November twenty-fourth, a date that haunts me every single year. It was Thanksgiving that year, a day where you're supposed to be thankful for all of the wonderful things that make up your life. Ironically, it was the day my mother was killed in a car accident, it was the day she was taken from this world. Now the date and the holiday are something I loathe more than anything.

"You sure you don't want me to come with you today?"

"No, it's okay." I run my hand through her fiery locks as she runs her fingers delicately across my chest. "I'm meeting up with my dad."

"How is daddy dearest these days?"

"I'm not entirely sure but probably in a shit mood today." I nuzzle into the top of her head, breathing her in. "I don't think he's really gotten over my mother's death, not even a little bit. He did sleep with my Aunt Jenn though."

"What?" She props herself up on her elbow looking back at me incredulously. "He slept with your mother's sister?"

"Yeah." What a fucking shit show that'd been. "I think it just made things worse though because he looked miserable afterward."

"Well yeah."

I shrug not really wanting to talk about it anymore. "Anyway, I'm going to meet up with him at my mother's grave." She gives me a sad look but doesn't say anything. "I'll be home later and you can come sneak into my room again."

"Don't you have a fight tonight?" I nod as I swing my legs over the bed. "Can I come?"

I pause for a moment, looking away from her. I don't want to tell her what I know she already knows. It's not a good idea for a handful of reasons. One of those reason being Rhys has no idea about the two of us and another one is Sarah. I'd broken things off with her for good, at least I hoped I had that night of the Halloween bash. She'd given me a good, hard slap to the face so I'm assuming she got the memo. I just know she's going to be there and I'd rather have shit not go down on the anniversary of my mother's death.

"Rae-" I begin but she hops off the bed and begins putting her clothes on.

"I get it. We're non-exclusively exclusive."

I sigh, running my hands through my hair. "I can't do this today, Rae. I can't argue with you."

"I'm not arguing with you about anything. I'm just stating a fact." She slides on her shirt before tying her unruly hair into a bun on top of her head. "Just text me whenever you're done tonight." She walks over to me with a smile, but I can tell the smile is just there for my benefit.

"Rae, come on."

"Have a good day, alright." She pecks me on the cheek. "I'll see you later." She quickly pulls away from me and leaves the room.

I let her go without a word because I'm just not in the mood to deal with whatever is going on between us. It's been a few weeks of being exactly what Rae had said, non-exclusively exclusive. After we'd had sex in the shower, which she'd made me get out and grab a condom for, we'd decided to only sleep with each other. But we'd also agreed not to say anything to anyone because of Rhys.

I was afraid it would ruin our friendship if he knew I'd been sleeping with his sister. So, until Rae and I decided to be anything more than exclusive fuck-buddies then we weren't saying anything. I'd still keep up the pretense of being single and so would she. That's what we'd agreed too. So, her coming to my mother's grave with me or to the fight tonight would borderline on more.

I walk to the bathroom, passing Rae's closed door on the way. I sigh as I stare at it for a moment, thinking about the amount of intercourse we've had in the past two weeks. Almost every single night I snuck into her room or she snuck into mine. We'd spent nearly every night in each other's arms giving and receiving each other's pleasure.

Shaking my head, I walk into the bathroom and close the door. I clean my face, brush my teeth, and fix my inky mess of a mop on top of my head. Once my insane hair isn't sticking up in every direction I leave the bathroom and directly run into Rhys.

"Hey, bud." He gives me a small smile. "I was just coming to check on you. I know today's a tough day." Thank god he hadn't come to check on me just a few minutes earlier.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm meeting up with my dad in a half-hour."

He nods, "so, did you meet up with Sarah last night?"

I scrunch my brows together in confusion, "no, I didn't. Why?"

"The new love bite you've got on your neck." Fucking Christ.

"Oh, must of uh, been from the other day."

"I don't remember seeing it last night while we were watching the game. I think I would've noticed that thing." He laughs. "No need to keep Sarah a secret. I get it, it's a love-hate thing you guys have got going on." He laughs and Rae opens her bedroom door. "Hey Rae," she looks up at Rhys "you see the shiner on Seth's neck?"

Her face visible pales. "No, can't say I have." She walks past us without another word said as she walks into the bathroom.

"Jeez, what's up her ass?"

I'd like to be. I cough to dispel that specific thought from my brain. "No idea. Anyway, I've got to be going."

"Alright, man. I'll see you later."

✩✩✩

I pull into the cemetery and park my car down the hill from a my mother's plot. I grab the flowers from the passenger seat of the truck and hop out, shutting the door as I do. I look immediately off into the distance because I hear two men shouting at each other. I feel my feet automatically hurrying beneath me because I recognize the voices. I begin to hear more and more of the conversation as I get closer.

"I cannot believe you, Sean. You're such a piece-of-shit." I hear him spit at my father. "You've ruined my sister's marriage because you don't know how to keep your cock in your pants."

"I ruined her marriage? Me? Single-handedly, just with my dick, I ruined her marriage?" I hear my father's sarcastic, unamused laugh.

"No Sean, you didn't, he's just overreacting."

"That's right Samuel, listen to your sister. You're an adult, you know it takes more than one person to fuck. Which is all it was, Jenn." I can't see them yet as I jog up the hill towards my mother's grave but I can hear my Aunt Jenn let out a sob.

"Sean-" she cries.

"No, Jenn. I told you it was a one time thing. It was a fucking mistake, not something to ruin your marriage over for Christ's sake. And today, of all days, for the two of you to come here and throw this shit in my face." I hear him let out another laugh, "and you call me a piece-of-shit. Fuck you both."

I finally make it up the hill to see my uncle step towards my father, "I never knew what Monica saw in you anyway. You were just some poor loser from Southie who couldn't find a pot to piss in before her. A dead-beat junkie. A piece-of-shit loser who's covered in tattoos with no means and no future. A no one without her."

"Sam, please stop." Jenn continues to beg him, which makes my uncle scoff.

"No Jenn, let him finish." My dad's features are stone cold, emotionless. "Let him tell me what a no-good, piece-of-shit I am. Go ahead, Sam." He lifts both hands, beckoning a verbal onslaught. "Tell me how Monica shouldn't have loved me." Oh fuck, don't do this to yourself dad. "Tell me just how much of a fuck-up I was, I am. Go ahead, truly."

"You ruined her fucking life." He screams, inches away from my father's face. "You knocked her up. Made her live some bullshit existence that she was never meant to live. She deserved better than you!" They stare each other down for what seems like an eternity with my father staying dead quiet. But I know that quiet, it's the quiet before the storm. "That's right, say nothing because you know it's the truth, Sean. You ruined her. Just like you ruined Jenn's marraige. You ruin everything you touch." He turns to walk away but not before spitting on the ground at my father's feet, which just happens to be my mother's grave.

That's the moment my father loses his carefully held self-control. In this moment he looks like the devil himself. He lets out a loud scream as he charges my uncle, tackling him to the ground. He climbs on top of him with nothing but red-hot rage in his eyes. He screams savagely down at him before landing the first blow to my uncle's face.

"You, you fucking-" punch "fucking" punch "SPIT ON HER FUCKING GRAVE!" He continues his onslaught and at first I can't make my feet move but as I continue to watch him I can't make them move fast enough. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" His fists continue to pound into him relentlessly. "I LOVED HER WITH EVERYTHING IN ME!"

"DAD!" I scream but he's not listening and I doubt he can even hear anything over my aunt's incessant crying. "DAD! STOP!" I finally reach them and grab my dad underneath his shoulders. "DAD!" I jerk him backwards but he's like a solid wall of flying fists. "JESUS CHRIST, DAD!" I jerk him back and it takes everything I have in me but I pull him off of him. He fights me for a moment until I say, "dad, stop."

He looks back at me. "Seth?" His eyes widen in recognition. "Oh Jesus, Seth."

  I look over to my aunt who is picking my asshole of an uncle off the ground. He looks like complete and utter hell. Dad had really given it to him. "I'll be right back, dad. I'm going to help take them to the car." He doesn't say anything, he just nods his head. "Here, let me help." I take the weight of my uncle from my aunt, carrying him. "Did you guys drive together?"

"Yes," she sobs.

"Cause you're going to need to be the one driving, Aunt Jenn."

"I'm fine." My uncle manages to rasp out. "I'm okay."

"Oh my god," my aunt sobs "I had no idea you were going to say all that, Samuel. Why did you say all that? Now look at you." 

"He deserved it, fucking piece-of-shit."

It takes everything in me not to just drop him on the ground. He'd just spit on my mother's grave and trashed my dad. He'd just completely berated him and my dad took it. He didn't even say anything. Cause he thinks he deserves it. And that thought makes me really not want to carry him anymore.

"Listen," I place my uncle in the passenger seat of his fancy, and probably ridiculously expensive, BMW "if you ever, ever, talk to my father like that again I swear on my life it will not be him being the one beating you down, it will be me. Stay the fuck away from us." I slam the door not wanting to hear a response.

"Seth-" my aunt begins as I walk away "please tell your father that I'm sorry. And if he needs anything I'm just a phone call away."

I pause, but just shake my head before walking away.