Cherry Bubblegum

ii

Sebastian

Coming home to an empty house isn't new for me. It has always been this way for the past few years. I practically lived on my own. I cooked my own meals and always looked after myself ever since my mother died.

Thinking about her still hurt. It was as if the pain was fresh and not years old. The absence in my home is a constant reminder of her death. Ever since she died my father threw himself into work and it was like he forgot about his only son. He spent the first few months drinking at night. I remember one night telling my father that my mother wouldn't have wanted this as I pried the bottle of whiskey from his hands. I remember the fucker shoving me hard I fell down together with the bottle of whiskey and my palm bleeding from where the broken glass cut me. I remember the look of horror upon his face and ever since that day he tried his best to stay out of my life. He stopped being a father and I was angry about it. I was so angry I started lashing out to other people.

I looked into the mirror and saw a thirteen year old version of me saying mom wouldn't have wanted this.

Fuck this.

This time it was my knuckles that bled.

+++++++++

"What happened to your hand, Bash?" Michael asked as I pushed him away to go to their couch.

I smirked at the nickname. Over the past few years I've earned a reputation for terrorizing people thus Bash was born.

"None of your business idiot" I said

"Yeah call me idiot again and I'd kick you out of here" he threatened.

"You wouldn't dare" I shot back.

Michael and I were almost the same person both living alone, well if you don't count the neglectful parents we have. He and I met in my freshman year and we became instant friends when I saved him from getting beat up by a bunch of seniors. Since then we've been inseparable. He lets me stay in his house because he knew that staying at my own hurts too fucking much.

"So Senior years coming up" he said. A few more weeks and summer would be over. I can go back to the place where I can escape and let go.

"It's a bummer that summer will be over but I'm pretty excited for this coming year" I said

"I'm excited to get out of this place" he said as we set up the x box.

"Yeah me too. But hey, look into the bright side. We've got fresh meat! Naïve freshmen to toy with. Plus we're practically kings in school this year it'll be a fun ride" I said.

He snickered "Kings? You mean tyrants. But oh well kings has a better ring to it. Speaking of fresh meat. You remember Marco?"

Of course I remember Marco they moved in freshmen year and he Michael and I used to be friends until he decided that he didn't want to be part of us anymore.

"Yeah what about him?" I asked as I picked up the controllers

"Well they said he's got a new neighbor. A chick she's our year. I figured you might be interested since you've always said the girls here are boring you"

"We'll see when school comes." I shrugged.

I wasn't really interested in a relationship or anything serious. A fling here or there but I'd always cut off things way too early. To me girls were just another way I could escape. Almost everything I did nowadays was an escape. Almost five years has passed and I'm still running.

And sometimes it gets pretty fucking tiring.