Cracks

A lasting impression- Dylan's POV

Dylan's POV-

"Dilly?!" I heard Scotty's little voice sniffle panickedly as soon as I walked into the house. "Oh Dilly!" He exclaimed as he ran up to me and threw his arms around me as if he hadn't seen me in ages.

"Scott?" I asked softly as I comforted him.

"I got home, and you weren't here!" He cried.

"It's okay, Scotty. It's okay!" I said as I cradled him carefully. "I'm here now, Scott," I sighed as he started to calm down a bit.

"Daddy left a-and I... I thought you did too," he finally admitted with a whimper.

"I'm not going anywhere, Scott. I won't leave you," I reassured him.

"Dylan," he sniffled with a serious voice. "Wh-what's happening with our family? Is daddy coming home? Is mommy still sick? I miss them!" He sobbed sadly.

His little voice was so broken, and it made me want to cry. I didn't know what to say. I knew that dad had left, but I didn't know if he was ever going to come back or anything. I didn't know if this was a permanent situation, and I certainly had no clue when we were going to get to see him again...

"It's all going to be okay, Scotty. Dad is... I'm not actually sure either," I said softly. "Scotty, we still have each other. That will just have to be good enough, okay?"

"B-but I miss him, Dilly. I miss our family," he cried.

"I know, Scott... I know," I whispered. He sobbed violently as I hugged him. "Hey Scotty, tell you what... Why don't we order some pizza, drink some soda, and eat some of those brownies that Presley and I made this afternoon?"

"Really?" Scott asked a little bit more perky.

"Really!" I exclaimed as I pulled my phone out to order.

"Okay!" he said even more excited. "Can I sleep in your room too?!"

"Will it make you feel better?" I asked with mock annoyance in my voice. We both knew that I'd let him sleep in my bed every night if it made him feel better.

He nodded excitedly.

"I guess so," I said with an eyeroll.

He giggled and ran off to go pick out a movie to watch. I just hoped that it distracted him for a while, so he didn't have to worry about our family. He was too young and innocent to have to deal with everything that was going on.

That night, even as I watched TV and pigged out with Scotty, I felt myself disassociate. I felt as if I was looking in on someone else's life. That was the sad part though... It was my life.

When Scott and I laid in my bed that night, I just laid there and thought. I laid there and thought about my mother who I could hear sobbing from her own room. I thought about my little brother that I had to protect from the messed-up situation around us. I thought about the way everything seemed to be imploding around my family. It all seemed to be crumbling, and there was nothing that I could do about it. All I could do was think.

----

When I made it to school the next day, I groaned in frustration. Lindsay was standing next to my locker with her arms crossed and foot tapping. I was well aware of how pissed she was; I was just not in the mood to deal with it. I was so utterly annoyed and tired. Not to mention, I was grumpy as hell from my lack of sleep.

"Hey babe," I said softly and kissed her forehead gently.

She scoffed at me. "Is that all you have to say to me?" she asked venomously.