Within You Within Me

The Broken Family

The car's vibrations and soft noise of the diesel engine relaxed Adam's tense nerves.
Yet, the silence being too loud, led to conversation.

"So how was school?" Jude spoke casually. The deep rumbles of his voice spoke like a understanding father.
The gentle care but still misting over the strong authority.

"How do you think it went?" Adam growled, turning to watch the well-known scenery out the passenger window.

The clouds began to drizzle light rain, and a occasional tap of dew would hit the windshield and windows of the old Beatle.

Jude sighed, "What happened?"

"If I wanted you to know, I'd tell you. It's not like you don't know what it's about anyway."

"Goddamn, you're so moody," His brother growled, "You were perfectly fine this morning. Said 'please' and 'thank you'. You walked with your friends to school. You called me at recess, sounded good. But oh hell, the last 15 minutes of school turn all against you, huh?"

Jude was stressed. The sudden turn of anger in his voice.

Adam used to say he was bipolar when they were upset. But then Adam was just like him. As if he was too. So he left that thought alone.

A heavy sigh, "So what happened?"

Adam turned to face forward, bowing his head into his hand which rested on the door, "I was talking to Lucinda."

"Adam-" Jude sighed.

"But she's real! I swear!"

"You need to let that go. Your imaginary friends? They need to stop. You're what, 11?"

"I'm 13." Adam growled, "If you wanna keep pretending to play Dad, at least remember my age."

Another sigh.
The car went quiet with tension.
Jude's fingers tapped on the steering wheel in thought.

Adam turned to face the passenger window again.

Jude began to pull into the garage as he opened to speak again.

"Adam..." He paused and pursed his lips as if he needed to find the right words, "There's a time to grow up in life," Adam growled angrily again, finding the car door handle.

"And you are at the time for leaving your imagination behind and start becoming realistic-" Jude tried to continue.

Adam slammed the door behind him after removing himself from the car.

Jude called after him, "Adam!" Another sigh.

Adam burst into the room finding a young blonde with Kai, his nephew.

"Hey Adam, I was ju-" Began the dumb blonde as Adam angrily yelled gibberish at her, running upstairs to his room, forcefully slamming his door behind him.

"Oh!" She shrieked in horror at Adam's manners.

"Abigail, I'm sorry, he's had a hard day at school." Jude eased his girlfriend.

"That was so rude. It's like he hates me! I have done nothing to him!" Her high pitched voice exasperates into tears.

Kai just lays quietly on his blanket after his 10 minutes of walking around the house.
Only 11 months old.

Jude begins to say 'hi' to his little family as his little brother pouts in his room alone.

Adam kicked his wall and yelled, "Urgh!" He threw off his back pack towards his dirty laundry.
Frustratingly, rips his shoes from his feet, throws them aimlessly off.
To only throw himself into his messy, unmade bed.