White Rabbit

Chapter 65: Soulmates and Diamonds

REECE

Okay. You can do this. It can't be that hard, right? It's not like she'll say no, right? I mean, she loves me and I love her, so what's the problem?

"Reece!" Essence shouts as she stands a few feet in front of me in the busy market, her expression a mixture of amusement and confusion as she holds the tan woven basket in her hands, "are you coming?"

"Yeah," I shake my head, smiling, "yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Essence asks as she walks beside me and I reach for her empty hand, intertwining our fingers together as we walk side by side.

"I was just thinking how happy my mom'll be to see you," I smile at her and she squeezes my hand gently, smiling back at me.

"Well, I can't wait to see her again either," Essence says, looking back at the market stalls and scanning them down, "but we should probably hurry over there soon. Somebody might recognize us from the news reports and start asking us a bunch of questions. Not that I'd mind much, but I just want to be alone with you."

"Me too," I nod, my lips curving up into a sly smile, "let's go. We only need some more produce and then we can head over."

Essence nods and the two of us head over to one of the fresh produce booths, picking up the necessary groceries for my mom before leaving the market. The two of us walk to my house in a comforting silence, our hands still together and swinging slightly as we walk, each of us holding a grocery bag in our free hands. Upon reaching my house, I begin to hear shouting as we stand outside my front porch and Essence and I glance at each other, worry etched onto her face and anger on mine. I hastily run up the porch stairs with Essence and open the front door, swiftly walking inside to find Ryan arguing with my mother in the kitchen.

"Dad," I grit out through my teeth and place my grocery bag down on the ground by the kitchen doorway as Essence cautiously places hers down next to mine, her eyes flickering between my parents and me, "what the hell do you want?"

"You don't get to talk to me that way," he snorts, whirling around to face me with a bottle of whiskey in his other hand, "and I'm assuming you're the one who got rid of all my booze."

"That's right," I snarl, taking a step forwards, "I got rid of all of your damn alcohol. I figured you'd come across more, and I was obviously right, but I figured hey, why not? What're you gonna do about it? Hit me? You know I don't give a shit how you treat me. You don't belong in this household."

"Reece--" my mother starts, worry and anxiety evident in her voice and on her face.

"I bring all of the money into this household," Ryan sneers, "your mother's job is pathetic and brings in barely enough money to get by. And what about you? All you do is cause problems. I'm starting to think that your brother actually is better off dead."

"You take that back," I seethe out, my hands clenching into fists as I take several more steps forwards, "Midnight was more than you'll ever be!"

"Is that why he always depended on you and when he finally tried to do something himself, he got killed? Hm?" Ryan raises his eyebrows and leans forwards slightly, a sly smirk crawling up his face, "well, is it? Because that seems really pathe--"

"Shut up!" Essence shouts from behind me and surprises everyone in the room, "just shut the hell up!"

Essence marches forwards and pokes her finger into his chest, my breath hitching as I watch the scene in front of me.

"You have no right to talk to Reece like that. You may be his father, but you don't even know him. And being his father doesn't justify for you to treat him like shit either. That goes the same for his mother and bashing his brother's memory. Which, first of all, what is wrong with you? That was your child. Your dead child. Shame on you, you pathetic piece of space," Essence snaps.