boxer ⋆ luke hemmings ✔️

03. Bare-Knuckle Boxing.

SOPHIE
I wake up the next morning in a sea of empty crisp packets. This is exactly how I envisioned every single day of my summer to go, and I'm not complaining.

The events of last night barely register in my head and I'm suddenly reminded of the boxing match, as well as Calum ditching me for someone I don't know. I kind of want to scold him myself, but I know that Mali will probably do that for me later anyway, and in a much better light.

When I get downstairs, she's leaning over the stove, scrambling some eggs with some Ed Sheeran song playing in the background. She doesn't notice me coming, and this is obvious in the way she jumps once I pull the kitchen stool out.

"Jesus!" she yelps, almost dropping the pan. I just give her a sheepish look.

"Sorry," I say apologetically, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Upon seeing that it's me, Mali relaxes. A smile creeps onto her face once more, and I watch as she then turns her back on me to the stove.

"Good morning,"

"Good morning," I say, dangling my legs off of the stool, "What are you making?"

"Some weird omelette thing," she says, leaning forward to look at her phone. It's positioned on the marble counter beside her, displaying a simple looking page of instructions and fancy pictures.

"Any reason why?" I ask. She rarely ever cooks.

"I thought it'd be nice to have breakfast together," she smiles at me, "You know, as a family,"

It's not like we don't do that anyway, but I guess today's special because this time, she finally has something to glare at Calum over the dining room table for.

"Did he come home last night?" I ask her, tapping my fingers against the island. She pauses, looking up before sighing.

"Yeah,"

"Was he drunk?"

Again, a small sigh leaves her lips, "Yeah."

"Do you know who brought him home?"

"Some couple," she replies, flipping the egg on the pan, "I didn't catch their names. They just said sorry, your brother's an alcoholic, and left Calum passed out on our doorstep,"

I give her a solemn look, though it's not like she can see me.

"I'm going to have a talk with Mum and Dad later," she says, and I immediately stop.

"What? What for?"

"They can't leave you with Calum anymore," Mali replies, and my heart practically falls, "At least not for an entire evening,"

"They don't have to leave me with anyone," I say defensively, "I'm not a little kid,"

"You know how Mum is around you," Mali sighs, "You're a kid in her eyes. Bless, you're her youngest, Sophie. Of course she's going to be overprotective of you,"

"But I'm nearly eighteen," I pout, even though that's a lie in itself. I only just turned seventeen a few weeks ago.

"Yet you couldn't say no when your older brother tried to drag you out of the house to go to an underground boxing match," I wince, because she has a point, "Those places are dangerous, Soph. Something bad could have seriously happened to you,"

"But nothing did," I say.

"But something could have," Mali reinstates, switching the fire off and spinning around to face me, "You're just lucky Luke found you when he did. I assume you met Eddie?"