Expulsion gave Liam Barrett a dangerous choice. Needing to transfer for his final year, he'd known immediately where to go. It was a distantly familiar place that'd taken everything from him; had once ruined him so absolutely and twisted his persona...
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Liam took one last long drag of the cigarette and put the butt out on the sole of his boot, flicking it into the plant pot by the door. The doorknob was cold. He twisted it and entered the place he'd called home for the last three years.
ㅤ"I'm back!" his voice echoed.
ㅤA few silent seconds passed and and he exhaled in relief. Shrugging off his tattered leather jacket, he made his way through the front hall and set on making himself lunch, playing some music over the speakers. There was chicken in the fridge, he fried it.
ㅤGrowing up, his mother had been vegetarian, so meat had only been allowed on the rare occasion his father cooked. He didn't mind in retrospect.
ㅤHis concentration faltered when the music suddenly came to a halt. He jolted in surprise, finding a figure leaning against the island.
ㅤ"Jesus, dude. You scared the hell out of me."
ㅤHis younger brother shrugged, seeming to be more interested in what he was cooking, nodding his head in approval.
ㅤ"Lunch?" he enquired.
ㅤ"Stop eye-raping my lunch. I would've cooked an extra portion but you didn't answer when I called out."
ㅤ"Had my headphones in. Didn't hear." He stepped back to give Liam more room. "You went to see your sister right? The one that wants to be a doctor."
ㅤ"I only have one," Liam huffed. "And, yeah, I did. We needed to talk about my expulsion."
ㅤHis younger brother, Aaron, had a blank face until his lips quirked up, wry. They'd been brothers for three years, only two years apart in age. Liam was no stranger to that punchable smirk.
ㅤ"Yeah, yeah. Shut up," Liam grumbled, having already been nagged for his actions.
ㅤ"I didn't say anything." Aaron raised his eyebrows innocently.
ㅤLiam gave him a straight look before turning his back and pretending to tend to his lunch.
ㅤ"You decided where you're going to go then, huh?" Aaron pushed.
ㅤ"Shut up, midget. And, yes, I have. I'm going to your sixth form at the school that you go to. So look forward to all those sudden rumours ripping your probably-already-poor reputation to shreds."
ㅤAaron suppressed a wince. Liam knew secrets that would've driven Aaron to suicide if ever reaching the light of day. Of course, it worked both ways; but with Aaron being such an idiot, he had far more to hide.
ㅤ"I'm not short," he grumbled, hedging away from the discussion of rumours. "You just have that over-compensating height. I would've said God took the inches from elsewhere but you'd probably beat me up and I don't like pain."
ㅤLiam felt generous to humour the subject change. He'd save the embarrassing stories for when Aaron's girlfriend was present instead.
ㅤSpeaking of his girlfriend... "Are you and Anna still together, then?"
