𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭; byler

- 17 -

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WORD COUNT: 1386

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-trigger warning-

JOYCE SAT ON one of the couches with a sigh. 

She took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, removed one of them and lit it with shaking hands. She took a deep breath of the toxic thing, and exhaled the smoke as she slumped down further.

Mike sat on the couch across from her, far enough that he wouldn't have to breathe in the bad smelling smoke. He hated the smell of cigarettes. 

He waited silently, inspecting Joyce's face. She sucked on the cigarette, and finally started talking.

"I probably shouldn't even be telling you this," She sighed, and for a moment Mike thought she was regretting it but then she started up again.

"Will's father was a bad guy. I won't go into too much details, but he wasn't the kind of husband I ever wanted, and much less the father I wanted for my kids. He would drink, he would yell, sometimes it went further than that. The years he was here were the worst ones of my life. I wanted to divorce him, but I needed his paycheck to support Will's brother- he was very young. "

She took a lung-full of smoke, like the cigarette was providing her oxygen she needed to survive.

"This whole house was under a reign of terror, but I had a plan, an amount of money saved on the side secretly so I could take Jonathan and move away.

 It took a while, but finally I had enough to leave- and that's when I got pregnant with Will."

"I couldn't leave with a toddler and another baby on the way. I would never be able to both take care of them and make enough for a living, I thought. I was sure I had to stay- or at least, that's what I told myself.

I was probably just scared of starting over: But now I regret that decision with all my heart. Even if we had to live in the tiniest apartment in the worst place in the world, it would've been better."

She stared out with glossy eyes, seemingly looking through Mike. 

She seemed to have forgotten his presence, and was talking fast and urgently. Mike wondered when, if ever, she was able to tell her story to anyone. He stayed very still, gulping her words (horrible as they were) eagerly.

"Will was the smallest, sweetest thing ever. He would never cry, sleep through almost every night. The perfect baby. His brother fall in love with him from the moment he was born, and would walk around the house with me as I held Will to always be close to his baby brother. They were best friends instantly." She smiled a nostalgic smile, but it ceased to exist before it was really even made.

"Lonnie, Will's father... He didn't want Will. He didn't want another kid, when he could barely stand Jonathan. And he really really hated Will for some reason.

I was scared for Will's life, I quit my job and stayed as close to my babies as possible. I vowed I would never let him hurt my kids again, ever. I vowed Will would never be hurt by that horrible horrible man. Lonnie, he- he wasn't happy with that. But I didn't care, I took whatever he did to me in silence. It was worth it if it meant my kids were safe"