHILD SHOULD BE used to waking up to their parents yelling. Sadly, the Kershaw kids are.

      Theo's mom died when he was young so Amaya is all he's known as a mom. Neither of his parents are perfect but he's pretty sure Amaya doesn't deserve all the words thrown at her. Plus, he sees how it's affected Aspen. Her already bad mental health has only gotten worse since the marriage has begun to fall apart.

   After last night their dad yelled at them for far longer than needed. Especially considering neither of them were even in the fight.

So, as they sit at the top of the stairs, knees tucked to their chests, they're really, really tired of hearing Dallas' voice bounce off the walls of the home.

They share a look, wincing as a cabinet slams shut.

  "You are a goddamn whore, Amaya!"

The words shake the home and shake Aspen. Before Theo can stop his little sister, Aspen is stomping down the stairs. "Shit," Theo curses, following after his sister. Aspen rounds the corner, fists balled up.

  "What is your problem?" Aspen yells, surprising both her parents who are currently at each other's throats in the kitchen.

  "Aspen—"

  "Aspen, this is none of your business!" Her mom yells at her daughter who a second ago was ready to defend her mother. Aspen steps back into Theo.

"Look what you did! You see, you got our goddamn kids involved!" Dallas yells. Amaya scolds her husband, anger evident. "Can we all stop yelling?" Theo groans, always the one trying to settle the arguments. "You are children," Amaya says, now stepping closer to her kids.

  "And yet you shake our house with your incessant arguing! Good parents at least hide that shit," Aspen seethes. Amaya almost looks hurt for a second, stepping down a bit. Dallas steps besides his wife, as if he's ready to defend the woman he just called a goddamn whore. "You two need to mind your own business. You're meddling in adult stuff. Don't act like ungrateful brats," Dallas insults his kids all too calmly before glaring at his wife and leaving the house abruptly.

   The siblings stand together, Aspen holding back her tears of frustration. "You're gonna let him talk to us like that?" Theo asks. "He isn't wrong," Amaya shrugs, "I told you, this is nothing you should be involved in. Go annoy one of the other moms. I'm sure they'll deal with your shit."

  Aspen's jaw falls slack for a second, same with Theo. "Yeah, God forbid you be a mom," Aspen huffs.

   Amaya doesn't get to insult her daughter again because Aspen stomps upstairs, running to change into clothes. She makes sure she looks perfect, like she wasn't holding back tears under her now glitter coated eyelids. Theo enters her room, "Aspen, you okay—"