Look After You

Chapter 20

The next morning Xander had eaten breakfast with Nolan and his family before heading home. Nolan had told him he could stay the whole day and even spend the night again so they could walk to school together in the morning, but Xander had reclined.

He pulls his hat over his head and smiles over at Nolan. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then," he promises.

Nolan nods and smiles at him. "Okay, just... Text me if you need anything," He says.

Xander nods. "I will. Bye, Nolan."

Nolan smiles. "Bye."

Xander smiles a bit before heading out the front door and walking down the steps. He wa nervous to go home, but he knew he had to. By now his siblings would most likely be home and even if they weren't he knew he had to check up on his mom. He was scared to see what his dad might have done to her once he came back. He was hoping that maybe he had gotten luckily and his dad hadn't came home that night, but he was about to find out. He walks up the steps to his own house and walks inside. It was quiet inside which was most likely because it was only nine and most of the time everyone slept at least past ten. He took a step in and closed the door behind him.

On the floor in front of him was his dad. He had a beer bottle next to him, but it was now tipped over and the little remains that was left was now laying in a puddle next to his head. Xander had to resist the urge to kick him right in the face. "Prick," he mutters at him before stepping over his passed out body and making his way to his mom's room. Much to his surprise he saw her awake.

Lauren was sitting up in her bed staring down into a magazine. "Mom?" He whispers. Lauren looks up and that was when Xander could see how tired she really looked. Her eyes had dark circles, but not only that. He could see a dark bruise circling her left eye and he couldn't help but feel like it was his fault. He should have known not to leave home. Sure he was bruised and beaten and scared, but so was his mom. He felt selfish and irresponsible for leaving his mom behind as a punching bag for his dad because with him gone she was the only thing left for him to take his anger out on.

She smiles tiredly. "Hey, sweetie, come here," she says. Xander returns the tired smile and sits down on the edge of her bed. "How are you?"

He shrugs. "I'm okay. What about you though?" He asks and gestures toward the bruise on her eye.

She sighs softly and shakes her head. "I'm okay." It was clear that she wasn't but she wasn't going to tell her son that. Last night she had screamed and yelled at Richard for hitting Xander and that ended with her getting screamed and yelled at right back. He had slapped her in the middle of his screaming and it was so powerful that it left her with a bruised eye that had been throbbing all day.

Xander may have believed her if it wasn't for the bottle of pills next to her on the nightstand. He knew for a fact that they weren't there before he left. He had spent an hour with Jeremy cleaning all of the pills and needles from their moms room until there was nothing left.

"Then why are those there?" He asks, pointing to the bottle.

She glances at them momentarily before sighing. "I know... I swear I didn't take any but I considered it. It's just a lot with your dad sometimes," she mumbles.

"Well I'm flushing them," he says sternly. Xander stands up off the bed and grabs them. He makes his way to the small, joint bathroom and dumps them all into the toilet. "Have you left your room at all today yet or last night?" He asks. Xander flushes the toilet before going back to her bed and sitting.

"No, your dad has been home all day and I haven't been in the mood to deal with him today," she admits.

Xander nods. "Okay, do you want something to eat or anything?"