reminder~~comments are always welcome here!
As Jonathan and I pull into the driveway, the first thing that catches my eye is Dad's car—not the random hole in the wall, but Dad's car. Opening the door, I find Mom and Dad seated together on the couch, sharing drinks. It's a scene that takes me back to our childhood. So much so that my gut begins to churn.
"Hey, kiddos," Dad greets, and Mom shifts on the couch.
"What's going on?" I ask, my eyes flicking to Jonathan, who has tears brimming in his eyes.
"Your Dad's gonna stay here tonight, uh... on the couch," Mom explains, gesturing to the sofa they occupy.
"Yeah, I'm here as long as you kids need me, okay? How are you guys holding up?" Dad inquires.
Jonathan heads over to the tarp on the wall to investigate, while I stare blankly at my father. I love him, I do, but it's complicated. "What happened?" I inquire about the apparent hole in the wall.
"Don't worry about that," Dad dismisses.
"Mom," Jonathan pleads. "That thing you saw before, did it come back?" Mom stares at him like a gaping fish.
"Jonathan, that's enough," Dad replies for Mom, and Jonathan sighs.
"Can we talk?" I ask our dad. "Alone?" I add.
In the hallway outside Jonathan's room, we stand together. "You need to leave," Jonathan starts.
"Look, I know you're both upset. We all are. But you guys need to listen to me. Your mother is sick. Really sick," Dad says, pointing at both of us.
"Yeah. Well, you being here, you're just making things worse, like always," I say nonchalantly.
"Worse?!" He exclaims.
"Yeah!" Jonathan joins in.
"She took down that wall with an ax. She said that Will was inside and that he's talking to her." Dad gestures to the front of the house.
"Yeah. Well, maybe he was." I defend my adoptive mother.
"Look, Y/N, this isn't some kind of joke. Your mom was half frozen to death when I got here. Trembling, scared out of her mind. You guys come in here and start feeding into her hallucinations or whatever the hell you want to call it, you're gonna push her right over the edge. You hear me?" Dad sighs. "Look, I'm on your side. I'm here to help. I'm gonna make things better around here for all of us." He finishes.
Jonathan scoffs. "Thank God you're here."
Dad sighs and shakes his head. "Look, you two, do me a favor. At the funeral, tomorrow, just behave. If not for me, for your mother."
Jonathan storms into his room. Dad and I share a look. "Has she ever..?" I ask, referring to the woman who left me.
He shakes his head before looking down at the floor. "Last I heard she was in jail. Get some sleep, kiddo," He says, placing his hand on my shoulder in a supportive way before walking off.
*AU note - (LONNIE FAVORING Y/N OVER JONATHAN?!?! GASP :0)*
Friday, November 11, 1983
"So no tie?" I chuckle as I watch Jonathan from the doorway struggling to tie a tie. He just shakes his head. He looks at me so exhausted from not sleeping and I meet him with my own.
***
As Pastor Charles gives his speech, I stare blankly at the casket, emotionless.
After the ceremony is over, I stumble around the cemetery, looking for my brother, my ride. I find him sitting next to Nancy, leaning against a metal fence. They're studying a map. I watch them talk for a while, not making myself known but taking note of their conversation. I don't want to leave Mom alone with Dad just yet.
YOU ARE READING
Ambivalence
RomanceON HOLD TILL FEB 2025 In the eerie town of Hawkins, where the echoes of the Upside Down linger, Y/n Byers, daughter of Lonnie and adopted by Joyce Byers, confronts supernatural occurrences. Originally in search of her half-sibling Will, Y/n's journ...
