Fame or Shame: Encore

Fall to Pieces

I didn't wake up until past one the next day. I would've stayed sleeping, but there was more noise than normal coming from downstairs. I sighed and rolled out of bed, sleepily making my way down the stairs. As I got closer and closer to the kitchen, I realized the noise I was hearing was Mom and Dad having a heated discussion.

"How much have you had today? It's not even two yet." Mom hissed.

"What are you? My mom?" Dad laughed, though it didn't meet his eyes. "So Max and I have had a few. What do you care? You and Lauren will be wine drunk tonight."

"Yeah. Tonight. When we have family dinner and our friends over. You're already gone." Mom scoffed.

I hesitated, taking a seat on the stairs to watch this pan out. I wasn't about to walk into the kitchen and risk having either parent's rage turn to me. They'd been having so many spats lately. Always about stupid things when really it was about Dad's drinking.

"You're supposed to go to the store for me." Mom growled "You can't do that if you're drunk."

"Go to the store yourself." Dad shrugged, reaching for his beer on the counter, but Mom snatched it away and dumped it down the sink. "Come on, Alyssa, don't be a bitch."

"I can't believe you're drunk already!" Mom shouted angrily.

"I can't believe you're fucking Keaton." Dad snarled back.

Mom looked like she had been slapped. She recoiled against the kitchen counter, just staring at Dad.

"I knew it." Dad muttered "I knew it. I knew it. I knew it."

"What? No!" Mom snapped out of her shock. "Cody, where the hell did you get that-"

"Isaw you two kissing!" Dad shouted. "At the party last week! You were kissing!"

"You saw that?!" Mom gasped out. She seemed to quickly realize that was not the right thing to say and tried to change her statement.

"I didn't know you saw that. It's not what you think, Cody. It-"

"It was you and Keaton kissing at a party. Right under my nose. How long has this been going on? How long have you been fucking him?!" Dad growled.

"I am not fucking Keaton." Mom hissed. "If you would calm down, I could explain."

"Don't tell me to calm down. I'm the one who is married to a whore who will fuck any ex-band member that walks into contradictions. Who else have you done Alyssa? Andy? Branson? Lynn?" Dad was getting angrier and angrier as he spoke.

Mom just stood in shocked silence.

"I can't fucking believe this. I can't." He grabbed his keys off the kitchen wall and headed towards the garage.

"Where are you going?" Mom shouted. She grabbed his arm only to be shoved back. "You're drunk! You can't drive anywhere!"

"You don't get a say in what I do." Dad snarled.

"Oh yes I do when you're doing something this stupid, Carson." Mom snapped back, yanking the keys out of his hands.

"Give them back!" Dad snarled.

Mom shook her head no, stepping back. Dad lunged forward, gripping her wrists tightly. The force of his movement caused Mom to stumble. Before she could regain her balance, Dad was fighting even harder to get the keys out of her clenched fists. Their struggle brought them out of the kitchen into our foyer where Mom was slammed into the railing of the stairs by Dad. There was a pop as she let out a loud cry of pain and the keys clattered to the ground. Dad let go of her and snatched the keys up off the floor. Mom was crumpled on the floor, cradling her right wrist against her chest.