„Honestly, that was all. Next time you shouldn't get so hammered." I explain for the tenth time what has happened to Tony but for some reason she doesn't let me off the hook.
I was still shook by seeing those marks on his hips and lower back. Is he into whipping? Or did he get in a fight?
„Dude, I'm sorry, won't happen again." she apologizes and I get pulled back to here and now.
„Why was Zayn even there?" I suddenly question, „At the party, I mean."
„Seb and him are besties."
„Really?"
„Yeah, why?"
„Didn't seem like it." I reply.
„Oh, because Seb left you two alone after he saw you." she's way too observant, „they had a similar story once with wanting the same girl." she shrugs, „Don't take it personal."
„Zayn doesn't want me." I argue, she's really seeing things that aren't there.
She smirks, yet ignores my remarks, „Anyway, what happened at his house?"
„What?" I retort just as confused, she throws me a knowing stare. „His parents came by." I hope this suffices as an answer.
„shït." she seethed, looking into nothing as if she recalls something. I guess it really is enough of an answer, and I'm confused so I give her a questioning look and she continued, „did anything happen? Like did they say anything?" she probes.
I shrug, „They caught him drunk and high, what about it?" I thought they were just as every other over protective parents, come to think of it I would have reacted the same if my kid would be doing drugs. The only thing that wasn't explanatory was the hatred he seemed to have for his father and it looked like the feeling was mutual.
„Oh no." she barely says.
„What? Tony, what? You're scaring me." I shake her arm slightly because she's just fading out on me with a distant look in her eyes.
She frowns then, „I've just heard real bad things about his relationship with his parents, like real messed up stuff."
So atop the struggles he has with his fame, there's this issue too. I knew it. I knew there was something off.
„What do you mean?" I calmly ask. For some reason I want to know it all.
„That they never really took care of him, kicked him out when he was sixteen, even if he never admits it. I've seen that once when he wanted to go and live with his mom, she'd coldly stated that her house wasn't decorated to be having another person to be living there."
I've been hanging on every word, „That's awful." I distastefully said. How can a mother treat her son like she was his roommate? I'm not sure why I was having these harsh feelings on me. Somehow it changes how I view him even more. „How do you know all this stuff?"
„Mat." she simply said, „but I witnessed the last one by myself." she exclaims, „And that's not all of it."
„That's enough." I didn't feel like this is the right way to find out. She knowingly nods.
„I feel like I should check up on him." she concernedly said, „He tends to do stupid stuff-„ she catches herself and then just stands up and gets her phone.
My gaze falls on the clock, instantly I shoot up, „Shït, shït, shït!" I squeal out, Tony sees me running around like I'm aloof, „I'm late for work." I rush into the bathroom.
•••
Luckily my boss hadn't been home when I came in for gardening so he wouldn't really know that I had been 45 minutes late.
