The Complication

~Chapter 4~

Jay POV

      He walked home in the pouring rain.

Alone.

It wasn’t like he never walked home alone in the rain. It was the fact that ever since Sadie came things have been weird between everyone. It wasn’t her fault either. Miranda is jealous because she thinks Jay likes Sadie, which is true. She just has something about her that’s special. Sadie’s down to earth and beautiful and… I really have to stop thinking about other girls when I have a girlfriend. Jay thought.

It wasn’t like he didn’t like Miranda anymore; he just couldn’t focus on one thing (or one girl) at the moment. He looked up at the small dingy house. The shutters were hanging loosely off the dirt splatter windows and a few roof shingles were missing. He looked down as his feet only to discover he was standing up to his ankles in mud. Great, he thought trudging into his home.

      When he opened the door he heard yelling and hesitated deciding whether to stay or march right back out the door to Drake’s place. After thinking Drake had enough to deal with he burst into the kitchen only to find it empty. The noise was coming from above him. He made his way through the beer littered kitchen and plopped onto his bed.

      He listened to his parents yelling for about ten more minutes when it all stopped. He heard the old stairs creak and jumped off his bed heading to the door before-

      “JAY GET OUT HERE!” His dad yelled. Jay pushed his bangs out of his eyes and carefully made his way to the kitchen

His dad had been drinking. Jay slowly made his way into the kitchen and stood before his dad wishing he’d just go to Drake’s house like he originally planned.

      “Yes dad?” He asked patiently. His dad slapped him the face leaving his cheek stinging. Jay blinked back tears and stood his ground.

      “You shouldn’t be...be...” he collapsed on the floor drunkenly snoring.

      “What he meant to say is you shouldn’t be home,” his mother came down cigarette in hand as always. She stared in disgust at her husband than looked at Jay eyes narrowing.

      “I-I wasn’t feeling good,” he said his face numb.

      “He hit you?”

      Jay nodded.

      “Good maybe that’ll teach you a lesson, now go back to school I don’t want you in the house.”

      He nodded again blinking back tears, partly from his stinging face partly from her stinging words. He ran out the door splashing through the streets, the rain matched his mood perfectly. Jay didn’t want to disturb Drake but his feet carried him unwillingly to Drake’s doorstep. He knocked on the door and let himself fall into Drake’s mother’s warm hug. The kind he always wanted when he was sad, the kind that his mother had never given him.

Sadie POV

      I’m dead. That was the first thought that flittered across my mind when I reached my house to find my dad waiting on the porch arms crossed a look of disappointment on his face.

      I gulped, “hi dad.”

      “Did you know I just got a call from your school saying you were in a fight and being sent home early?”

      I nodded, “but dad I-“

      “There is no excuse for fighting, go to your room NOW.

      I kicked off my shoes and headed up to my room. My dad muttered something about being disappointed but I was already face first on the bed wondering how bad I must have been when I was little to have karma like this.

Drake POV

      He watched his mom hug Jay and lead him into the kitchen for some milk, the usual routine. Jay wiped the remaining tears away and smiled, “thanks,” he said to Drake’s mom. She carried on about how he didn’t need to thank her and everything. He wanted to go in there and get Jay to come up to his room but he couldn’t. He was supposed to be in his room. Instead he hovered on the staircase waiting for her to send up Jay.     

      “Why don’t you go up and see Drake sweetie,” She smiled.     

      “Sure, thanks.”

      Drake hurried up to his room as quietly as he could. He sat on his bed and blood trickled from his nose.  “Ah crap,” he grabbed the already blood soaked tissue just as Jay walked in.

      “Hey,” Jay said looking him over with the same worried expression that his mom had given him when he’d come home.

      “Hey, don’t worry ‘bout me just a nose bleed.”

      Jay raised his eyebrows. It went without saying; the nose bleed was the least beat up looking part of him.

      “So...you saw the new call of duty game?” Drake asked. There was no mention of what happened at Jay’s house.

      “Ya you got it?” He sat on the bed and Drake passed him a controller.

Lucas POV

Crap! His mom and dad’s car was gone. He was alone with Damien. He dragged his feet up to the door. Maybe Damien’s not there maybe he went out with his girlfriend, the thought had barely crossed his mind when he opened the door to find Damien hadn’t gone out with Brittany. He brought her here.

      “Who’s that?” Brittany asked in her annoying high pitched voice.

      “Oh just Lucas, you now that loser who sat alone every day?”

“Ya.”

“He’s my brother.”

“Seriously?” She asked.

“Yep, biggest disappointment of my life.”

      Lucas felt the threat of tears again. Damien always made fun of him; it’s what made him so sensitive.

He burst into his room before Damien could say anything else. Lucas thought about what had happened earlier that day. After his friends went home he had spent the rest of the day with Madison. Talk about awkward.

      After Madison had found him crying he couldn’t look in her in the face and that seemed to make her upset for some reason.   

      “Lucas! Come down here I finally found a way those wimpy arms of yours come in handy!”

      He heard Brittany laugh.  Lucas slowly made his way downstairs.

      “Hurry up! God, for a kid so small you’d think he’d be able to move faster,” Damien muttered just loud enough so Lucas would hear.

      “I’m here, what do you want?” He asked softly.

      “Brittany dropped her beautiful ring under the TV table, reach under and get it,” Damien demanded impatiently.

      Lucas sighed. He dropped down on the floor and reached through the small opening between the table and floor. He grasped the ring and handed it to Brittany.

      “Wow, my brother isn’t that small and he’s nine!” She giggled and felt at Lucas’ arm, “he has more muscles than you to!”

      Lucas felt like crying again, “it’s not my fault,” he whispered.

      “What do girls see in him?” Brittany asked.

      “They don’t,” Damien grinned, “He’s never had a girlfriend before... or a first kiss.”

      Lucas felt the tears forming in his eyes. No matter how terrible Damien was that had been their secret, he said he wouldn’t tell.

      He swallowed the lump in his throat and managed to get out three words before running up to his room, “I hate you!”