In 31 Days

Day 18: Episodes

As Alex was downloading the pictures from yesterday, I sat on his head and thought of what to do. Vaguely, I heard shouting downstairs. I focused on the words and found myself hearing crying. A lot of crying.

Throwing his covers to the left of my side, I scrambled downstairs to again diffuse the fights that lessened after Alex arrived but never actually ceased.

After seeing my frazzled state, my mother did a once-over and pressed her lips together.

"I'm done," she announced. "I'm taking a break for Europe," she paused, "...honey."

"Don't you 'honey' me," I snarled. "What did you do?"

She set her mouth in a firm line as my father confronted my brother.

"There has been a lot of negative energy around the house lately and I cannot take it anymore. It is seriously detrimental to my health and yours, I presume, and I just need to leave."

"Which I said no to," my dad piped up.

"Shut up, Sean," my mother sliced through his words like dust.

"Anyway," she continued. "When I come back, I will be living in Long Island, a couple or so miles from this town."

Only now did I realize how awful my mother could seem.

"What about me? Alex?" I asked, hands clenched at my sides. "You cannot go, I-"

"How dare you tell me what I can or cannot do, Ashley. You're turning into your father."

"At least I'm not a bitch," my dad sneered as my mouth widened, aghast.

My dad pointed accusing at her. "See, this is what I deal with everyday. And I am sick and tired of it."

My mother cut in. "Alex will move in with me for the duration of the moth, while you will travel to Europe with her."

"What?" Alex said loudly, interrupting our thoughts.

I didn't notice him at the top of our staircase, eyebrows pulled back, like a lost boy without words.

"No," he said simply. "She's not going, and I'm not staying."

"Don't talk to me like that. You aren't old enough to understand our situation," my mother snapped as she whirled around back to my father.

"Why can't you listen to your daughter for once?" Alex burst, eyes wide in anger. "Would it kill you, darned woman? Would it?"

She slowly turned around.

Walking slowly up to him, she muttered close to his face, "I don't know who you think you are, but I cannot believe I actually let you stay in this house for so long. Get out."

"No."

"I told you to get out," my mother screamed, jaw taut, losing composure.

I knew this side to my mother my whole life, but I was certain that Alex didn't.

"Well, I don't fucking need to stay!" Alex roared back. "You can't talk to her that way, can't make us move!"

"Alex, let go of it," I warned, pulling his forearm back. "You don't want this."

The guy I had come to like would never do this to anyone. Why was he so violent?

"Stop, Ashley. I can deal with this!"

"No, you can't! This is my family, Alex. Let go," I pleaded as he stood, hands clenched.

"Alex, I think it'd be best if you walked outside," my father offered, jaw ticking. "You are disrupting our family."

"I don't want to leave, goddamit!" Alex yelled.

I watched in shock as my dad roughly shoved him aside, puce in fury.

My parents shouted simultaneously, "Get out."

Glaring at them both, Alex smiled sadistically. Deciding it wasn't worth it, he turned to give me a side glance, turned his palms up in mock surrender, and walked out the house.

"This conversation is done," my father said briskly, talking my brother and walking him out the door.

Glancing side to side frantically, I realized that everyone I thought I knew was becoming so much more obscure, so partially hidden in their worn shadows.

"By the way," he commented calmly as he was leaving, "I wrecked your car a couple hours ago."

And strolled out.

I don't even know where Alex would be going, but once I saw my car gone from its usual spot, I knew at once that he took my car keys and drove off. And while I told him he could, anytime he wanted, it still felt wrong, like he stabbed me in the back.

Something in his eyes caught me off-guard as he left; they were eerie calm, as if nothing had ever happened, like his mind was reset. How he went from nearly attacking my parents to discussing something as ordinary as car keys made me think. There was something off-setting about his behavior.

And I needed to figure it out.