*Later that day*

Alan

Whack! Whack! Whack!

The only sound heard was the basketball I kept tossing into the wall, watching it recoil and land into my palm only to repeat the routine, an activity I've been on for longer than I even bothered to check. An hour maybe?

Who cares?

Not like I have an option, I do but they're limited. Really limited.

I eye my window for the millionth time this evening, contemplating the not-so-wise thought of sneaking out.

Ding!

A notification from my phone draws my attention and I pull it from where it lay beside me on the bed.

~Hey baby.

I scrunch my brows at the vague text from an unknown number.

I'm quite familiar with the pet name so I didn't put much thought to it and was about to toss my phone to another side of the bed when it dinged again.

~It's me, Ryley.

Fuck.

I thought I blocked her number.

Another text comes in, this time with an attached photo of her in a red strapless dress with a neckline plunged halfway down her torso, leaving little to nothing to the imagination. The photo was intended to elicit feelings of desire but I scrunched my nose in irritation.

~incase you forgot 😉

I roll my eyes. Like I would ever forget the latest stalker I've been avoiding for the past week. One kiss and she began tripping over, expecting a relationship or some shit I made very clear I'm not interested in, especially after the shit Tracey pulled on me; double-crossing me under my nose.

Speak of regrets.

I block and delete her number before I get my phone spammed again with unnecessary messages.

Spinning the ball on my index, I scrolled through my messages but halt when a particular one caught my attention.

Barbie🥴: hey

It is the one I sent through her phone to get her number and the only one since then. I smile at the emoji I saved her name with; a perfect description of her. Crazy.

I chuckle lightly as the images of her facial expressions pop into my head. There's something so enjoyable about seeing her all riled up and the fact that it's easy to make her so pissed makes it better. She's sure something else.

Her smart mouth is another fascinating thing about her. Probably the reason why I bug her, to hear what comeback she has to say. She always has something to say probably why seeing her so dumbfounded seems strange.

I frown as I remember the vulnerable look on her face that undeniably piques my curiosity.

I quickly shrug off that thought. I've only known her for a couple of weeks, no need to add meaning to her behavior. Not that it's any of my business either.

Knock. Knock.

The raps on the door disrupt my train of thought and I turn to face my mum with her head peeked in through the small space of the ajar door, a faint smile on her face.

"Dinner's ready koala" I frown at the name of endearment she's failed to stop using since I was 7, probably thinking it sounds cute to call an 18-year-old koala.

Choosing not to point out my dislike for the millionth time, I asked instead. "Is he still there?"

She knows who I'm referring to. The man who's supposed to be my father.

She nods her head subtly in response and I turn my eyes to the ball, not wanting her to see the clear anger written over my features but I could hear her sigh exasperatedly and from my peripheral vision, I watch her open the door farther to let herself in and shut it behind her.

"You know..." She starts, walking further into my room and leaning against the desk opposite where I sat on the bed. "You can't keep hiding in here whenever he's around"

I clench my jaw tighter, holding back any comment.

Minutes tick by in silence before she speaks up again "I made ground beef burrito skillet, I know how much you love it" she chimes with a little smile in the hope of lifting the mood a bit but the look in her eyes contrasts her words.

She only has that look in her hazel eyes whenever he's around. She would never admit it but I know she dreads him as much as I do but she always does a better job than I ever would at masking it.

The skin under her hazel eyes was unusually darker and a tad puffy, her hair, a replica of mine just straighter hung low on her head in a messy bun and some loose tendrils framing her face.

I bite my lip in guilt. I don't want to stress her out more than he already does so I just nod subtly.

"Ah, that's my boy" She ruffles my hair a bit, a more genuine smile on her face and that rolled away my anger. I love making her smile.

"I'm not a boy anymore mum" I whine, playfully swatting her hand away and I combed my fingers through my hair but she only giggled, sounding like a high school girl.

"Oh shut up. Just because you run around with those girls doesn't mean you're not my boy" I scrunch my nose in fake disgust at my mum's words. She's all too aware of my little escapade and honestly doesn't judge but rather calls it 'a phase in every adolescent boy' than what most would call whoring around. I just would never get used to her little jokes about it.

"I love you Mum but please stop"

I pick up my black tee dumped on the bed and stare at it for a good minute before flinging it aside and bouncing on my feet, stretching my arms out.

"You're really going out shirtless?" she asks with a raised brow, eyeing my naked chest and the grey joggers I had on.

I nod cheekily.

"You know that's gonna piss him off right?" I nod once again, beaming a toothy smile.

That's the plan.

She shakes her head in slight amusement, before walking out the door ahead of me.

Halfway down the stairs, she turns with a stern look "One more thing, be on your best behavior okay?"

Satisfied with a nod of my head, she continues ahead with me trailing behind.

"He's here!" She beams once in the dining room where her husband sat leisurely typing on his laptop. She raised a brow, reminding me of her earlier warning before retreating to the kitchen.

"Hey" I mumble as I pull out a seat at the far end of the 8 seating dining table. He finally raised his head from his laptop to acknowledge my presence, a permanent scowl on his face.

My mum walked in with a few plates in her hands and she began setting them up.

"Let me help" I offered but she waved me off with her palm, smiling sweetly.

"I got it baby, why not have a chat with your dad? Ask him how work's coming along since he spends so much time there" That was a dig aimed at her husband, that much I could tell as she sent him a quick glare. She smiled at me again before walking off to get the remaining dishes.

I maintained indifference to the hardened glower aimed at my profile promptly anticipating a tongue-lashing and another episode of never-ending verbal abuse.

Mum finally set the last of the food, serving the meal with little of my assistance before we made a quick prayer and everyone began digging in.

Barely a few minutes in, a gruff voice broke the treasured dinner silence.

"So Alan, care to tell me why you came down here looking like a male exotic dancer?"

Ha! there goes the expected chastisement as his glare never wavered since I had my butt on the seat.

I subtly roll my eyes at his choice of exaggerated words and shrug nonchalantly, returning his glare with mine of almost the same intensity "I didn't want to put on a shirt"

"Go put on a shirt now!"

The muscles on his neck bulged and twitched. I could tell he was about to fly off the handle hence I reply rather cooly, knowing how much it'll piss him off further.

"I don't see any sign saying I can't walk around my home shirtless" I even dared shooting an amused smirk. Ah, daredevil ain't I?

"Unless you pay the god-damn bills, go put on a fucking shirt!!" He roared across the table, his nose flaring with rage but I was far from being intimated, more irritated than afraid.

"Can you both stop and have dinner like a normal family!"

Ha. Normal family. Two words that would never describe this family. If her husband isn't such a control freak then maybe we'd be normal but then again there's no such thing as a normal family, just people who fake it so well to hide the loopholes within.

A tense palpable silence settled as everyone returned to their meal after Mum's outcry but once again it was shortlived.

"Koala?" I lift my eyes to face my mum in the form of a response. She took a sip of her orange juice, wiping her lips before speaking up "Have you spoken with Cam?" She didn't wait for a reply and continued with a frown etched on her face "He's so busy with school, he forgot his family"

I snort at that. As if.

Camden Scott, my elder brother and surely the luckiest bastard on planet Earth. He purposely went to college thousands of kilometers away from the choking grip of control by his father now making me his next target to mold into what he would define a perfect son. I'd surely follow Cam's footsteps, but I haven't decided which school yet. Hell, I don't even know what I'm gonna study in the school but why stress over it when I still have a whole year left to decide?

Not that I'll ever tell him but he's a great big brother and our brotherly relationship is close so of course I do talk to him regularly, so regular I know he only got his beard shaved last weekend but I wasn't in a chatty mood to fill my mum on such details so I only nod subtly.

She sighed in defeat at her failed attempt at small talk and returned to her meal.

"Ahem" a throat cleared above us. I don't need to turn to know who it is and instead focus on the delicious strawberry shortcake Mum made for dessert. "How's football going?"

I scoff. He isn't asking because he cares, just a way to peek into my life and question my choices. If he did ever care, he'd know I don't exactly give two fucks about making it into the NFL.

"Fine" I clipped before shoving a forkful of cake into my mouth.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, bastardo" He roared, losing all form of self-control. The table and the contents on it clattered from the impact of his fists slamming against it.

Still, I wasn't intimated, just livid as I slowly turned a heated glare to match his.

"Don't you insult my son, Lawrence!" Mum's voice rose to a pitch almost as high as his, glaring needles and daggers at her husband across the table.

"If he's your son, why don't you teach him some manners!"

"He's our son Lawrence, our son and I won't sit here and listen to you downgrade him like he's some dirtbag you picked off the streets"

"Some homeless scoundrel is far better than him, he can't take anything seriously in his life" I had chosen to ignore this argument but at his next words aimed at me, I lost all form of rational thinking "Absolutely nothing, his education, football, everything is a fucking joke to him"

"Fucking fine!" I stood up abruptly, pushing some plates over in a fit of rage but my boiling blood and overba
eating heart blocked out the sound of ceramic cutlery shattering into a million pieces on the floor. "I don't take anything in my life seriously huh? I'm sure my straight A's can attest to that! Or is it football? Well let me tell you, I don't give a fuck about football, it's cos of your selfish ass I even bother trying-"

"Don't fucking yell at me or-"

"Or what?" I spat at his face, a few inches away from mine as we squared off each other, deep breaths mixing, and glares exchanged. If looks could kill, the fire behind his honey-brown eyes would have burnt me alive.

Those eyes; are similar to mine and it fucking disgusts me that we have so much in common in many areas but I hope I never become anything like him. I clenched my jaw and matched his glare, rivaling his impressive 6'2 height; another trait I got from him.

"You're gonna remind me how much of a loser I am?" I whispered slowly before letting out a deep evil chuckle "like you haven't done that already. Or better still bash my head countlessly into the wall like you did on Saturday? Go fuck yourself old man"

I heard a little gasp of surprise from my mum and I shoved her husband with my shoulder as I walked past him. He stumbled backward a little, also caught off guard and I wasted no time as I jogged upstairs to my room and grabbed my phone, threw on a black tee and sneakers before storming out my room and the house, slamming the door behind me to shut out my parent's argument as they picked up from where I left off.

I let out a ragged breath as I ran my palms down my face once seated in my car, my body trembling from adrenaline.

I ransacked my console and sighed in relief when I fished out the last cigar stick. I lit it and took several calming drags, running my hands lazily through my hair.

The sound of glass shattering got my attention as I watched the silhouette of my parents through my rearview mirror.

I should probably care but I don't and I don't even feel bad about it. It's their shit, they should fix it, getting involved would only worsen situations.

I ignored the tinge of pain that pierced through my chest as his words echoed in my head; 'some homeless scoundrel is far better than him'.

Still glaring at their silhouettes, I brought the engine to life and reversed out the curb, away from the mess of my family.

Sooo this is the first update of the year 🎉
Hopefully I round this book up this year *fingers crossed
Don't forget to leave a comment and hit that star button💗

Xoxo Ruth 💅