hooked ↣ joshler ✓

5. Disrespect

"I should really just buy a ladder or some shit," Tyler mumbled as he stepped up on a trash can, hoisting himself onto his roof. He carefully scooted back and walked up to his window, fidgeting with the handle.

Finally, he grasped the bottom and pushed it open, sliding in and shutting it, locking it so the breeze couldn't get through. Stumbling through the dark around his dirty clothes, he flipped the light switch on. Tyler turned around and gasped, jumping a bit.

Kelly Joseph was sitting in the chair that was placed in the corner, with a magazine draped across her lap. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was agape, breathing slowly and evenly.

Tyler huffed and rolled his eyes, walking over to his mother. He bent down and roughly shook her arm in an attempt to wake her up. Almost instantly, she jumped up and tightly grasped her magazine, waving it around her. She relaxed and dropped her hand when she realized it was just her son.

"Seriously?" Tyler scoffed. "You'd use a magazine if an intruder was in the house?"

"It was the only thing I had with me!" She replied exasperatedly. "And where were you?" Kelly added sternly, throwing the magazine on the chair.

Tyler ignored her, taking his jacket off and setting it on the bed. "Can you get out? I'm getting my pajamas on and going to bed."

"Tyler Robert Joseph, it's eleven o'clock at night! You've been gone for over seven hours! Answer me!"

"Leave my room," he repeated.

"Tyler, please just answer me," his mom said quietly, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Leave my room or I swear to God I'll freak the fuck out," he said louder, shaking slightly. Suddenly, there was crying heard from the other room. The door opened and they both turned around to see who it was.

"Mom? Jay's crying," Zack announced, rubbing his eyes. "Can you shut him up? It's annoying and I'm trying to sleep."

She sighed, walking over to the door. "Yes, and then I'm going to bed. It's the first night in four days I haven't been needed at work. Tyler, we'll talk about this in the morning," and with that she walked out and shut the door.

Tyler mumbled some cuss words directed towards his mother before walking over to his closet and yanking his shirt off. He threw it behind him, letting it hit the floor before he unbuckled his jeans and tossed those aside, grabbing some sweatpants to put on instead.

Deciding to put off going to sleep, he grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lighter, walking over to his window and cracking it just enough to be able to flick his ashes out, but still prevent too much wind from coming through. He stuck the end of the white stick between his dry lips and lit the end of it with his lighter. He breathed in the first allowable amount of tobacco, loving the way his lungs burned at the contact.

He gazed out the window, staring at the moon. It was a perfect crescent and it was shining beautifully, illuminating the ground more than the street lamps ever could.

Shaking his head, he took another inhale of his cigarette, admiring the glow of the cherry on the tip. He flicked the end out the window and watched it hit the roof and roll down the end. After a few minutes, he stubbed it out on his windowsill and closed the window, locking it once again.

Tyler flicked the light off and climbed into bed, trying to shut his eyes despite his brain not wanting to cooperate.

Finally, he drifted off to sleep, hoping to avoid the inevitable and pointless lecture he'd receive tomorrow morning

---

As soon as Tyler walked into the kitchen, three pairs of eyes floated to him. All of his siblings were at the table eating waffles and there was a plate of bacon sitting in the middle of the table. He leaned over Madison and grabbed a piece, munching on it while he walked over to the fridge. His mom kept her back to him as she finished loading dishes into the almost full dishwasher.

Tyler bent down and scanned the shelves for the orange juice. He stopped when he saw it sitting behind the milk, pulling it out and taking a drink straight from the carton.

"That's disgusting, Tyler," Kelly scolded, turning around and drying her hands.

"Okay," he shrugged his shoulders and took another swig of the orange juice, then twisted the lid on and set it back in the fridge.

The Joseph household was silent for a moment, before Zack stood up and set his plate on the counter. He grabbed another piece of bacon and began tying his shoes on. "I'm gonna go to the park with Max, I'll be back soon," he told his mom, grabbing his basketball.

"Okay, honey, just be home by two!" She called back, walking over to rinse his plate. He nodded before opening the door and letting the slight wind shut it behind him.

"He's gonna freeze out there," Madison mumbled which made Kelly laugh.

"You guys done?" Madison and Jay both nodded and their mother quickly rinsed their plates before closing and starting the jam-packed dishwasher. "I'm gonna go give Jay a bath," she started, setting the three year old down on the floor. "Then you and I are gonna have a talk," she turned around and pointed to Tyler. He gave her a salute in return and she took Jay's hand, leading him up the stairs.

"Why does Mommy need to talk to you?" Madison asked as she slipped out of the kitchen chair.

"Because she's mad at me for going to my friend's house."

"But I go over to my friend's house all the time and she's okay with it," she replied, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Can you keep a secret?" Tyler whispered, bending down to meet his sister's height. Her eyes brightened and she nodded her head. Tyler pursed his lips. "I'm gonna go outside really quick, but you can't tell Mommy."

Madison instantly frowned. "She just told you that she was gonna talk to you after Jay got out of his bath. 'Sides, I can't keep secrets from her."

"But I'll be back super quick. I'll probably even be back before Jay's done with his bath," Madison looked skeptical, which made Tyler sigh. "I'll give you $20 if you don't say anything."

The smiled was instantly back on her face. "M'kay!"

Tyler laughed and pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and gave it to her. She skipped into the living room, tucking it into her pajama pocket. I knew I tolerated her for some reason, he thought to himself as he walked over to the door, quietly shutting it behind him and leaving, making a mental note to be back in fifteen minutes.