Back To Our Roots, Book One

CXVI. Sometimes You Just Need A Hug

The door was already unlocked when Jeff, Nick and Sebastian went back to their dorm, telling them Thad was already in there.

Jeff pushed open the door, looking over to the armchair in the corner of the room. However, it was empty. On the floor, half behind it and in the real corner of the room, was Thad. His knees were pulled up to his chest, arms hugging them, and his face was buried in them.

Most noticeably, he didn't even have a book. He was just sitting there, shaking. His mind seemed to be preoccupied.

The door opened, startling us. All three of us were already home. We rushed to the door.

"Thad?" Jeff asked gently.

A beautiful woman, bearing resemblance to both me and Ryan, stepped into the threshold. I couldn't believe my eyes. Mom was back.

"Are you okay?"

She looked over at us and smiled, placing a hand over her heart. "Ryan, you're so big now. And–"

"Thad?"

Her expression stopped cold, and she looked back to dad. "Where's my daughter?"
I cleared my throat. Surely she was simply confused. "Um, son, actually."

"What happened?"

"S–? No. No, I have one son and a beautiful daughter. She'd never do that." Her expression of disgust was enough. The back of my eyes burned.
"She didn't. He did. Mom, it is me–"
"Don't call me that. You– you're not my child. I have a son and a daughter."

"Thad, you're shaking."

"Honey, he is your son. Ex-daughter. You were gone a long time," my dad tried. My heart lightened before my mom took it crashing back down.
"No. No, you're trying to trick me. This– this is not my child."
"Mom, you're just in shock," Ryan said. "Just take a minute."
"I don't need a minute! You– you are my son, this is not! Where is my daughter?"

"Thad?"

I couldn't handle this. Years I'd been waiting for her to come back, only for this? "Your daughter is gone. You have two sons. Take it or leave it."
"I do not have two sons!" she shrieked.
I swallowed, forcing my tears back. "I'll be leaving, then. Since I'm not wanted."

"Thad, please talk to us."

I could hear them calling after me but I ignored it. I shoved on my shoes in seconds, and was out the door before they could stop me. Tears streaming down my face, I ran. I ran as far away as I could get.
I ran to Dalton.

"Thad, p–" Thad was jerked out of his trance by Jeff's hand on his shoulder. He jumped, startled, and looked up– something he immediately regretted.

Jeff gasped softly. "Thad, were you crying?" he asked softly, wiping one of the boy's tears away.

He let out a weak sob. "Maybe." Thad pulled himself up, seeing that the others were there too.

They'd never seen him cry and not hide it before. He always curled up with a book and pretended everything was fine.

"What happened?"

"My mom's back," Thad whispered. "She's back, and she demands to know where her– her daughter is. She refuses to accept that she– she has two sons."

Jeff's eyes widened. "Thad..." He moved as if to hug him, but remembered Thad didn't like hugs.

However, to everyone's surprise, Thad saw the motion and hugged Jeff, face buried in his shoulder. Jeff hugged back tightly, rubbing circles in his back while he sobbed.

They'd never seen him break down like this before.