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The sound of screaming and cursing drifting through the breeze. The sound of items being thrown and shattering. The only consistency in Brooke's life. With the exception of James, of course. He had been a constant in her life for as long as she could remember.
Whenever nights like this one occurred (which was rather often these days), Brooke found herself wondering, why? Out of every shitty stereotype, why this one? I could've been an orphan and go on some magical adventure like Harry Potter. I could've been a demon hunter like Sam and Dean Winchester. But no, I have to get the fighting parents who act like I'm clueless. Like I'm deaf and can't hear their cries and screams.
She would sit up and listen to their screams, too scared to fall asleep. Her parents wouldn't use physical violence against one another. at least, not usually. For the most part, they would just yell, blaming the other for their problems, and on the worse nights, blame Brooke for just about everything. That was something both her parents seemed to agree on when alcohol was coursing through their veins.
When morning would come, they would treat Brooke well. They never mentioned the events of the night before. When they went out in public, the four of them (she had a little brother who almost always slept through the fights) seemed like the perfect happy family. Well, perhaps not perfect, but pretty close to it. The only person who knew about these nights other than Brooke (and her family, obviously) was James.
Brooke has told James about this during the early days, when she would pretend like her parent's fights weren't happening. They had only been around 5 years old at the time, so it was prior to the incident. Her parents had now been going at it for over a decade, with it only getting worse. When the nights got really bad, she would think about James. He had always been able to help her through anything, and the fights were no exception.
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James and Brooke laid in the grass of the latter's backyard, staring up at the clouds. The two five year olds both had much on their mind, but they treasured this peaceful moment, as they both knew they wouldn't have many more. The pair would be starting year one in a week and their parents had warned them their usual schedules would change.
The though𝐭 of not spending as much time with the other concerned the both of them, as they had known each other for as long as they could remember. 𝐀fter a few more minutes of cloud gazing, Brooke decided to break the silence.
"James, do your parents love each other?" She decided to start off somewhat slow, slightly scared to tell her best friend about what had been happening at home the past few weeks.
"I guess they do. They both seem pretty happy when they're together." He decided not to tell Brooke the whole truth. It was the first time he had lied to her and it wouldn't be the last. He decided to keep his mother'𝐬 late night crying to himself.
