The Lake | BxB

-3- On The Grill

Romeo sat on the porch the smell of freshly cooked meat filling his nostrils, the grill was smoking greatly the gray smoke drifting slowly over the lake as Mr Swift flipped another burger.

His father had insisted he was the one to work the grill because it was "a man's job" despite the fact Mrs Swift was considerably better than him at cooking. Ironic how she had to do all the work in the kitchen but Mr Swift considered grilling a man's job.

His family was very traditional in that way, it always had been. If his mom wasn't a complete bitch then maybe Romeo would've considered defending her, but she didn't deserve it. The amount of times she'd hit him with blunt objects as a small child lost her the right of being defended by him. Besides she seemed to agree with the traditional viewpoints of his father, so that was her problem not Romeo's.

Sighing Romeo tucked into his burger as his parents began arguing over how Mr Swift was barbecuing.

"It's 10 minutes Sandra! God dammit! Mr Swift hissed crossly as Mrs Swift told him he needed to flip the burger again.

"If you want it cremated then sure!" She replied indignantly.

"Cook your own if you're gonna complain!" Mr Swift answered

"I would, but you won't let me!" She argued making Mr Swift pause what he was doing to stare at her.

"Oh so it's my fault now is it?" Mr Swift questioned condescendingly.

"That's not what I said" Mrs Swift insisted impatiently. Romeo just sat back listening to his parents bicker as he ate his burger. It was definitely burnt. Eventually the pair stopped fighting and sat down to eat too. Once they did Romeo got up to make himself another burger, they had spare and he wanted one that wasn't burnt.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Mrs Swift hissed in annoyance.

"You can see what I'm doing mom, can you not?" Romeo responded irritably as he put a burger on the grill. It instantly began sizzling as the smoke rose slowly.

"And who said you could have another one?" Mrs Swift prompted.

"My stomach" Romeo told her with a brief smile.

"You listen to us! We own you!" Mr Swift yelled standing up. "Take it off! You aren't having anything more!" He then ordered.

"No! I'm having it because I'm fucking hungry" Romeo hissed back.

"DON'T SWEAR AT ME YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SHIT" Mr Swift yelled striking out, he hit Romeo's cheek hard sending the blonde falling to the floor. He lay there in momentary shock as he heard his dad sit back down and his mom hum in satisfaction.

Slowly raising himself from the wooden boarded porch floor Romeo felt his cheek gingerly, it was bleeding. Noticing this Mr Swift began to laugh intently staring at his son.

Meanwhile Mrs Swift shook her head in disapproval. "Don't get blood on the carpet Romeo, clean yourself up. I'm so disappointed in you" She told him sternly.

Romeo ignored her heading back inside and into the bathroom, once there he doused his face in ice cold water as a small gash became visible on his cheek, the skin around it was also bruising up rather obviously.

Shaking his head refusing to cry Romeo stormed out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, once there he snatched the packet of cigarettes from under his pillow before walking quickly out of the cabin and into the woods, he ignored his parents incessant shouting from behind him as he walked further away finding a small little clearing.

Cautiously he began to rub sticks together then against a rock to start a fire, eventually a spark lit out and Romeo immediately held the blunt up to it.

Sighing he let out a drag of smoke, the breeze picked up at the same time swirling the smoke dramatically around him as the sun began to set.

Romeo couldn't stand his parents, he was so fucking depressed because of them. As much as he tried to hide it with his tough boy persona it was true, he was depressed beyond anything, that's why scars littered his wrists so often. He couldn't stop whilst he lived with them. It was how he coped with his turbulent home life.

The peaceful night air was then split by the dog from the next door cabin barking loudly. Romeo tried to ignore it but it continued to bark making a constant noise.

Scowling in the direction it was coming from Romeo yelled. "Shut the fuck up!"

Obviously the canine didn't speak english so his frustration fell on deaf ears, taking another puff of his cigarette Romeo sighed again. Before he could think about it anymore another voice rang out.

"You shut up!" It was a female voice seemingly yelling from a window. Romeo smiled slightly recognising it as the bitchy sister who owned the dog. Of course she was whining at him again.

Taking another drag Romeo decided he'd had enough for the night, he then carefully put the cigarette out watching as it hit the leaf covered forest floor. He stared at the splinters of fire licking on the mud for a heartbeat longer before turning around following the dark woodland path back to his cabin.

Walking in the dark wasn't something that scared Romeo, he was used to having to do it when his dad would occasionally kick him out for the night, so it didn't scare him in the slightest anymore. Sometimes he even found it more comforting than day. There were no judging eyes to watch him at this time.

As his cabin came into view Romeo slowed his pace, he could hear the quiet chatter of his parents still on the porch, deciding he'd take it slow Romeo cautiously tiptoed back round to the cabin slipping inside without any remarks from them.

He quickly headed to the bathroom but as he entered he caught sight of his own reflection in the mirror, he looked shit. A massive bruise was now protruding on his face along with a small red line from where his dad's nails must've nicked his skin.

Romeo traced the red line gingerly not really feeling any emotions about it, it was what it was. Concealer would cover it just fine until it eventually faded. Just like every other bruises he'd had to hide away.