screaming whispers (5sos sister)

4: escapee

I slept all evening and through the night until dawn. I was awake bright and early and watched the sunrise.

I was tiptoeing around my room to make myself go unnoticed. I sat tight all through the morning, hoping that my parents had sorted out whatever they were arguing about.

But it was mid morning when they got up, and as soon as they got in the kitchen (I'm assuming one of them slept on the sofa) they started to yell again.

"OH SO YOU THINK THAT YOU APPARENTLY BEING KIND AND GIVING ME SPACE IS GOING TO FIX YOUR BULLSHIT ATTITUDE? ITS ALWAYS GOTTA BE YOU BEING LITTLE MR PERFECT RIGHT? YOU'RE NEVER IN THE WRONG ARE YOU? OH SILLY ME."

I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head, trying to drown out the commotion. But it wouldn't ever work.

My phone bleeped with a message from Michael.

All clear yet?

I sighed, wondering whether I should booby trap him to come home or to just point blank ignore him. It sounds harsh but he just escaped all of this whilst I was still trapped in my room with nowhere to go.

"YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M DONE TRYING TO ARGUE, YOU'RE BEING A BITCH AND YOU NEED TO PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH. WORK IS WORK AND IT HAS TO BE DONE PROPERLY, YOU CAN'T START SLACKING ON PAPERWORK AND MAKE EXCUSES THAT AREN'T EVEN REAL PROBLEMS."

"MAYBE IF YOU ACTUALLY PAID ATTENTION TO THE FAMILY YOU WOULD MAKE SOME AMMENDMENTS BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT AN UNSUCCESSFUL DROPOUT AND AN IMPRESSIONABLE REBEL BRAT WHO THINKS HER BROTHER IS A FUCKING GOD."

Turning back to my phone, I decided to be blunt but truthful.

No

I didn't get a text back, my phone started ringing immediately.

"Lex?" He questioned through the phone.

A tear dribbled down my cheek absentmindedly. I brought the phone away from my ear and pointed it down, towards the kitchen where something had just been smashed.

"Oh my god, hang on I'm coming to get you."

I clenched my jaw as I heard someone with Michael say they're coming too.

"Pack an overnight bag babygirl, we're coming."

I grabbed a drawstring bag and threw in some cotton shorts and a vest top as pyjamas. I packed my phone charger and a toothbrush. I got changed into some black skinny jeans and a Nirvana ripped band tee.

I threw my bag over my shoulder and ran downstairs, jogging lightly down each step.

But I wasn't so lucky this time, I was in sight of my mother.

"SEE, JUST LOOK AT HER. SHE'S ALREADY GETTING OUT OF HAND. LOOK AT WHAT SHE'S WEARING." Then she directed her words to me. "NEWSFLASH, YOU'RE NOT A BOY, GO AND PUT ON SOME PROPER CLOTHES, WHY WOULD YOU EVEN WANT TO GO OUT LIKE THAT? YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO GO OUT, YOU'RE GROUNDED."

I just stood frozen. I noticed Michael at the door and he had heard everything.

He held a finger up and I went back up to my room, my ears ringing as the row continued downstairs.

I was out of sight, out of mind.

When I got to my bedroom I felt a tap on my window.

Michael and Luke we outside in the back garden, waving at me.

I wasted no time and opened my bedroom window.

"Alex, climb out the window and be careful, get on the ledge and tiptoe across to my window."

I did as I was told, ignoring the fact that I was terrified. It was obvious Michael had done this a million times before as he directed me to the terracing and made me climb down and hop on the shed. I walked along the shed and he told me to jump off.

I landed in his arms and he kissed my forehead as he put me down.

We walked around the house carefully so we went unnoticed and then we made our way to Luke's house.

Michael had his arm around me the whole time. "Don't you dare even think about taking in the bullshit that just came out of mum's mouth." He told me with such an angry tone, I thought he could rip my head off if I said something wrong.

I gulped and ducked away from him. He caught on and his facial expression changed in realisation.

"I'm sorry, I'm just. What she said was so out of order, and I hate her for trying to tell you that you can't be your own person."

"Yeah," Luke chimed in, "fuck stereotypes! We love you because you're different from everyone else, don't let them change you."

Michael chuckled. "Yeah, because if you change than maybe even we won't love you either."

I scoffed bitterly.

"Hey, I'm only joking." Then he paused. "Look, I should've taken you with me to Luke's last night. It was a dick move for me to leave you at home listening to them all on your own."

I looked him in the eyes, and we were both tearful.

He pulled me in for a hug and then gave me a piggy back for the rest of the journey.

We went inside before Luke and charged into the back garden with a war cry.

"We have arrived!" We screeched as Michael ran round in circles and made us both look like headless chickens.