All It Takes

Chapter 9 // Hot Chocolate

Chapter 9 // Hot Chocolate

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I come home from a long day of school, thoughts of finals looming above me. Today was the first day that Stella dropped me off at home since I started working. Camilla, who ended up having to go to a overnight field trip at a space observatory, was having a blast being away from home, and I found myself to be filled with more energy than usual. And Lars was unlikely to be seen too.

I see Dad standing behind the kitchen counter, smacking an envelope on the surface, his face red and eyes scrunched up. It's a good thing he can keep his emotions intact in court.

"I. CAN'T. STAND. IT!" He repeatedly smacks it on the counter and garbles loud gibberish and punches the envelope. I intervene, taking care not to further anger a man who is right by our knife set.

He's on a rampage, crumpling up grocery store ads, slapping our loaf of wheat bread, and opening a drawer with a lighter. He begins to pull it out and barely starts a little flame when I shriek, "Dad! Dad!" I grab the envelope, and one tiny glance is all I need. She usually sends them like this.

Making them all pretty and crap, so we can be under the false pretense that she's doing better, when in fact, she's deteriorating even more into the world of alcohol. In a bright magenta envelope, her address and name is scrawled into the top in silver lettering.

Erin Lundberg

I see she decided to keep her maiden name, as if Dad and I are an embarrassment. I know she's my Mom, and that she raised me for a number of years, but still, she became addicted to the euphoria she received when she drank alcohol and became submerged in the secret life of stashed liquor bottles, late night drinking, and emotional recklessness.

Dad never thought it'd go to the extent that it has now. Before, he was able to lock them up or understand where she'd hide them and throw them away.

I was only eight when that whole birthday thing happened with Loren. The reason why Mom was late was because she was drunk at her desk. At 5 in the evening. Obviously, they fired her and prevented her from getting a job anywhere else, sending her to wallow in her sorrow and swim through alcohol once again.

That's when Dad decided enough was enough.

He let my nanny go, and decided to cut back on his hours to spend more time with me as a kid. He sent her to rehab and she moved out of town. They divorced when I was 10. As I got older, I obviously wanted him to do his job instead of sitting around doing nothing, and so, at the ripe ol' age of 13, I started to take care of myself and him.

Daniel and Hazel Ryland

I see she's upgraded to calligraphy pens and....state bird stamps?

"BRAHHHLLAW!" He gurgles. "I can't stand this woman! Crawl back to hell, you little scumbag!" He sneers at the envelope.

My phone buzzes with and rings. Its Lars. I pick it up, and Dad is still screaming his head off but now onto a throw pillow on our couch.

"Yes? Hi." I can barely hear the other side, as it's filled with loud, off-key singing of Mariah Carey.

"HEY! Xav, Garrett, Stella, and I headed to the Winterville Fest at the Mystic Dome! You should come. Stella has a season pass, so we can get in for free. We can pick you up." He shouts into the phone, probably over Stella's singing.