Forbidden

Leave Me Alone

***
Fresh tears stained my cheeks. The interrogator looked at me intently. He was confused about where this was going. Obvious expression.

"So..." he interrupted slowly. "you both aren't just from different fathers, but also different mothers?"

I stared at the backs of my hands, studying the cuts and bruises. I nodded.

"Mm-hmm," he murmured.

I started up my story again.

***

The next morning, I woke up to the curtains closed and door shut. Thank all good things! Looking to the side of me, Liam was still asleep. Of course. I didn't wake him up though. My alarm clock only said five-thirty. We had enough time to get up.

Liam's phone rang. I answered it before it woke Liam.

"Hello?" I greeted without looking at the number. Smart.

"Liam?" It was Asher, Liam's best friend.

"Uh-no," I responded, feeling foolish.

"Ah, Morgan," he said with recognition in his voice. (And deep amusement!)

"...yeah."

I swear I heard him muffle some laughter. He said very quietly, "Score!"-which probably wasn't meant for me to hear. I smiled despite the fact that...well, you know.

"Alright," Asher said, recovering from laughter. "Will-chuckle-you tell him that I called?"

"Yup," I said before ending the call.

I set down Liam's phone on the nearby table and grabbed the journal, looking through the pages. Some of the first pages.

July 05, 1997-

No one ever expected that Juliana was the first to die. She never did anything wrong, except for the man who knocked her up and left. And poor Liam. And now? Now she's giving him to me. Don't ask me why. It's not like I'm the most responsible person. I don't think I'll be a very good mother. I've never even thought of having kids of my own before. But I have to try to take care of Liam as my own. For Juliana.

Liam was starting to wake up beside me. He rolled over and looked at me with a questioning expression.

"Did you know," I whispered. "that your mother died?"

Liam yawned. "Yeah. I read that whole thing."

I just sat there in thought before my alarm went off. I turned it off quickly and got up.

"Put on a shirt," I said to Liam. "And get your lazy ass out of bed before our parents get up."

He sat up. "Bossy much?"

I smiled. "Very much."

Seven-thirty rolls around and Liam and I are eating breakfast in the kitchen when our 'parents' come in. They were still in their pajamas. LeAnn sat down next to me and asked Liam to make her oatmeal. He glared at her, but she didn't notice.

He made her oatmeal and set it down in front of her. Then he picked up the journal from the counter and slammed it on the table harshly. It made a loud sound and some of the older pages flew out of their cover.

LeAnn jumped and looked up. When she did, her eyes widened.

"Liam, where did you find-"

"In your room."

She gasped slightly. "You looked through my room?"

He ignored her. I was enjoying this. Too bad I couldn't turn my potatoes into popcorn.

"I'm not your son," he stated simply. His voice portrayed anger but he wasn't angry at all.

LeAnn stood up. "Liam, I wanted to tell you, but-"

My dad stood at the counter, staring at LeAnn and Liam as if they'd turn into aliens. i tried not to smile.

Liam interrupted her. "I'm Juliana's son. Who is she?"

LeAnn sighed deeply. "My sister, Sharlette's sister," she breathed sadly.

I choked on my juice. But nobody seemed to notice. They were all staring at LeAnn. I had to get up and get a glass of water. I felt sick. Really sick. So Liam wasn't my brother, but still related to me. He was my cousin. Screw the world.

Everyone stayed in the kitchen in awkward silence, but after I cleaned up, I went straight to my room and threw off all of the sheets. Even the pillows. And what'd I do? I threw them in the dumpster out on the side of the house.

I'm no better than my father, I thought bitterly. I'm disgusting. How could I...how could we...ug!

When I came in, Liam instantly started trying to apologize for his misunderstanding but I ignored him. I felt so gross. Maybe I was so sick to the stomach that I could skip school today.

But no. I didn't have fever. So, yeah, I was being forced to sit next to Liam in fifth period and see him in, like, all of the other three classes we have together.

***

My face screwed up at the memory and the interrogator looked so disgusted that I could've laughed at the emotion screaming off of him. But I didn't. It was impossible to laugh in such a dark place.

***