Scream and be Free (Zac Hanson)

Chapter Twenty Two

Enjoy :-)

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Over the course of the weekend, Zac seemed to have tucked himself away, keeping to himself more than anything. His time was divided between the music room and the backyard, although he was alone the plans for construction on Junia's playhouse were still carried out. Brielle watched him from the glass door over looking their backyard, she had offered to help him, only to be turned down.

The playhouse in which he had designed went up, piece by piece over the duration of the day. Tirelessly Zac worked away, if he was outside working by himself then his rotten mood wouldn't bother anybody else. His anger with Kate had yet to diminish and it was best of Zac stayed on his own until that anger found a way to subside. How she could do that to him, to their son, was something Zac still had trouble trying to fathom. It wasn't fair, surely Kate knew this. Did she care was the real question?

Sunday found the family gathered into the Hanson home, chattering and laughing as families do. Everybody seemed to scatter around Walker and Diana's home, some of the children were playing outside while a handful of others were watching a movie in the basement. Adults were gathered between the dinning room and the kitchen, everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, except for Zac. There was an air about him, silently warning the others to just let him be on his own. If Zac wanted to interact, he would. Until then, they were fine to congregate without him.

He had walked in, greeted his father, gave his mother a kiss and then found solace by sitting alone in the living room. Slumped into the arm chair, his arms folded across his chest there he sat staring at the floor. Wanting to be alone, but not wanting to renounce his son like duties and not show up for dinner, sitting in the living room with a brooding scowl had become the best tactic for Zac. If he scowled enough nobody would bother him until it was time to eat, if he continued to scowl and look angry even then nobody would talk to him. In truth Brielle had told him if he didn't go, then there would be trouble when she got back home.

All around the house Zac could hear laughter, under any other circumstance he would be in on it; possibly he'd be the one causing it. Always the family clown, an ability they loved about him. Grumbling to himself about nothing, Zac kept his head low and his eye averted from anybody who happened to pass by. In the time he'd spent in the living room, he had seen Natalie breeze by with Penny in tow. Jessica's husband, Joe, had ran through; his father had passed by once. None of them spoke, they had all cast a sideways glance at him, but they never bothered to question him. When she thought she wasn't being watched, Zac had caught Brielle peeking around the corner, his guess was that she wanted to make sure he was still alive.

Peeking in at her husband Brielle had looked hurt, there was a worried look in her eyes. Zac had sat with his head turned toward the window, gazing out into the summer's afternoon, watching his wife from the corner of his eye. As somebody else, Zac thought it was his sister Zoe caught her attention Brielle wold force a smile and discontinue her watch over her husband. Kate's actions were hurting her just as much as they had hurt Zac.

Slipping outside onto the patio, Zac took a seat in one of the matching deck chairs. Now fuming about how Kate had hurt his wife, Zac gritted his teeth and pulled out a cigarette - a habit he had reunited with in the last couple of days, his fingers idly drumming a beat on the arm rest of the chair. Hearing soft steps across the deck, Zac ignored the person until he heard the distinct moving of furniture, the sound it made when it was sat on. Glancing up, Zac's eyes settled on Avery. Her eyes were fixed on him, as she pushed her dark bangs out of her eyes and offered him a slight smile.

"What?" Zac spoke, his voice sounding harsher than he had intended. Taking a drag from the cigarette held between his lips, he stared her down.

Avery wasn't to blame for any of this and she wouldn't take his harsh tone personally, all his younger sister wanted was to show him some love. Show him that even in his worst moods, somebody was still there.