A Reason To Love

Ch. 8

WILL"S POV**

Leaving Cameron's house I rev up the engine of my bike letting it roar to life. My brother texted saying that dad is drunk again...and it's worse than it's ever been. I am not sure how that is possible but I can't let my brother deal with him alone. He is younger and more fragile than I am. He won't stand up for himself. He would stand there and let our dad release his wrath rather than fight back.

The drive home goes by in a blur mainly because my brain was going a million miles an hour.  Thoughts of Cameron flood my mind along with images of what I was driving home to whirl around my brain. I parked my bike in the driveway and jump off of it before kicking the kickstand down. Our house on the outside is just another house on the south-side. Our street is full of old wooden one story houses that all need some panels replaced and a fresh coat of paint. 

From inside the house I hear glass shatter making me quicken my pace. I am so not in the mood for this shit today. Who am I kidding I am never in the mood for it yet it just lands in my lap somehow anyways. 

Yanking open the front door the scene in front of me floors me. My dad has my brother pinned against the wall by his neck. He has never put his hands on Tucker before, me yes but my brother no. There were broken picture frames, vases, and table top decorations all over the living room. Tucker is frozen in place his eyes begging me to help, to do something. 

"This is all your fault!" Our dad yells slurring his words as he gestured towards the broken shit all over our living room. Springing into action I close the distance between them and myself. Using all of my might I grab my dads arms and yank them off of my brothers neck, he slides down to the floor coughing trying to refill his lungs with air. My anger is at an all time high.

"Oh look my other lovely son is home, how wonderful." My dads head bobbled as he struggled to hold it upright. His body swaying side to side the effects of the alcohol taking over weakening him. 

"Don't blame him for the mess that you made!" I feel anger taking over every fiber of my being. This is too far. I can handle him drinking. I can even handle him breaking the shit in our house but what I can't handle is him hurting my little brother. 

"That I made?" My dad laughs sarcastically throwing his head backwards going dead weight in my arms. 

"Look we get it you miss mom! We miss her too! But this shit isn't healthy! You need fucking help! You are only killing yourself. Is that what you want? How would mom feel knowing that you are fucking drinking yourself away? That you can't even hold a job because you spend all day fucked up? How would she feel that you put your hands on her sons? You think she would like that? Look do what you want, drink all you want hell you can burn this house to the ground for all I give a fuck but if you ever and I mean ever put your hands on him again, he will be the last thing you fucking touch before I break every single one of your goddamn fingers." Every word I say to him causes him to flinch as if my words had somehow hurt him. Before I shove him out of my arms watching him fall to the ground. 

Maybe I was a little harsh on him but the anger I felt, totally made it feel justified. 

"Whatever." I watched as my dad struggle to get off the ground then stumble to his room and slammed the door shut. 

"Are you okay?" I turned around and crouched down in front of my brother who was in shock. He was still sitting in the same place he was the second our father let him go. 

"Yeah I am fine. Thanks man." Tears welled in his eyes. Fuck I hate seeing people cry. Especially people I care about. It pulls at my heart in the worst possible way. 

"You don't need to thank me. I will always be here when you need me. Go take a shower and get some rest. I will clean up in here." He looks like he wants to argue but I give him a look that warns him not to so he rose to his feet and started walking towards the hallway towards the bathroom before stopping and turned his body towards me sadness still swimming in his golden eyes. 

"Thank you again Will." He thanks me once again before walking down the hallway. I hear the bathroom door open and close. I let out a breath of air that I didn't realize I was holding. When did life get so fucked up? Why is my dad a drunk piece of shit? 

"Fuck." I mumble to myself as I started to pick up the pictures that my dad broke. They were the last family photo we had taken before my mom died. The last time my family ever felt like a family. She was the glue that held us all together now we are just broken pieces of what used to be. 

I grabbed the broom and dust pan and started to sweep away the shards of glass my mind going to Cameron. The girl invades all of my thoughts and usually I force them away but now I welcomed them wanting a distraction from my own life. She is so unlike any other girl I have ever met. She doesn't throw herself at me and that alone draws me to her. I couldn't help but wonder how she is going to react to losing her dad, who doesn't even act like he is sick. He looks like he is but his attitude towards life seems so unfazed. Like he doesn't want to let the little bit of time he has left be controlled by the cancer.  

We all are dealt a deck of cards, some get a better hand than others. Cameron and I both dealt the same hand as far as having a parent with cancer goes and that just makes me want to make her smile even more.