The Dramas Of Apartment 5B

Happy Thanksgiving

It had been two months since the semester had started, four months since we had started living together. Autumn was coming to an end and it was Thanksgiving day. The plan was for everyone's parents to come and we would all have dinner together, I personally didn't see this going well. There was a quick tapping on my door and the door swung open not waiting for an answer. A weight landed on my stomach and I let out what could I only describe as an "oof." "Morning" Lisa said with energy, "hey everyone, come annoy Max!" Lisa called to the kitchen, which I assumed where everyone was, I herd setting down of coffee cups and everyone piled into my room. "Rise and shine" Finn said pulling off my sheet covers, I shivered, "I hate you, I hate all of you" I said pulling the covers back up. "Time to bring out the big guns, literally" Natalie said, "Jason, do the honors" Lara said. Jason stepped forward and lifted me up with ease and grinned. I scowled.

We had to clean the apartment before our parents came, to give credit to us it wasn't that messy.By eleven o'clock we had finished and had begun making Thanksgiving dinner, everyone was in the kitchen, chopping, cooking, baking and definitely burning. We made everything, pumpkin pie, roasted potatoes and of course the turkey. We just didn't put anything in the oven, yet.Our parents were on their way and we all sat around nervously, I don't exactly know why we were nervous, maybe I do. It felt like doing this, meeting everyone's parents meant that it was real, we were actually living together.

Finn's parents arrived first, they were tall and polite, their accents way thicker than Finn's, "it's a pleasure to meet you all" they said looking down on us,literally. Finn's dad was wearing a suit and his mum a blazer and a pencil skirt. We made small talk until the doorbell rung again, this time Lisa's parents, "Mr and Mrs Oake! it's good to see you again" I said opening the door to familiar faces and hugging them, "Max, Lara, Natalie, how are you?" Mrs Oake smiled, "good, thanks" Lara said setting the table, "mum this is Jason, Finn and Carter" Lisa said introducing the guys, her parents shook their hands, much more formally then how they usually act.The door bell rang again, "excuse me" Carter said walking to the door, his parents walked in, they were short and dressed casually, "so this is where the cool kids hang" Carters dad sort of yelled, "hi, dad" Carter grinned as his father pulled him into a tight hug slapping him on the back.By three o'clock everyone's parents had arrived a part from Jason's and mine.At three twenty my parents arrived. "Mum, I missed you heaps" I laughed hugging her tightly, "I missed you too" she said kissing me on the cheek, I turned to Dad, "hi, Dad" I said bitterly, Jason caught my eye from across the room and he walked over. "Hi,Mrs and Mr Raven, I'm Jason" he introduced himself confidently holding his hand out. Mum shook it, "nice to meet you Jason" Jason took my mum's coat, "he's cute" Mum mouthed to me causing me to roll my eyes. We introduced all the parents to each other and put the turkey in the oven.

There was another knock a few minutes later, I answered it. "Hi you must be Jason's mum" I said kindly, the lady smiled warmly at me, she was holding a little girls hand "this is Lucy, Jason's sister" she said stepping in, "I know Jason talks about you a lot" I said smiling at the little girl. Jason appeared behind me, "Mum,great to see you" he said kissing her on the cheek and hugging her. Jason asked his mum something, "dad?" he asked quietly, she shook her head and Jason's face went stern, he seemed, hurt.

By four o'clock everyone was sitting around the pool table ready to eat. I sat next to my mum and Jason. "Should we say grace?" Natalie's mum asked extending both her hands out to hold the people's hands next to her. Jason extended his hand and I lightly placed mine in his and my mum's. "Dear Lord, let us give thanks for the meal before us and for our wonderful children and the friendships they have built, Amen" Natalie's mum said, I wasn't religious but when Natalie's mum said a prayer, damn she was good. We began serving our meals, the table was filled with conversation, it wasn't awkward, it was almost perfect.

Around the time we finished our meals there was a banging on the door, "I'll get it" I said walking quickly to the door, I opened it and in stumbled a man with brown hair with gray streaks. "This is where the party's at?" he yelled, Jason stood up quickly, he walked up next to me and the room fell silent. Suddenly I realized who this was, "dad, what the hell are you doing here, did you drive here?" Jason demanded, "hell yeah I did son, cops didn't even catch me" he chuckled, "dad, get the hell out, I don't want Lucy seeing you like this" Jason demanded again, "you got to learn to loosen up son!" he said massaging Jason's shoulder. Jason tensed, "get out, I'm not letting you ruin this for me" Jason said sternly, the man ignored Jason and turned to me, he stroked my cheek and I flinched at the gesture, "who's this pretty young lady" he whispered, Jason stepped in between us, "get the hell away from her" he said threateningly, "Jason it's fine" I whispered.

Jason's dad stumbled towards the table, "Stacey" he whispered to Jason's mother, she looked almost frightened by his words as though him saying that physically hurt her. Jason walked back over, "I'm not going to say this again, get out" Jason whispered, "come on son, I know you really wanted me here" Jason's dad moaned, "no, I wanted my father not some drunk, I guess they're the same thing for me" Jason spat, "son" he said patting Jason on the back. "Get out!" Jason yelled, I had never seen Jason like this so scared, so, angry. I looked at Jason's dad,he went to say something but instead he slowly turned in his heel and stumbled out slamming the door behind him. Jason turned back to everyone and sighed, "I'm really sorry about that" he said, everyone was silent, "it's fine, who wants dessert?" I said leading Jason to the kitchen. I was still in awe about Jason's dad, I didn't say anything, he would tell me when he was ready. That's why he didn't take his shirt off that night we got drunk, he didn't like seeing people so drunk I thought coming to a realization.

We ate dessert, pumpkin pie and Jason's sister Lucy nearly dropped hers. "Careful" I laughed catching the plate before it dropped. Jason picked her up and placed her in front of the TV. "Well we need to get back, its a two hour drive" Finn's parents announced, they shook hands with us again and hugged Finn goodbye. "Nice meeting you" we all said as the door closed. "I think that's are que as well" Natalie's and Lara's parents said hugging everyone goodbye.

By six o'clock everyone's parents had gone. "That was" I said, "surprisingly good" Lara finished, we all nodded. "Anyone want to eat the rest of the pie with me?" Finn asked, "yes" Lisa and Carter said at the same time. The three began to devour the pie, "anyway, I have to write this report on some chemical thing" Lara mumbled walking off to her bedroom. "Yeah and I have a paper due soon, man I cant wait till the holidays start" Natalie sighed, "one more month!" I called after her. I walked to my room and just lay on my bed for a few minutes, maybe it was seconds I can't remember. A knock woke me from my daydreams. "Yeah" I said, Jason walked in, I sat up and he sat next to me, his eyes stuck on the window in front of us. "I was six years old when my dad first got wasted" he began, "Jason, you don't have to tell me this" I said quietly scared that he would continue, but even more scared he wouldn't. "I want to" he said, I nodded, "I remember him coming home and smashing mum's head against the wall, pulling her by her hair, yelling, throwing things" Jason said his voice breaking, I flinched, not knowing what to do. "And he just kept doing it, he was never there for me and when he was he was just hurting us" he said standing up and pacing in front of my window. I watched him. He looked tense, I had no idea what to do. I walked up to him wrapping my arms around his waist, he hugged me back his body immediately untensing. "I guess that's something we have in common" I said into his shoulder, "he was never drunk but he was never there" I said my voice breaking,I bit my lip annoyed at myself for being so, weak. He pulled away, and put a finger over my lip, "it's okay, I know" he said quietly. He knew, I wanted to tell him so badly and he already knew. I breathed a sigh of relief then asked, "how?" I asked, "I see the way you looked at him, it's the exact same why I look at my father, disappointment" he said our arms still around each other. I hated to say it then and I would never admit it but I felt safe in his arms.