Homebound (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 29

"I can definitely play a draw two card on top of your draw two card!" Jackson argues, pointing to the yellow card that he just played on top of Liza's. I sit back on my hands, knowing this argument is just getting started. 

Liza shakes her head and gives him a look telling him that he's an idiot. "And where are you getting that information?"

"It's just common sense," Jackson says with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Didn't you see that Uno literally released a statement that you can't stack draw two cards on top of other ones when you're playing with more than two players?" Liza argues back and I had no idea she was so into this game when I suggested we play it. By the look on Jackson's face, he didn't know either. 

"Well, who gives a fuck about what they say?"

"It's literally their game!"

"Okay, okay," I interrupt them with a chuckle because if I don't stop it now, they'll just go on forever and that's not how I want to spend the rest of our day. "it's just a game, don't get so worked up over it."

Jackson crosses his arms, shooting a glare at Liza before picking up his card in defeat. Liza smirks in satisfaction before motioning for me to play on. I roll my eyes before setting a yellow seven card on top of the pile. We continue playing until Liza ends up gaining a victory, much to Jackson's annoyance. He sighs, throwing the rest of his cards down. "If you hadn't forced me to pick up my card, I would've won, for sure."

"Whatever you say, Jax," Liza teases, scooping up the cards to shuffle them again. We all look up when there's a loud noise from inside the house, probably coming from the living room where Javi has been stationed for the past few days. I look away from the sliding doors that take you into the house, not wanting to think about my boyfriend right now.

"Has he even got up today?" Jackson whispers, mostly talking to me.

I shrug my shoulders to try and act nonchalant, even though I've been freaking out ever since Nathan told me that Javi asked him to get him drugs. "I don't know. Lukas is watching him right now."

"But how is he supposed to get better if he's just sitting on the couch without moving? Shouldn't we be forcing him to get up and-" Jackson starts, but he's interrupted by Liza setting her hand on his shoulder and shaking her head.

"We're doing everything that we can right now, okay? He's grieving and sometimes that process can take months to get through, so right now, all we're going to do is trust that Mom, Dad, and Blaine are doing the best that they can," Liza tells our youngest brother, patting his head. She glances at me for a second to give me a comforting smile.

Jackson nods, letting out a sigh. "I know, I'm just worried."

"It's okay to be worried," I tell him in a soft voice. "we're all worried and that's okay. But everything will be alright. It's just a lot for Javi right now and he needs some time to process that his grandmother will no longer be around."

"I get that, but he's not talking. He's not even talking to you," he reminds me, which sends a pang straight to my heart. Ever since Lukas placed Javi on the couch, telling him that he's not allowed to leave until he's doing better, Javi's barely said anything. Sure, he talks sometimes, but he doesn't seem interested in any of us and I guess I understand, but at the same time, it's concerning. I'm trying the hardest I can to help, staying with him for long periods of time just holding him, but I still know this will be a long road to recovery.

Liza glances at me for a second before looking back at our brother. "People grieve differently and for Javi, that just means that he wants to stay a bit quieter than usual. Eventually, he'll feel a bit better and start opening up more on what he's feeling."