Toxic (An All Time Low Fan-fiction)

Three

Rian sat at the kitchen table holding his heavy head up with the palm of his hand. His dad just woke him up with an offer to make breakfast for Violet and him. It was 11:30 in the morning, way too early for a Thursday during summer vacation. This was one of his last weeks of freedom, still, he managed to drag himself out of bed. 

"She didn't seem too pleased" Rian's dad said, entering the kitchen after his attempt to wake Violet.

"Give her a break, Dad." Rian replied, "She's had a rough week."

"She could at least [i]try[/i] to seem enthused about me cooking all this up for you guys" he huffed. 

Rian was shocked at the amount of tension that now consumed the house. Everyone was on edge, but he felt the worst for Violet. He wished he'd at least known he had a sibling so he could call her on her their birthday or sent her a gift for Christmas.

A groggy Violet emerged from the basement, wearing sweat pants and a messy bun to complete the look. 

"Hey" she said to Rian in a raspy voice.

"How was the new room?" he asked.

She just shrugged, plopping down into a chair at the kitchen table.

"There's coffee here Violet" their dad said, pulling a mug from the cupboard and handing it to her.

"Praise Jesus" she said, taking the mug and pouring herself a cup. She skipped on the sugar and cream, returning to her chair.

"I drink mine black too" Rian said, lifting his mug to hers and she gave him a half smile.

A few moments later the table was filled with the whole deal; scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, muffins, pancakes and cut up fruit. "So are the guys coming over for band practice later?" their father asked Rian, taking a seat at the table with them. 

"Yeah at around 2 or 3" he responded, beginning to fill his plate. 

"You're in a band?" Violet asked curiously, "I mean I saw your drum set in the basement and everything but I wasn't sure."

"All Time Low" their dad bragged "They're pretty good."

"Nice" she nodded.

Music must have been in their blood Rian thought, remembering the guitar case he had carried down stairs for Violet the night before. 

"We can order pizza if the guys want to stay for dinner," their dad offered.

"Sure, I can ask them" Rian replied, not looking up much from his plate of food. 

Violet sat silently in her chair pushing her food around her plate, the anxiety she couldn't seem to shake prevented her from desiring any kind of food. The pain radiating from her right hip did help either, it was making her stomach twist in knots. Taking her coffee back into her room, she pulled out her song book, scribbling in some lyrics that she'd dreamt last night. Flopping down onto her bed, she began to go over the list of things she would need to pick up before school started in just over a week; a new backpack on the top of her list.

Wondering where the closest shopping centre was, Violet ran back up the stairs where her father was washing up from breakfast.

"Hey Dad?" she asked and he spun around to face her, pleasantly surprised with the way she'd called him dad. 

"Is there a mall around here anywhere? I need to pick up some things before school starts."

"Yeah, it's probably too far to walk there but I could drive you over if you want?" he offered, excited to possibly spend a little more time with the daughter who he never imagined he would see again.