Hot Chocolate || Malcolm Wilkerson ✔

Chapter 6

Just as Malcolm had suspected, while driving to his parents house with Chelsea he begins to regret the decision. It's very likely that this is going to be a bad idea, and he just wants to turn his car around and go straight back home. Only problem is that it would be a serious waste of gas if they were to turn around. Especially when they're already over halfway there.

At least Chelsea still seems interested in meeting his family and spending Christmas with them. He really likes Chelsea so he doesn't want to disappoint her by turning around and going back to his apartment, no matter how much his brain is screaming at him to do so.

Spending Christmas with his family wasn't something he wanted to do, he knew it was just the alcohol talking last night. But here he is, heading off to his parents house for Christmas with Chelsea. At least he's got Chelsea with him and he's not just going there alone.

However he does still feel a little homesick, and he does miss his family, he knows that much hasn't changed since last night. But he's not one hundred percent sure he can go though this. Especially not alone, so Chelsea being there with him will definitely bring some comfort.

He's not surprised in the least that he's afraid to face his family again after not seeing them in months. At least if anything happens, then he and Chelsea can just leave and head on back to his apartment. They had both agreed on that before they had left.

"You okay?" Chelsea asks, distracting Malcolm away from his thoughts.

He turns to look at her, shaking his head. "I'm not sure this is a good idea." He admits. "Are you sure you want to meet my family?"

"I'm sure." Chelsea says. "And, if you want to turn around, then we can. I won't force you into doing anything you don't want to do."

He appreciates that, he really does, but it's a bit late to turn back now. "I'll be fine." He says, shaking his head. "I'm just scared to face them all I guess." He sighs. "I haven't seen them all in so long, and I had reserved myself to keep it that way for as long as I can."

Even if he had planned to never see his family at all, he knew that that plan would crumble eventually. He just hoped that it would've lasted longer than it has.

Chelsea sighs. "At least I'll be there with you so you won't be doing this by yourself." She sends him a smile.

"That's another thing." He sighs. "I don't know how they'll react to me bringing you with me - my mom especially."

He's got a bad feeling that his mother isn't going to react very well with him bringing Chelsea with him, especially with no prior warning.

Unless I'm just overreacting, and being a total idiot about it all.

Maybe he is just being paranoid and everything will be fine. It's not like he and Chelsea are dating and he isn't bringing her home with him as his girlfriend or wife. He's just bringing Chelsea with him as a friend, so maybe things won't turn out too bad?

Who am I kidding, it's mom. Of course she won't react well to it.

He just hopes he's wrong about that....

"Also I think my grandmother will be there." He sighs. He really doesn't want to have to deal with her on top of spending Christmas with his family. "And fair warning if she is there, she's pure evil, and the only reason she's even still alive is to make all our lives miserable."

With any luck his grandmother won't be there after all. But he had heard on one of the voicemails his mother sent him that she'll be there, so it's not looking very likely that she won't be there. Though if he remembers correctly, he thinks in the voicemail his mother had said that this is likely to be his grandmother's last Christmas, so she wants the whole family there for it.

I'm starting to hope it will be her last Christmas.... At least I won't have to see her at Christmas again next year if it will really be her last Christmas.

He knows that's a terrible thing to say about his grandmother, but with a grandmother as bad as his, it's excused. Or, he feels as though it's excused at least....

"You can't really mean that about your grandmother, can you?" Chelsea asks, surprised to hear Malcolm talk about his grandmother like that.

Malcolm huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. "You've never met her." He says, looking over at her before turning his attention back to the road. "Just wait until you meet her, then you'll understand."

******

As soon as Malcolm pulls up in front of his parents house, he sighs. Everything is exactly how it looked when he still lived at home. Not that he expected it to change very much in the two years since he's lived there.

His parents are too interested in sex than they are cleaning up the house to make it look nicer. Which explains why the house and everything they've ever owned is crap, and why he's got five siblings. His parents can't keep their hands off each other.

"Welcome to the Wilkerson house." Malcolm says, turning to Chelsea, who looks surprised to discover how poor condition the house and front yard is. "I know, it's crap." He says. "Just wait until you see the inside."

The inside where his family is, all of them with no knowledge of the fact that he's decided to show up after all.

"It doesn't look that bad." Chelsea says. She wasn't expecting a big flash house, though, she wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting really. "And I wouldn't say it's crap, just small. Though the front yard definitely needs some attention."

"Trust me, nothing's ever going to be done to the front yard or the backyard while my parents still live here." He says. "It's been like that for years."

He doesn't even remember when the front yard actually had grass that wasn't dead or vegetation that's more alive than it is now. Well, maybe only once before, but that literally only lasted a week or two at the most, then it was back to dead grass and barely alive vegetation.

"The house is also much smaller on the inside." He adds. "Only two bedrooms, so my brothers and I had to all share a room. I never even had my own bedroom let alone my own bed until I left for college."

"And I thought my family was poor." Chelsea comments.

Malcolm looks over at Chelsea, before looking over towards the house. He's afraid of what will happen as soon as they walk through those doors. Afraid of how his parents - most his mother - will react to him bringing Chelsea with him. But now that they're here, they've got to go up there.

"Time to face the devil." Malcolm sighs, getting ready to exit the car, and finding Chelsea doing the exact same thing. Though she doesn't seem as nervous as he is.

They walk up the the grass towards the house, Chelsea sticking close to Malcolm's side as some form of moral support, which he greatly appreciates. If she wasn't here with him right now, he's not so sure he'd have the guts to face his family right now.

Taking a deep breath, Malcolm knocks on the door and waits for either his mom or dad tp answer the door, or even one of his brothers. Chelsea stands off to the side, out of sight so whoever opens the door won't be able to see her.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually the door opens, and Malcolm finds himself face to face with his mother, who looks surprised to see that he's actually shown up.

Malcolm knew that it would be his mother to answer the door rather than his father or one of his brothers, or even his baby sister....

"Malcolm." His mother, Lois, says, surprised to see Malcolm standing there in front of her.

Malcolm smiles a little, suddenly feeling small as his mother looks him up and down. Her eyes lingering a little longer on his hair that's much longer than usual and desperately needs to be cut.

"Hi mom...."