Be There | A Dwayne Robertson Fanfic ✔️

Promises

I pull out of Dwayne's warm embrace, mentally preparing myself for what was about to happen. His head tilts slightly in confusion his eyes looking into mine. "Dwayne," I start, biting my lip nervously. "Remember how you asked if I would tell you about me, and I said that I would someday?"

The confused expression on his face deepens as I say this. "Yeah, it was the night I got covered in shavin' cream," he nods.

"I want to tell you now," I say, tucking a few stray hairs behind my ear. "I'm ready to tell you now." He nods, and we skate off the ice, climbing into the stands. We plop down into two uncomfortable seats, and I take in a deep breath. "Before I tell you, I need you to answer something for me."

He leans forward in his seat, eyes shaded by his hat and hands folded in his lap. "Yeah, 'course." He responds, nodding his head slightly.

"I just want to know that I can rely on you. I just want to know that you won't leave me. I just want to know that you will be there. Even after I tell you. I need to know that you will be there for me." I tell him, gazing into his chocolatey eyes.

He pushes a piece of hair from my face, smiling at me. "You can trust me, Meg. I'm not gonna leave ya, not now, not ever. I'll always be here for ya. To talk, to listen, to whatever, I'll be here. I promise."

I close my eyes, bracing myself for the waterworks and stumbling over words. "Okay. Here it goes:

"I grew up with my mom, dad, and Dean in Chicago, and it was great. The best time was when we would set up for Christmas in December, because we would fool around while we decorated, and we had fun. But, when I turned five, things didn't go so great. My parents started arguing, and it eventually turned into shouting and yelling. It used to scare me so bad, that Dean would come into my room and stay with me, comfort me.

"After a year and a half of this, my parents filed for a divorce, and a few months after I turned seven, the divorce was official. My mom ran off with some rich and young company owner, leaving me and Dean with my dad. It hit my dad really hard, because he loved my mom so much. He started to bury himself in work, starting earlier and coming home later. Dean raised me, basically. I was raised by my nine-year-old brother. My dad didn't talk to us or listen to us as much, he was always working. But, it was nothing compared to what my mom did.

"My mom and George, the company owner, got married two years later, and we weren't invited to the wedding. She said our invitation 'must have gotten lost in the mail'. Fast forward a year and a couple of months, and my mom has a baby. A boy named Dennis. I've only seen him once, and that was when I was eleven, a few weeks after he was born. Now, my mom's expecting again. It's a girl this time. They're naming her Margaret, or Maggie for short. She's going to be two years younger than Dennis. Just like I'm two years younger than Dean.

"My mom hates us!" Tears are running down my face, sobs choking up my words. "She didn't like her first take at marriage and kids, so she's trying again. She did this on purpose! Instead of Dean and Meg, it's Dennis and Maggie. She, she, she-," I can't seem to say it aloud.

Dwayne places a hand on my back, whispering quietly. "It's okay, Meg. It's okay."

I breathe through my mouth, trying to calm myself down enough to spit the words out. "My mom," I whimper, lip quivering still as tears continue to fall. "she replaced us." I'm full blown bawling again, and Dwayne wraps his arms around me, letting me cry into his shirt. I need to think of something else to make myself stop crying. "Dwayne, what were you going to tell me, that night I ran off?"

He laughs quietly, giving me a squeeze. "It's not important right now, Meg. It's not important right now."

Once my sobs turn into hiccups, I lift my head off his shoulder, cracking a small smile. "Sorry about your shirt," I motion to the tear-stained gray tee that now stuck to his shoulder. I wipe my eyes off while he shakes his head and smiles.