Back to the Beginning

Chapter 9

"I'll never let go, Jack, I'll never let go."

What. A. Liar.

She literally let him go just after she said that. I scoffed before muttering a couple of profanities and grabbing the remote to turn off the tv.

As the television screen went black, my phone made the tweeting sound it makes when I receive a message. I haven't gotten a message from anyone besides Taylor in days.

I adjust myself on my couch and sit up straight, criss-crossing my legs and yawning.

Gosh, what am I doing with my life?

I reached for my phone, but I wasn't able to grasp it before someone else did.

"Danny, give me my phone back!" I grumble, but I wasn't energized enough to get up and actually do something about it. Danny was standing there with my phone in his hand, and I could tell he was trying to get in by the way he was concentrating on the small screen.

Danny sharply takes in a breathe and looks at me deviously, "Uh, whoops, locked it for 30 seconds," he says, throwing it my way.

I almost caught it, surprisingly, but it slipped through my grasp and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"Danny, don't you have - oh, I don't know - a life?"

"I could ask you the same question. This is literally the fifty-seventh time you've watched this sappy movie."

I roll my eyes and leaned down to grab my phone, silently thanking God that he'd only locked it for half a minute.

"Yeah, well, it's less times than you've watched it," I mumble, but I'm pretty sure he heard it. I eye my brother, and noticed that he was dressed spiffier than usual.

I gave him a puzzled look, as Danny isn't one to dress up for anything; He came to my graduation in sweats. Yeah.

"Ay, buddy," I grab his attention away from his clothing. He was straightening out his dress coat as well as his black, dress pants, "What are you all fancied up for?"

He couldn't possibly be going on a date since he had asked Clara, his fiancé, to marry him a few years ago and she didn't come along with him. Since money has been tight, the wedding was planned to go on fall of next year.

"Didn't mom tell you? I'm looking for a job here, you know, to help out for these next few weeks."

My jaw slacked and my eyes widened a fraction. A job?

"A job?" I ask incredulously, "You don't work. You travel, you live. You're Daniel Scott River. You are free."

He scoffs at my little, soulful spiel, which them turns into a chuckle. I join him as he walks towards me and messes with my already chaotic hair.

"Well, kid, it's happening. But don't worry, it's just for a bit. You know, to help mom out." He cranes his neck left and right before asking, "Hey, where is mom?"

I arch an eyebrow and scoff, shaking my head, "This is how it usually is five out of the seven days of the week. She has work, remember?" Sarcasm dripping from the last few words. I gave him a smile, trying my best not to make it look bitter.

It's true, I do miss mom a lot. But it's been like this for years, and it will probably always be like this. I've tried to get a job, but mom wouldn't let me. Something about how I'm not old enough and I shouldn't have to worry about these things yet.

Which is strange, considering I'm a high school graduate. But I've always known it's because of a little thing called pride.

She wants to make it seem as though she could handle it all by herself. But I can tell she's falling apart because of this; this house, the move, her job. The only thing that kept her going was probably her soon-to-be husband and - well- me.