Living the Legacy (Fame #2)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

       Someone pounding loudly on my bedroom door made me groan loudly, pain in my forehead throbbing. I was hoping it wasn't my dad because if it was, I was going to be in huge trouble.

       Whoever was knocking opened the door and walked in, only to give a disappointed sigh. "Not again," Dad said. "Hunter, you can't keep doing this."

       I looked at him, trying to look confused. "What are you talking about?"

       Dad's eyes glanced down, and I realized I left the bottle in my room. I sighed, not in the mood for one of the many lectures I received. It was too early in the morning for that.

       "Hunter, you need to talk to someone," he said, kneeling down beside the bed. "Why do you do this?" I shrugged, but Dad didn't take that as an answer. "You need to talk to someone."

       "No, I don't," I objected, rubbing my forehead. I know what I was doing was stupid, but I couldn't help it.

       "You need to get your problem under control," Dad told me.

       "So send me to rehab," I told him.

       Dad sighed. "I'm not going to do that."

       "Why?" I asked. "You don't want the world to know that Austin Bolton's son has a drinking problem?"

       "No," Dad said. "Hunter, I've been through what you've been through. You know that. I had a reason, so you must have a reason."

       I sighed and sat up, looking my dad straight in the eye, ready to tell him the truth. "You didn't know I had dyslexia. For years, I was struggling in school because everything was a mess in my eyes. I just wanted to get away from my problems."

       "Hunter, drinking doesn't fix anything, trust me, I know," Dad said. "If anything, it will make it worse. Look, I'm sorry I never knew about your dyslexia. But why didn't you tell your mother or I?

       "You're always busy with your careers," I muttered.

       "But if you told us, we would have pushed it aside," Dad told me. "I'll let you stay home from school today since you're in a hangover, but you need to stop this, okay?" He got up and left my room, closing my door behind me.

       I hated being in hangovers, but I had a huge problem with drinking that I couldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried. It took my dad years to get over it and he was around my age when he started.

       I ended up falling back asleep, but waking up once again, the headache even worse. I looked at the clock, surprised that it was three o'clock. I sighed and got out of bed, heading down the stairs to get some painkillers.

       After I took some, someone knocked on the front door. Mom and Dad were at work, so I answered the door. Violet was standing there, making me raise an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

       For some reason, Violet's cheeks grew a rosy pink. "Um, your dad called the school. He, um, said that you wouldn't be at school but I could come and, you know, tutor." I nodded, stepping aside and opening the door wider for her to come in. "Uh, this may seem inconsiderate since this is your house, but....do you mind putting on a shirt?"

       I looked down, realizing I just had a pair of sweats on. "Yeah, of course. The office is over there." I pointed to the door leading to the office. "Make yourself comfortable and I'll be back."

       After going upstairs and putting a shirt on, I headed back downstairs and into the office. Violet was sitting at one of the desks, so I pulled up another chair and sat down beside her. "I was thinking we could work on algebra today," she said, pulling out a worksheet. "This was today's work."

       I looked at the worksheet, sighing at the jumbled mess. My headache was making things worse.

       "Are you okay?" she asked.

       "Yeah," I replied. "I just have a headache."

      "Is that why you stayed home?" she asked.

       "Uh, you could say that," I muttered, not wanting to tell her the real reason. For one, I didn't want word to go around about it, though I knew she wouldn't tell anyone. Second, I didn't want to see her reaction if I told her about my problem. "Don't worry, I'm used to it."

       Violet looked sympathetic. "You're used to it? You should get it checked out, then. Maybe it's...."

       "Violet," I interrupted. "It's not a medical condition. I already know what it is. I just can't control it. Maybe some day I'll tell you. I just...I hope you'll still be my friend when I tell you."

       Violet looked confused at my statement. "Hunter, I'll always be your friend, no matter what, especially if you're going through something you can't control."

       I sighed, hoping what she said was true. "I didn't go to school today because I was in a hangover."

       Violet was quiet for quite some time, blinking a few times. "You....You drink?"

       "Yeah," I said. "I may have a problem with drinking."

       "Do you parents know?" Violet asked.

       I nodded. "My dad was first to find out. He's trying to help me through it, but I find it so hard to stop. I started to get away from my dyslexia, but it got worse. Whenever I'm upset about even the tinniest thing, I drink."

       "I'm sorry to hear that," Violet said genuinely. "But a promise is a promise. Yes, it's shocking, but I'm not going to stop being your friend because of it. You're still the sweetest guy I know."

       I smiled at this. Violet always knew the right thing to say. "Thanks."

       "Let's get started on the algebra," Violet said.

       For a good hour, we worked on the worksheet. I was able to get a few questions done, even understanding algebra a bit more. It was still hard because of my dyslexia, but it was easier.

       We decided it was enough for the door, so Violet packed up her things. I walked her to the front door, thanking her on the way. But before she left, I felt like I had to thank her for something else. "Thank you," I said. "For treating me like a normal person. After everyone found out who my parents were, they all want something from me. You're the only one treating me normally."

        "The truth is, I don't make friends easily," Violet told me. "Yes, it's so cool that your parents are Austin and Maybelle Bolton, but it shouldn't define who you are. When I look at you, I see Hunter Bolton, not Austin or Maybelle. Just Hunter. And you're the only one who's nice to me."

       "And you're the only one who's nice to me," I said. "So it works out. I'll see you tomorrow."

       "Before I leave," Violet said before I could close the door. "If you ever feel upset about something, you could always call me to talk. I'll always listen."

       I smiled at her offer. "I will."

________________

Yes it's short and yes it took me a long time to update, but my main focus has been Fight For Me. However, from now on, I'll post a chapter every Saturday.

<3