Illusions From The Heart

Grounded.

This chapter is written by Shadow!

Joel's Perspective-

I think I'm home alone. And by think I mean I didn't exactly check that the cars weren't there but I wasn't yelled at the second I entered the house. So I think.

I stand in my living room in silence for a moment... Nothing. "Woo! Home alone!" I smile to myself. "I'll go chuck my bag in my room then get something to eat I guess."

I run up the stairs. Always a good day when my parents aren't here to lecture me and make me feel worse about myself. I slip into my room and shut the door louder than usual but as I turn around I nearly scream- Okay maybe I did scream, but in my defense my Dad was just sitting there in silence on my bed!

"Um- Uh- Hi... Dad..." I stutter out. All I can keep thinking over and over again in my mind is how absolutely screwed I am.

"You're late home. What were you doing? Drugs? Alcohol? Getting with a gang? Maybe those boys you're 'friends with'," He does air quotation marks as I glare at him intensely. "Are really just those kinds of people."

"Dad, we've been through this! Jimmy and Grian are not part of a gang!" I raise my voice a bit. "And I wasn't late. You said to come home and I did!"

I watch him stand up and tower above me and I stand my ground. "You ungrateful child. Hand over your phone," He held his hand out for my phone. Well I'm definitely not giving away my way to contact my friends.

"No," I said simply and I could just see the frustration build up in his eyes. "You can't just control my entire life!" I yell out. "I'm sick of it!"

Just as he went to continue yelling, my bedroom door opened to reveal my mother. "Both of you- Shut. Up!" Half of me wanted to scream out that it was my problem so I didn't need help but the other half of me won and I stayed silent, staring at the ground. SIlence wrung out for a minute, no one daring to speak until of course my Father decided to break it.

"Joel. Phone. Now," I stayed still. "You can have your old crappy one for studying and get your damn grades up. But hand that one over. And you're grounded. Stay away from those freaks that you call your friends."

I could see my mother glaring at him from the door. I feel like I can already hear their argument later. "Cod FINE!" I practically slam my phone into his hand. "Now get out of my room."

As my dad goes to lecture me again my Mum walks in, grabs his hand and storms out. The moment that door shut, the yelling started.

"Daniel! You said you'd try to be better! Joel is at least trying so why can't you!"

"I have been trying! Joel isn't put in enough effort. You know it. I know it. He is not good enough for either of us. Low grades, drug dealing friends, a bad attitude and he's a brat! I don't know why you even try anymore. He's a lost cause. Worthless."

The world feels like it's stopped. I take a deep shuddering breath, trying my hardest not to cry. I can't have either of my parents walk in on that. The yelling continues, getting louder than it has been in ages. I grab my earplugs and crappy old phone. My parents still don't know I managed to download Messages on it so I can still contact my friends. I start blasting music as loud as my ears will let me before scrolling desperately to find a certain contact. With shaky hands I send a message.

Grian's Perspective-

I'm sitting at my desk, speedrunning my homework that's totally not due tomorrow, when my phone dings. Joel texted me. I clicked on the message and it felt like my heart sunk to my stomach.

<Grian please answer. parents. fight. Not good. Took my phone. So much yelling. Breathings weird. Please call me. Please. I'm sorry>

Jeez, what is this? The third or fourth time this has happened? I fumbled with my phone to call him and held my breath as I listened to the phone ringing. It stopped. "Joel?"

"...Grian," His voice was shaky and he was possibly crying.

"What do you need right now?" I ask him softly and he doesn't reply for a moment, but I can hear him breathing irregularly before he goes to respond.

"I j-just want to listen to you. I don't want th-them to hear me," He whispers and I feel bad for him. He doesn't deserve any of this.

"You want me to just... talk about my week?" SIlence. Okay so probably a yes. "Well I passed my maths test. Wasn't sure I'd be able to do it cause I had like 5 damn kids practically falling off their seats to copy my work- actually when I think about one actually did. Loudest fall off a chair I've ever heard. His face was almost as red as Jimmy's earlier-"

I could hear him let out a small laugh at that. "You didn't miss much after you left. Just Jimmy trying his hardest to flirt and failing miserably. Like you flirt better than him!"

"Hey!" I can hear a smile in his voice despite his voice being uneven."I can flirt just fine thankyou-" He goes silent for a moment and so do I. I'm guessing a parent is walking past his room right now. After a moment he sighs which gives me the all clear to keep talking.

We chatted quietly for about an hour and a half and it's now 7pm. Joel's finally stopped crying and has been quietly laughing.

"Hey G?"

"Mhm?"

"You're the best you know," he seems genuinely serious about it. "Also I'm sorry about what he said about you."

"Don't be Joel," I smile softly, lying down in my bed. "All I want- we want, is for you to be happy. Remember that."

"I will. I will."