Quiet Boy in a Noisy World

16

When Sam comes home his emotions turn upside down. Happiness washing away from his mind as loud commotion fills his ears.

He gently shuts the door behind him and he carefully kicks off his shoes, he makes an attempt to slip past and go up to his room but it's ultimately a fail as he's being shouted at.

"Samuel! Why the fuck are you home late? Where have you been?!" The boy frowns, backtracking his steps from the stairs.

"Don't yell at him. He didn't do shit" Sam frowns, brows furrowed as he looks up at his brother, eyes dipping down at the suitcase at his feet "wha- what's going on?"

His wrist is tightly grasped by his mother and she's yanking him towards her "your brother is being a little pussy and thinks he can run away. Tell him he can't move out" Sam's face drops, eyes filling with tears and he's not sure if it's from the deadly grip on his wrist or the betrayal he feels from his brother.

"Y-your leaving?" His voice cracks, it makes sense. He seen it coming but he hadn't thought it be so soon. His brother is always out, once joining baseball he's never home, always out with his teammates he now calls friends, and with his two jobs it makes it almost impossible for him to be home anymore.

"Yes, Sam.. I told you I would" he lets out, voice quiet and regretful "you knew?" his mother seethes, nails digging into skin as she yanks on it "mom! Stop it!" His brother seethes, pushing her back and pulling Sam to his side once she lets go.

Sam feels useless. Having his younger brother protect him and moving out before him, having his shit put together before him makes him feel pathetic.

His world seems to turn on its side, watching as the two begin to fight saying words that he doesn't quite catch. His mind flashes back to when his sister left, it wasn't necessarily the same concept as it was for college but she promised she'd be back, it was an empty promise. She lost all contact with everyone, leaving and not coming back.

When that happened his parents got worse, him and Ben made a pact to not leave each other like Allison did. To work together to move out, it's not like Sam wasn't trying either, he has a job himself, maybe it's the fact he seems he doesn't put as much effort into it as Ben does, having two hard jobs rather than one sorry excuse as one.

He rushed his license for this, Ben doesn't even have his license, surely he won't be leaving without him, once they escape their mothers shouts Ben will tell him to pack up and hurry out with him.

"I'm tired of your shit! Your not even a mother anymore. Now let me fucking go before I call the cops on your ass finally! I gave you too many fucking chances and I'm not here for it. You lied, mom. You promised us you wouldn't turn back to the alcohol but you did and I'm done. I'm out. I'm not a pussy for not facing my problems you are. You always have been and I'm sick of it."

Ben claims his bags and he's marching to the door "don't even call me. For all I care your not my family anymore" Sam chokes back a sob "B-ben don't leave me!" He cries, sobs wracking his throat, bouncing off the bare walls that hold tilted pictures and cracked frames "Ben!!" He cries when he opens the door.

He can make out headlights through the gloomy day and Ben doesn't think twice about exiting the house and Sam's choking back a pained sob, running up the stairs, not acknowledging his mothers shouts, slamming his door shut and locking it.

"Samuel! Open this goddamn door right now!" She shouts, fists banging on the surface and Sam cries, hands gripping at the end of his desk weakly. He tugs at it, dragging it to the door before he's pushing it against it not daring to come out anytime soon, curling into his bed as he cries.

He's.. alone.
He'll never be free.