The Boomerang Effect

Four | One Year Before The Jump, Boston |

       [dedicated to @cheeky_gurl for the cover at the side.]

         |ETHAN|

one year before the jump, boston

"Which subject is this for again?" I hold the door open for Claude as he grunts while sliding off his shoes. He enters the house. His jeans are splattered with white paint and his dull brown hair is pulled back under a red cap. He's back from work. Claude's a contractor--that's what he calls himself anyway. All he really does is paint and plaster walls. Nothing really impressive if you ask me which, of course, nobody ever does.

"History," I reply stoically, avoiding his eyes. I can clearly smell the booze coming off of him in waves. Claude's always drinking on the job; he pours tons of the stuff into his coffee in the morning. I probably wouldn't care if he wasn't such a mean drunk, jumping at every chance he has to yell and denigrate. Vivian, my new neighbour, should be here at any moment so now is definitely not a good time for him to start a scene. The last thing I need is one of my classmates witnessing Claude in all his (un)glory. 

I want a fresh new start and I want things to be better here.

"I just don't understand." Claude shakes his head and drills into me with his blue eyes. "You had the choice to pair up with anybody and you chose a bunch of girls! Sometimes, Ethan, I swear--"

Claude has this crazy idea that just because I don't play sports or date a bunch of girls (like he used to back in high school) I'm less of a man.

"Ethan, who are you talking to?" That's Nora calling from the kitchen. Claude stiffens, his stance becomes belligerent, his eyes narrow and, like many times before, I wish I weren't here.

"He's talking to me." He barrels unsteadily into the kitchen, his tone as aggressive as ever. He's going to start a fight, I just know it. I don't plan to be here when he starts, though.

Call me selfish, but I just want to be a normal kid for once. I don't want to have to deal with him and his abusive crap.

I open the front door and yell "Bye, Mom!" over my shoulder then cringe inwardly because even after three years, the word still sounds foreign on my tongue. To me, Nora will always be Nora. Even though, legally, she's now my mother. I only call her that because I know it makes her happy and also because, well, I guess it's my indirect way of thanking her for adopting me.

In sixteen years, I've been in seven foster homes and one group home. Nora is the only one who made me feel like I was more than some human paycheck. When Claude pointed out that if they adopted me, they'd stop receiving money form Child Services, she just shrugged, smiled and said that that was proof I was truly becoming one of their own. That's one memory I'll be taking to my grave. It might just be the only decent one I'll ever have.

I sit down on the curb and pull out my phone to pass the time. It's an old model from maybe five years ago that used to belong to Claude. It's nothing like what those kids at school have, but it's mine and that makes all the difference.

Vivian lives two houses down from mine, so I should see her as soon as she steps out. After three mind-numbing games of Candy Crush, I check the time.

It's 12:51.

I'm supposed to be at Alicia's place at one o'clock so that we can all work on some dumb History project. Vivian said she'd drive me because she knows where it is (I think they're friends or something). I believed her, but now, I'm not so sure. I heave out a sigh and bury my head in my hands. I honestly thought things were falling into place here and now this? Being stupid old me, I didn't bother asking Alicia for her address or number so now I haven't the slightest idea where she lives and if I don't show up--

Stop, I tell myself, Just stop.

I clench my fists until my knuckles are a sickly white and count backwards from ten.

10, 9, 8, 7...

With each number, I imagine that all my problems disappear. My pent-up anger, all those things I kept inside since what happened back home--they're all gone. At least that's what I'd like to think. But I know better. They're still there. Slowly corroding at my heart and clouding my judgment until I become an empty shell.

"Ethan?"

I look up. Vivian's running up the road toward me.

"Hi." I unclench my fists and smile.

"Thank God. I thought you left. I am so sorry." She looks relieved and kind of out of breath which is weird because she ran for, like, a minute, not even.

"Where would I go?"

She laughs. "I don't know. I'd go home and read a book. Or watch a movie. I mean, whatever beats working, right?"

"Yeah."

She smooths the blond flyaways sticking out from her low ponytail then looks up the street at her house before turning back to me. "So, I'm just going to go get my car and then we can leave?"

"Okay," I say, watching her sprint back to her house.

I pull out my phone and since I'm not in the mood for another game of Candy Crush, I plug in my earbuds and turn on Shuffle mode. I'm pretty mainstream when it comes to music. I just listen to what everyone's listening to at that moment. It gives me an illusion of normalcy; like I actually belong. Plus, it's always something upbeat and meaningless. That way, I don't have to pause and think about what the singer meant when he/she sang those lyrics. Or think about my own problems. Right now, I'm listening to Katy Perry's Birthday. It's really lame and basically just filled with a bunch of double meanings, but I still crank up the volume and close my eyes. I don't know how long I stay like this, but when Vivian comes back, she has to honk her horn 3 times to get my attention.

"Are you okay?" she asks as I slide next to her into the passenger seat. "You looked like you were unconscious."

"Nope, just tired," I force a laugh and check the time again. 1:05. "Won't Alicia mind us coming over this late?"

"I was on the phone with her and we lost track of the time," Vivian is so soft-spoken, I have to strain to hear her. I'm waiting for her to start the car when she gives me a shocked sideways look and says, "Put on your seat belt. That's dangerous." 

I do as I'm told and buckle my seat belt. She starts the engine.

So, in this chapter you were introduced to some characters briefly mentioned in chapter one:

-What did you guys think of Ethan's mini-breakdown?

-What do you think of Vivian?

-What do you think of CLAUDE? 

(vote and comment and fan if you liked this chapter!)

Next chapter is Alicia in the present :3

Amanda xo