badnews { jace norman }

forty-four

"Groceries" My desperate shouts throughout the house tie with exhaustion from the long day of lectures, coworkers, and crowded grocery stores.

A Starbucks uniform, green hat still attached from work. Jace relieves the weight of a majority of the groceries from my arms and finger tips.

As we work on putting them away, my phone spins in vibration on the counter. I glance at the screen, then back at jace.

"Its my dad... would you mind putting away the rest of the food"

"Sure." His voice is harsh, still angry and distant from yesterday.

I rush up the steps as I answer the phone, settling on my bed before the conversation got too far.

How would you feel
about Washington?

Washington?

Seattle

What?

This lady I met lives
there-

We can't just move in with
someone you're gonna leave in a week.

I think shes the one

We're not moving. You're drunk.

It's not up for discussion

You go ahead and move then

Youre still a minor

For a few months.

You're coming with us.

I don't have time for this right now.

I hang up the phone. Anger and stress building up within me. I lay on the cold blankets, unsure how to feel.

The stress of going to school, trying to come up with money, working three jobs and providing for someone that once was my everything.

So I let my emotions that ive bottled up, go. Minutes go by, goosebumps starting to form over me from the cold room. But they're ignored as I let myself cry. Releasing everything that ive needed to for weeks, months.

My door pushes open as an annoyed voice bounces of my back.
"I finished the groceries so don't bother coming back down."

I remain silent, guilty of not helping out, sulking on my own emotions instead.

"Woah, you okay?" I feel him walk around the bed, watching my wet face.

"Yeah I'm okay"

"Whats wrong M?" His voice is suddenly gental for the first time since the fight.

"Im just stressed" I open up unsure,
"Im trying to make things better for you but there's so much going on- and then my dad, bring up that we're moving in with some junkie"

"Youre moving?"

"No" My head shakes, feeling my tears drop down my face sideways. "Hes just drunk"