That Night Everything Fell Apart #Wattys2016

X. Smirk

I stared at him for a few more seconds and he did the same thing. His face was expressionless and blank which makes him really hard to read. What can he possibly be thinking right now? What is he actually feeling? Is he in pain? Is he worried? Irritated? Pissed? Bored? Is he going to approach me if it weren't for Andi? Or is he just going to stand there because he never really cared?

He turned his back on us with his hand on his pockets. He walked away, not showing a care in the world. But what do I really expect from him? He's a heartless, frozen dude after all. So caring or worrying about someone in trouble never really occurred to him. I guess he would rather worry about himself and his own misery than meddle with mine.

He walked away, not towards the Manor but towards the gate.

Andi let go of me and looked me straight in the eyes. His aura signifies concern and worry. It glints in his eyes. I must feel delighted that at least right now, someone is here with me.

"What happened, Becky? Tell me." He asked eagerly.

'It's not that bad to share the load with someone else.' Aliza's voice echoed inside my head. Well, okay, let's put that to the test.

I took a deep sigh before speaking. "There's a problem at home. And it sucks that I couldn't be there." I said.

"Is it that bad? For you to cry." He asked worriedly.

"You can say that." I answered.

"I'm here to listen." He said.

I took a deep breath.

"I told you that my father works at the City Hall, right?" I asked and he nodded. "He was the Technical Head of the entire city of South Carolina. He was very dedicated to his work and the Mayor believed in him and in his abilities. He would always work so late that he even exceed the standard work time which is eight hours per day. He never did fail and disappointed the Mayor and with his capabilities, he did everything in his power to maintain the trust of the people around him. My father works so hard each time but people soon grew jealous of him. They once sabotaged his work which resulted for a major disappointment on his part. The Mayor demoted my father. And after that, the real story begins."

I paused for a while, contemplating on whether to tell him the whole story or leave it at that. I thought better. I want to share this load to someone else.

"My father got depressed and stated drinking a lot. He goes home so late and drunk. He never talks to us. He never asked how it was with school. But before he got demoted, we've had a few that I can count all of them in one hand. And now, I can't even flick one finger for a moment that we actually conversed. Pretty hilarious, huh? The kind of relationship we have. It has become his bad habit to come home late at night, drunk, and vomit shitty words at my Mom. That I almost wished I was deaf. That routine was repeated and has grown in me quite effortlessly, and see it as a normal thing. But it all changed and has gotten worse. My little brother who had so little in his life was dragged into this. I've always wanted to protect his childhood but how can I do that if I am here? He got yelled at by my ass of a father for nothing. I couldn't even imagine the look on my brother's face, Andi." I started sobbing.

"It's okay." Andi tapped my back repeatedly so as to comfort me.

"The guilt's eating me up, Andi. The guilt of taking the pleasure of being here while my family's standing there with a nuclear bomb above their heads waiting to drop and obliterate them."

"I understand what you're going through, Becky. If it's painful for me to hear all of this, what more of how you feel? Think about this, your father was just so depressed about everything that's happened in your lives. Trust me, he didn't mean for this to happen. But all those pent up emotions; it's got to get out at some point. Becky he is your father. And would still be your father no matter what." Andi said.