The Gap Year Chronicles

Chapter 2: Back to the Good Times

Jake swung the door open and stood still. Not making eye contact with Harri.

"Alright."
"Yep. Yeah. Fine.... heard dads not happy...ha"
"Never is though is he? Ever since he chucked mum out.."

The house went quite.

For the past two years, the tension in the house had grown and grown. Jake had become much more distant from Harri, he didn't think he had done much wrong. But then Jake shutting himself away from people was normal now, he guessed.

"Jacob! If you don't get your behind down here this second you will not leave that room for a long time!"
He rolled his eyes. As if being called by him raising his voice would scare him.
Jake was bored of listening to his "dad" over and over. He was like a broken record.

And a shit one at that.

"Jaco-"
"Dad! Jake's obviously feeling rough. It's late. Let's just...."
"Is that makeup?"

A silence fell. A rush of terror came over Harri as he realised he had moved in view of his dad in his moment of defence.
His face turned hot. His cheeks became fires.

He was such an idiot sometimes.

"Wha- no. I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Harrison. Is. That. Makeup."
"I-"

Harri looked at Jake.
Jake looked at the floor. He was already in deep shit with dad.
Harri looked back to his dad; he had gone white, his knuckles even paler clutching to the stairway banister in his rage.

"I've had it with you two. Why can't you just blend in. Life's so much easier that way. Take it from me."

Another silence fell.
It was a normal thing at the minute.
It never used to be. Before mum left, the house seemed a lot less on edge, even with her issues.

Now the insults were hurled at Jake and Harri, even if they did anything horrendously bad or just a toe out of line.
He always seemed to be constantly pissed off, and nothing seemed to make him chill.

Their dad took a step back and a loud exhale, pinning his fingers to his node bridge.
Jake grabbed a bag and started shoving things into it: boxers, phone charger, spare t-shirt.
Oh.
That only meant one thing.

"Are you going to Cam's", Harri muttered under his breathe.
"Yeah. And I don't plan on coming back here for awhile. So if you wanna come..."
"No.... I-", Harri looked away.

Jake looked up at him in desperation.
Jake often slept at Cameron's now which put Harri in an awkward position. He didn't want to stay in this unaccepting, dull place but he was too scared to be as rebellious and rule breaking as Jake. There's no way he could go with him. Not tonight. He would need a few days of mental preparation at least.

Besides, it always baffled Harri how Cam always let Jake stay, he was constantly dropping shifts to him and wasn't his so called "best mate" anymore. But hey. Harri couldn't  judge when he couldn't grow a pair to stand up to his dad.

"Suit yourself. Text me if you need me but I'm not answering to dad."
Jake proceeded to nod at Harri (his way of saying hello or goodbye - had always been) and opened the window.

The window had always had a loud squeak and you could hear it throughout the house. That's why dad never oiled it.
His only way of keeping control over them. Over Jake. But to be honest, he never did much to stop him.