in between all things

Chapter Sixteen

**Jace's point of view**

"Jace?"

I sighed as I walked through the front door of my house. It was around one in the morning now and I was exhausted. I didn't want to deal with my parents right now and I didn't want the happy mood Ash had put me in to be destroyed by them. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? Where have you been, young man? You better not have been with Damien!" My dad shouted, getting up from the couch. My mum stayed seated, not meeting my eyes. I was surprised they were even awake; they had to leave for work in a few hours' time.

"Don't you dare bring Damo into this!" I yelled. "You have no right!"

"I knew we should have kept Damien away from you -"

"Honey, it's not the time." Mum intervened, then turned to glare at me. "Jace, where have you been? It's past midnight."

"Oh wow, you've learned how to tell the time!" I said with fake excitement, then cringed. God, I was turning into Ash. First I turn cheesy and now I'm stealing his sarcasm, what's next?

"Don't speak to your mother like that, you spoiled little brat!" Dad shouted, striding towards me.

Mum got up from the couch and put a hand on my dad's shoulder. "Don't get into this with him. He's stubborn."

"You're wrong. I can't be spoiled, because that involves treating your kids like they exist and showing them love, and neither of you are capable of feeling love." I said to my dad, then turned to face my mum. "And I have every right to be stubborn!"

"Says the little boy who treats his parents like they are dirt. Jace, you're a heartless boy. I'm so sorry your brother did this to you." Mum said sympathetically.

"Damo didn't do anything," I said flatly, as I walked towards the stairs. Didn't they get that they destroyed me and not Damo? Damo was the one there for me growing up, not them.

Before I could reach the stairs I felt my dad's hand wrap around my bicep roughly. He pulled me back to face him, his eyes filled with rage. "Don't walk away from us while we're speaking to you!"

"You know what? Just stop. I'm done playing this game with you. Both of you think you're such great parents but you're legitimately shitty!"

Mum glared at me. "Do not use such vulgarities in this house, Jace!"

"Let go of me," I told my dad, ignoring my mum. My good mood was now successfully ruined. I was so glad I could just laugh my ass off with Ash about this tomorrow and Ash would probably do the same about whatever happened to him. After years of dealing with stuff like this, you learn to just let it roll off your back.

"Go to your room," Dad said coldly, finally letting go of my arm. "We'll finish this conversion in the morning."

"You don't need to tell me twice," I snapped, heading up to my room. Once I reached my room, I closed my door and leant against it. I've always had a rocky relationship with my parents, but it never made the fights any easier to deal with.

Why couldn't they just stop blaming Damo for everything? Why couldn't they see that I ruined my own life and not him? Everything I do is to spite my parents but I still do the shitty things on my own. They're my choices.

Brrriiinnnggggggggg

I jolted out my thoughts as my phone started ringing. I fished my phone out of my pocket and answered it, not looking at the caller ID.

"Hey?"

"Hey, Jace. You need to get to my house right now." Drew said from the other end of the phone, clearly distressed. I closed my eyes and rubbed them. This was going to be interesting.