Settle Down (Matt Espinosa)

Ch. 47

"you see her when you close your eyes, maybe one day youll understand why, everything you touch only dies"

MATT'S POV

I shouldn't have been surprised when my flight landed, that mom had sent one of her friends to pick me up. Why should she be burdened to go out of her way and get her son from the airport? It's not like she sent him back here or anything.

"Hello Matthew! Long time, no see!"  Her friend, Kelly sang as she grabbed one of my carry-ons and began to walk towards the exit.

I only took two small suitcases and a sackpack with me, I don't need much for just little over a week.

"Hi," I grumbled, following her out to the car. "So why exactly couldn't mom pick me up?"

Kelly laughed a little before finding her car and unlocking it, sliding into the driver's seat. "That's a secret!"

I rolled my eyes and chucked my backs in the backseat, slamming the door as I got in.

"Hey, I know this probably isn't what you want to be doing right now. But please don't take it out on me," She said softly.

I didn't say another word to her, not even after I was dropped off. This place puts me in such a bad mood. One I was finally starting to get out of. 

As I slowly walked up to the large house I used to call home, my thoughts drifted back to Madison. Were her and Lexi doing okay? Has Gage come back for them? Did she miss me?

I hope she didn't. It sucks missing people and she's already gone through that too many times.

I hope she hated my guts. We never really talked like we used to, we never kissed again. We never even hugged. It wouldn't be hard to hate me. After everything I'd done to her, I'd hate me too.

I pulled my keys out of my pocket, hoping mom hadn't changed the locks on me while I was away. I unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open. 

Waiting on the other side for me were balloons and banners everywhere. In the middle of the two staircases was one main banner that read "Welcome back Matty!" and standing underneath it were my parents, looking at me with a smile spread across both their faces.

I hated being called Matty.

And I hated them.

"Welcome back honey!" Mom screeched as she ran forward to hug me. I kept my arms by my side as she hugged my torso. 

She frowned as she pulled away, but stepped aside so my father was in a line of vision.

I expected thousands of emotions to run through me; anger, hurt, regret, hope, forgiveness, tolerance, but all I felt was empty.

He didn't even look the same. I remembered him as a well cut, polished, formal man with sleek dark hair. Of course, any signs of etiquette went out the window once he found out what gambling and drugs felt like. But the man standing in front of me, his hair almost completely greyed over, a beard complete with a mustache, he was not my father.

My father has been gone since the day he came home high with cocaine powder stuck on his face.

"Hello, son." He said, offering a smile.

I stared back at him for a few seconds, letting the tension in the room accumulate even more before speaking. 

"You don't have a son."