Long Way Home (Commentary Crew)

Mood Change (Will)

 *Will's POV*

"Dinner's ready."

Naomi's loud voice rang through the small home. It was neither too high nor too low, just right to be feminine but not obnoxious. I sighed, taking out my earbuds and burying my hands into my hoodie pockets. I wasn't in the mood to go sit at the table with the family tonight, despite the massive amount of love I had for all of them. The truth was dinner had become a reminder to me that I was 21 and still living in my parents' house without any real direction. I knew where I wanted to go, sure, but I wasn't anywhere near getting there.

I wanted to be a newscaster when I was younger. I remember I used to sit at the kitchen table and point to a piece of paper hung on the wall as if I was instructing anyone who would watch on today's weather. That dream manifested itself into a desire to be a talk show or radio host as I got older and being a weatherman lost some of the excitement it held when I was young. Now, as an adult that dream remained but not as strong: something else was pushing at the back of my mind.

Mia, my best friend, had suggested it. She was cool and instagram famous. If there was anything that came even close to making me as happy as my family, it was her. I laughed at first when she suggested the career, telling her something along the lines of "I can't just get famous of my looks like you can". But that night in my room I sat and thought about it. I opened up my computer and did some research and suddenly the idea didn't seem so stupid. I felt passion like hadn't felt in a while. I felt like young little William Lenney again, pointing to the blank piece of paper on the wall, but this time there was a level of shame to it. I didn't want everyone to know of my dream. I wanted to be a youtuber.

It's with this thought that I make my way to the dinner table. I feel my family's eyes burn into me as I'm the last to reach the table. My rational mind tells me they mean nothing and they are simply watching me take my seat, but my heart tells me disappointment. My heart tells me they don't think I'll ever amount to anything and I can't seem to find the part of me that knows anything I do is enough for them at this moment.

My feelings are resolved when Alex beams at me from across the table and begins ranting at me about his day. I felt bad admitting it but Alex was probably my favorite of all my family members, if not my favorite person in general. I cared about him so much that it scared me sometimes and the thought of anything happening to him, or him doing something to himself like he had before broke my heart completely. He was my little baby brother and seeing him smiling even while he told me about how pissed some guy two grades above made him made my night entirely. I knew Alex would always accept and be there for me, and I hope he knows that feeling is returned in both directions.

"Earth to Will," James said, waving one of his massive hands in my face.

"Oi, what you need?" I replied, sounding far more pissed than I actually was.

"Pass the salt?"

An obnoxious smirk was plastered on his face and I rolled my eyes but passed him the salt shaker despite the fact that it was barely closer to me than him. I loved James too, but he was hard to handle sometimes. He put on this facade of self-confidence and I find it hard to remember that he's still young and trying to protect himself sometimes. His life isn't all that easy, none of ours are, but he's probably got it the best out of all of us. He's got tons of friends and a 4.5 GPA, constantly talking about his Ivy League dreams. I was proud of him, and he knew that, but it was hard not to feel like the carpet of his home sometimes, especially when his facial expressions seemed to be in a constant state of gloating.

"So go on with what yous were saying then," I told Alex.

"Oh, I don't even remember what I was saying, how was your day?"

I snorted at the kid's forgetfulness.

"Something about some George bloke?" I reminded him, taking a sip of my wine.

"Oh, yeah, 'e's a right dickhead. You went out with Mia today right?" He said, clearly ready to move on. I decided to let him.

Yet another smile crept onto my face as I thought of Mia and replied to Alex, "Yeah, we went to some walking place. Had me take about a million pictures of 'er and didn't keep a single one. That girl's crazy."

James laughed at that, shaking his head.

"Aria's the same way," he told us. "I swear she takes perfect pictures all the time and finds stupid reasons to get rid of them."

"Reckon it's a girl thing, that's what your mother does as well," Dad chimed in. We all laughed except for Mom.

"I do not!" She exclaimed, shooting him a glare from across the table. "I keep, like, at least one percent of them."

We all laughed and continued to eat our pot roast. The occasional conversation would begin and end quickly, and a subtle smile on everyone's face. I wasn't quite sure how the thing I had been reluctant to go to had turned my day for the better, but I was unsurprised. My family had that effect on me, and I loved all of them dearly despite the annoyances they might cause.

A/N: Thank you guys for reading, the chapters after the first three that are more so to introduce people than anything will be longer. Please leave suggestions for plot and such or any constructive criticism and vote and comment. xxx