'𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐬?'

'i should've never brought you here'-(41)

Marcy:"sorry about her." I said apologetically. He shouldn't have to put in with her rudeness but I guess that's the family package for you.

Mattheo:"honestly don't worry about it, maybe next year you come to mine for Christmas and watch that chaos unravel." He laughed and then paused. It only just clicked that should he still continue with the bet, there may not be a next Christmas we spend together. Just thinking of it struck a nerve and I watched he go completely silent.

Marcy:"are you okay?" I asked due to his sudden silence.

Mattheo:"yeah...everything's fine." He seemed off now, not only would he not tell me what was wrong, but we kind of just stopped speaking while he continued unpacking. It was almost awkward, I hadn't felt that way with him since before we started being friends.

Marcy:"I think I'm gonna go find Teddy. He's probably up to no good so I..." He continued filling the drawers with his clothes.

Mattheo:"alright." He was quiet. And I didn't like it, I didn't like it at all.

Later on, Teddy and I were cooking dinner. Nothing special but something relatively nice. Me and Teddy used to make meals together all of the time but we haven't had the chance recently, it's my fault why we haven't but I had my reasons.

Marcy:"mom, dinner's ready."

Mom:"if I find that there's a mess in that kitchen, don't expect me to be cleaning up after you." I wish I could say I loved my mother. I know it sounds harsh but it's true. She used to be a kind soul, but now all that's left is a vile, shell of a woman who can't even look at her children without the memories of her dead husband coming back to her. She hated us for it. And we couldn't do anything to convince her to change her mind.

Marcy:"we already cleared up." I said quietly. A raised voice would get me into all manners of trouble just by having raised an octave. She wasn't the fairest of people to get along with.

Mom:"I'll be out in a minute. Just go."

Marcy:"sorry." I closed the door to my dad's office where she was often reminiscent of the past. It wasn't healthy, death is painful, everyone grieves differently but my mom continues to blame me for it specifically. And so, I slowly walked up the stairs to the spare room. Mattheo was reading as always and had been doing so for the past 2 hours. I hadn't heard a sound from him since I left the room, but he seemed peaceful enough.
"Uhh...Mattheo?"

Mattheo:"oh, hi. What's up?" He placed his book mark in-between the pages and closed it.

Marcy:"dinner's ready. Me and Teddy made it." I smiled partially. His eyes lit up.

Mattheo:"I'm absolutely starving. What have you made?" He said eagerly.

Marcy:"spaghetti Bolognese because apparently Teddy can't live without eating something that won't make a mess."

Mattheo:"sounds good. I'll be down in just a second." I closed the door behind me and as soon as I did, he took the book and hid it in one of the beside table drawers.

*At the table*

We had all gotten seated, Teddy passed around the cutlery and I watched my mother's lifeless face scowl.

Mom:"I take it he's just a friend."

Marcy:"yes, mom... he's- he's just a friend." I frowned casually. I could feel Mattheo's eyes on me, he felt just as bad hearing it than I did saying it.

Teddy's face was already covered in spaghetti from all of the 'taste testing' he was apparently doing. It was completely stained from the red sauce. I laughed at his funniness.

Mom:"really, Marcy? You couldn't have picked something that doesn't make a mess to eat?" My smile faded just as I was scooping up the food and dishing it out onto everyone's plate. Mattheo looked disgusted but didn't say anything. His silence hurt me.

Marcy:"Do feel free to offer to cook mom, or make yourself something else."

Mom:"why do you always have to give me attitude?" She said harshly. "Would you give your father that tone?" A tear formed in the corner of my eye.

Marcy:"well he's not here anymore, is he mom?" I didn't like to have to face reality for that reason. I know it sounds bad, but if I could trade my mother's life to have him alive instead, I would do whatever I could to make that happen.

Mom:"I'm not eating this."

Marcy:"go hungry then, you never cared to feed us when we were younger so who do you think cooked instead?" She was neglectful. I feared to think of what Teddy had to deal with daily, and whether he was being looked after properly.

Mom:"go to your room, Marcy. You've been here only a few hours and you're already making my life hell." She said it so casually. I hadn't even sat down to eat anything yet. I was starving but once again another family meal was ruined by my mother.

Marcy:"Teddy, have mine, I won't be needing it after all." I passed him my bowl and stormed off to my room. Sometimes I worry that I'll turn into her, I've made it my mission to avoid that possibility. I can care and look out for people as if they were my family, my real one wasn't really much of a family at all anymore. But I had her temper. It's hard living in a house that didn't feel like you're ever welcome, my dad wouldn't have made it that way. He'd welcome me with open arms and do the best he could to keep me happy.

Mattheo:"I'm not hungry anymore."

Teddy:"can I have yours?"

Mattheo:"tuck in buddy, it's all yours." He smiled and followed me up the stairs.

These feelings I'd bottled up for so long came emerging out of me. Memories from my past were thrown across my room as if they had no value, furniture being pushed across the scratched floor boards, fists punching anything close enough for me to reach. I hated feeling this way.

Mattheo opened the door to find glass smashed on the floor, clothes all over the place. My hands were cut from every punch I threw and the brick walls that divided every room in the house.

Mattheo:"Marcy! Stop-" he rushed over to me grabbing my hands firmly whilst he stood behind me. Tears kept streaming down my face and I couldn't control it anymore. "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay." We slowly fell to the floor. His arms were wrapped around me and my wounded hands. I felt a sense of comfort and misery all at once.

Marcy:"I should've never brought you here."