Living For Tomorrow

CHAPTER 4

JAHRAE

As I park my car in the garage of my house, I couldn't help but shudder at the sight of my dad's van mocking me in the driveway.

This is gonna be one hell of a shit show I think to myself as I exit the car and enter into my house through the adjoined door leading into the kitchen.

The first thing I see is my mom, and to say the least, she looks like the moment she lays here eyes on me I'd be six feet under shaking hands with the devil. For a second I think about slipping past her and going up the stairs but the thought leaves as soon as it comes because my mom turns around and without hesitation,lunges an oven mitt at me.

"Where on earth have you been Jahrae, first you don't answer my call when I tried to tell you about Grace nor the 99 calls after that, then I'm blessed with a call from Grace's parents asking that my son is kept away from the hospital and from their family!!" she screams at me "What the hell did you do Jahrae!!".

"They really asked me to stay away" I laughed in amusement,"I gotta be there to see the look on there faces when they find out we own the joint", I brace myself as the second oven mitt comes flying towards me.

Expressing a sigh of defeat my mom walks up to me and engulfs me in a hug, "Don't ever scare me like that again, I don't like when I have to shout at you or anyone for that matter. I'm too soft and you know it."

Its the truth my mom doesn't have a bad bone in her body, I guess that's why her and my dad make such a good pair.

Speaking of the devil my dad makes his presence known as he walks into the kitchen looking at me with the same look of disappointment I've had to deal with ever since I could remember."Don't make this a habit Jahrae the next time something like this happens it won't just be the oven mitts you have to worry about" he states as he walks toward us giving my mom a kiss on her forehead.

Sometimes I find it hard to see how the same man that's currently asking my mom about her day and intently listening to her as if hearing about her washing the dishes is equivalent to the story of The Great OZ, could some how be the same man that smashed my guitar into pieces when I told him I wanted to study music.

Good thing my hobbies now include going places where I don't belong and doing all the things my dad wishes I didn't do.

Leaving my parents to be I rush up the stairs into my room and collapse onto my bed "Thank God it's Friday".

Sitting up against the headboard of the bed I start to check my Instagram feed hoping to see something that takes my mind off of the mess I call my life.

Tapping my way through countless Instagram stories I come across Brian's story displaying a video of him taking 5 shots in a row, I reply to his story saying "I bet I could do twice as much, thats 10 btw I know you're not good at math".

He immediately replies with a picture of him flipping me off with the caption, "Why don't you come and prove it."

I contemplate risking getting my parents mad at me again but that just ended in a simple "Fuck it". I head towards my window and climb down the attached ladder that has been there since I was 11. Alexis and I had our parents build ladders leading in and out of eachothers room because why not.

Hopping off the ladder, I decide on taking a cab because I prefer not to alert my parents that I'm leaving due to the loud sound of me starting the engine of my Porsche. I think I've suffered enough oven mitt bruises for one night.