What Happened in Between

Exposed

(WARNINGS: death mentions, use of gun)

Avi put his head into his hands, exhausted by today's events. He looked at his youngest children as they cooked dinner. He stood up to get Scott in hopes to talk it out with all of his children but was shocked to realize that his oldest child wasn't there when he walked into the messy room. He quickly looked around the vicinity, trying to find clues to bring back his son. A letter then caught his eyes and he picked it up, reading it immediately:

To whom it might concern,

I'm sorry. I'm tired of everything. I'll see when the time is right and when it is, I'll come back. Right now isn't the best time. I will always love you all if I don't come back. I'll be happier. Don't drop everything just to find me. I can handle everything. I'll see you guys soon. Never forget me if I don't come back. I love you.

-Scott

Avi gasped as he dropped the letter, feeling tears run down his face slowly. He left Scott's room, running into the kitchen, being careful not to bump into anything. He slammed into the refrigerator, making Kirstin and Mitch jump. He let out a deep breath.

"Scott...run away...we need to leave."

Kirstin and Mitch shared a look of shock and dropped what they were doing, exactly what Scott told them not to do. Avi went back into the room and grabbed the letter. The family quickly ran outside and went into the car, hoping to find the missing child.

~~~

Scott sat down next to Alex, breathing deeply. Alex ran his fingers down the younger's back, brushing his other hand down his face. Scott smiled at him shyly then frowned. Was this really the right thing to do?

"Why did I do this?" Scott finally asked, standing up. He began to pace back and forth, upset by tonight's events. "First, my dad's an a-hole and goes and cheats on my other dad, then my aunt releases your father out of jail, and I'm a coward for running away! Why is this all happening, Allie?!"

"I need you to calm down," Alex commented lightly and sweetly, standing up too and putting his hands gently on Scott's shoulders. The younger male nodded as he let out a deep breath. "You're not a coward; however, running away wasn't the smartest choice. You just needed space, but doing something isn't going to solve everything."

Scott nodded once more as he kissed Alex on the cheek. Alex smiled as he ran his fingers through the silky golden hair that his boyfriend owned. Scott then hugged Alex tightly, feeling protected. Alex ran his hands slowly and sweetly down Scott's back, hopefully making him feel protected.

~~~

Mitch looked at the letter that Scott wrote, staring at the bolder letters. He tilted his head as he trie to decode them. He tapped Kirstin's shoulder lightly, making her turn around.

"D-do you h-ha-av-ve a pe-en-cial-l?"
Mitch questioned timidly and smiled thankfully when his older sister handed him a pencil. He then began to decode the letter and gasped when it was done. "G-gu-uys-s? W-we-e'r-re in a b-bi-it of a st-ti-ic-ky s-si-itu-uat-tion."

"What do you mean(a/n by Justin Bieber. Sorry, I'll leave now)?" Avi asked, looking in the mirrors. He felt his chest tighten when Mitch began to breath heavily. "Mitch, what's the matter?"