Only Once

Chapter Twenty-One: Thunder

 Chapter Twenty-One: Thunder

Erika could hear them going at it again. Like the thunderstorm that was happening outside, the booming sounds of her parents arguing could be heard from the downstairs. One after another, they were hurling insults and shouts at each other.

Heaving out a deep, angry sigh, she grabbed her pillow and squashed it on her head at a fruitless amount to block out the noise. They were so annoying. That was really the only word she could describe them with that wasn’t inappropriate.

“You good for nothing cheap asshole!” she could hear her mother screaming. “I regret the day I ever laid eyes on you.”

Her dad’s voice was inaudible, in fact it usually was, but Erika was sure that he too was retorting with something equally rude.

“Hawaii my ass!” her mother screamed again. “I am not going!”

Groaning and realizing there was no way to tune out their cumbersome bickering, Erika decided to pay a visit to her brother. Climbing out of her warm bed, she tiptoed her way out of the room. Proceeding down the hall and letting her toes sink into the plush and warm carpet, she paused for a moment at her sister’s room and stared at it.

Diana’s room door was closed and there was no light coming from beneath the door indicating that she was either sleeping or, at least, trying to. After all, with the commotion their parents had going on it would’ve been a real shock if anyone managed to get any sleep.

Biting her bottom lip, Erika then wondered if she should enter and check up on her. Recently, things hadn’t been going too well for the eldest Russo child. In fact, just earlier on that day, Bruce had been over and requested for a clean break. He’d told Diana they apparently needed some time apart and that nothing was permanent. That would have been somewhat reasonable and understandable except for the fact that none of them were sure what exactly he meant by the nothing being permanent part: the relationship or the break.

Nonetheless, before he’d left the Russo house, Bruce had spotted Erika seated by the windowsill and spoken to her for a bit. He’d told her that he still loved Diana and that this was all ‘for the better’. However, once again, Erika wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not as Bruce had been avoiding eye contact the entire time he spoke, instead fixing his eyes on the marble floors. To add on, he seemed rushed and was acting like he wasn’t going to see any of the time for a long, long time.

Long story short, it was weird.

Still contemplating what she should do, Erika leaned closer towards her sister’s door and pressed her ear against it. She immediately, however, took a step back when she heard a little moan or sob. Knowing that the last thing she wanted to deal with was tears and comforting anyone, Erika walked past Diana’s room and instead went to Luka’s.

Not bothering to knock, she threw the door open and entered to find her brother reading some book by candlelight.

“What the heck, Luka?” Erika inquired, wrinkling her nose. “What’s up with the lighting?” 

Luka put the book down away from his face and peered at his sister. Except he didn’t have his glasses on and, being blind as a bat, had to squint to try to see her.

Giggling a little and pushing her own glasses up her nose –bad eyes ran in their family –Erika cocked her head to the side and studied her brother. Like everyone else in the Russo family, he was actually rather good looking.  Now that he wasn’t wearing his regular dorky clothes and even dorkier glasses, she couldn’t help but notice how he was looking pretty good with his slightly outgrown blonde curls looking messier than ever and his pretty blue eyes squinted. He almost looked like some innocent and naïve farm boy who would speak in a southern drawl.