Neighbourhood {troye sivan}

two

JAYCE

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"I really don't understand why you bring him home all the time," my dad told me, sending me a glare as he poured himself yet another tall glass of beer. At least he was decent enough to drink in a glass, but it won't be surprising if he drinks the whole bottle anyways. I leaned against the kitchen counter with a frown etched across my lips.

"He's my best friend, dad," I sighed, looking away from him. There was nothing that I wanted more than to throw that glass into the sink and watch it break so the liquid would drain out.

"Best friends don't fight, Jayce."

So he heard the fight I had with Troye outside.

Dad continued on to speak,"and he's gay! That's absolutely horrific. I cannot believe you would ever make friends with that kind of thing. What if he tries something on you?"

Thing? He's a human being.

My fingers clenched together in anger, but I didn't fight back. I had to bite my tongue or else the wrong things would come out of my mouth, and that would receive yet another punch in the face. I didn't want to go to the beach tomorrow with a bruised jaw.

"I'll be up in my room if you need me," I respond calmly, but my voice was shaking. Dad dismissed me with a wave and I let out a sigh of relief, quickly rushing up the stairs and slamming the bedroom door shut behind me.

The fight was bigger than our normal ones and it felt as though it broke our friendship. I didn't know how to mend it at all, but if I did, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Best friends do fight. It was normal. At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

I was going to see him tomorrow anyways, that would be a good time to apologize. Apologizing didn't feel like enough, though. "Sorry" was just a word you could mumble and it would just be another drop in the ocean, meaningless and definitely not helpful.

I opened the blinds to get a better look at Troye's house, but his curtains were drawn and the car wasn't in the driveway, so it seemed as if the Mellets weren't home. I frowned in disappointment. I didn't know what I was expecting. For Troye to be looking out from his window at the same time I was? Yeah, as if.

I let out a long breath. I hated how my alcoholic father loved to look at Troye and his dads as if they were objects. I've known Troye practically all my life and it was so easy to accept him as he was and my dad made it harder for Troye to accept himself. I missed Troye. I despised the fights we had and that's why I've always tried to avoid them because one of us slams the door and the other is always locked out.

We know each other inside out. He understands me, even when I'm not speaking. He says the words I have no courage to say. He's like my second home, and without him, I'd never even be here. It's just so incredibly difficult to even think about the idea of losing Troye.

"Jayce!" I heard my dad yell. I open my door reluctantly, trudging down the stairs only to find broken glass all over the floor with a very translucent pale golden liquid surrounded the pieces. I grimace. He dropped his drink. Again. But that's what I wanted to see, wasn't it?

"I'll clean it," I mumbled, grabbing the broom, a pan, and some paper towels. Dad walked away shamelessly, and my eyes followed him. He went out to the driveway, which told me that I would have to help him do his "errand" after I was done with this.

I then stared down at the glass pieces, I couldn't help but ask myself what would happen if I walked across them right that minute. Would I bleed or remain unaffected? After all, this was such an every day thing that I wouldn't be surprised if there was nothing but dry blood on my foot even before I stepped on it today.

I carefully wiped up the beer, making sure I wouldn't cut myself and then brushed the glass pieces into the pan before throwing it all out. I knelt down, running my hands across the floor to make sure there weren't anymore pieces, and then made my way outside to where my dad stood in front of his unfinished work. I walked over to him, sent him a weak smile (which he didn't return), and started fixing parts of the car. I looked back at Troye's house, but his house remained dark. I felt my heart sink, turning back to the car, and holding myself together before I fell completely.

**

5:17 PM

I hope everyone is having a good day, thank you for reading this!

- E