Lyric’s P.O.V
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Were my brother’s opening words as soon as he wheeled into the house and found me in the kitchen as I was putting away some used plates into the sink.
“What do you mean?” I asked, clearly confused.
Derek seemed to be in an awful mood and whatever that happened, things didn’t end well for the both of us. But what could possibly be his problem now? I won today’s match fair and square! Damnit! I could already feel a headache coming on.
“You’ve been unfocused!” Derek snapped. “It’s like you’ve lost all purpose in life and you’re just endlessly roaming around inside that ring! What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I won the bloody match, Derek!” I snapped back at him. “I lost focus for a few seconds because the bastard hit pretty close to my ear. But I got back up and beat him in the end. What more do you want from me?”
“I want your bloody head in the game!” Derek almost yelled. “It’s that girl, isn’t it? The one with the bullet in her head?”
“Who the fuck told you about her?” I asked surprised and angry at the same time. How did Derek know about Lydia? And why was he bringing her up right now?
“You wouldn’t open your mouth so I had to ask your classmates. You’ve been hanging around her for a while now.” Derek said seriously. “You even skipped town to go play hooky with that girl!”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I was very close to losing it, I could feel it. “You went behind my back and asked around about me? You’re getting worse day by day. What the hell are you trying to prove here?”
“Does it matter what I’m trying to prove, David?” Derek asked. “Because lately, you’ve been all wrapped up around this little girl’s fingers like a little puppet. You’re letting her get to your head! You’re losing focus on what’s really important here. Do you think they’d let you be a part of SEAL if you’re this sex drunk on some slut?”
“Watch what you say about Lydia!” I snapped back; my brother was really testing my patience today. “She’s not a slut. Stop being mommy’s little angel and come to your senses.”
“Don’t you dare bring mom into this!”
“Don’t go around judging people you don’t even know about! She’s been through enough already.”
“Do you see where the problem is?” Derek asked exasperated. “We’re arguing about a girl who you didn’t even know two months ago! If this is how much control this damn girl has over you then she was better off having just died in that shooting than come her-“
That was it. Those words just did what I’d been trying to prevent right from the start; they drove me over the edge.
One moment I was standing by the kitchen sink and the next thing I know, Derek was lying on the ground, his wheelchair turned over and my knuckles felt bruised as I stood over him, ready to deliver another blow if he dared open his mouth again.
Lydia, dead? NO! I couldn’t even imagine it in my worst nightmares. How could Derek just say those words so casually?
“David!”
“What the hell is going on in here?”
Shocked at the two voices that I didn’t expect to hear anytime soon, I looked up towards the door to find my mom and dad standing at the doorway, luggages in hand and shocked expressions on their faces. I bet they weren’t expecting such a pathetic welcome.
“Mom? Dad?” Derek asked from the floor, looking just as surprised as us as he tried to pull himself back up on to the wheelchair.
I didn’t help him up this time, especially because I knew it’d be a huge blow to his ego and also, a person who can wish an innocent woman’s death without even knowing her didn’t deserve my help.
“Honey, are you alright?” My mom asked as she rushed to Derek’s side and helped him get settled into his wheelchair. She was in her usual black on black suit and trousers with small pearl earrings and her lightly curled black hair cut to just below her ears. She looked tired and worried but other than that, she looked just the same as she had a year ago when I last saw her.
“I’m fine,” Derek smiled at her before everyone in the room turned their eyes to me.
“Would you mind explaining to us, David, why you just hit your brother?” My father asked very patiently.
He was in one of his expensive designer suits and leather shoes, his dark brown hair perfectly gelled back and his grey eyes intense. He was the only one showing signs of aging with the few white strands of hair near his forehead that he didn’t do anything to hide, but other than that, he too looked tired and just frustrated. Derek took after our mom in the looks department and I was more my father’s shadow, but right now, I wasn’t feeling all that excited to see the disappointment in either of their faces.
“Nothing.” It was Derek who answered for me. “We just had a slight disagreement.”
“A disagreement that led him to hit his older brother,” mom said skeptically. “That’s absurd David! I won’t tolerate it!”
“Well, lucky for you, you don’t have to.” I told them as I turned towards the stairs. “I’m leaving.”
“David!” My mom called out but my father’s stern voice cut through just that instant.
“Let him go, Mila. He’ll come around when he realizes his fault.”
I knew perfectly well how this scenario would pan out to be. My brother would try to be the better man and take the blame for himself, thus gaining my parent’s pity and I’d be left the villain because I got wound up trying to defend some ‘low-standard, village girl with no manners’ and possibly someone who is trying to cause a rift between us brothers. My mom would then lecture me about how important family is and how we should all stick together. And then I’ll let my guilty conscience get the best of me and apologize to everyone even though I wasn’t at fault. And then my father would give me another lecture about how I need to follow in my brother’s footsteps.
For once, I was through with repeating the same cycle over and over again since childhood. I wasn’t wrong and Derek knew it! So before I caused any more trouble and interrupted the little family reunion, I went straight to my room, tossed in a few clothes into an overnight bag and slipped out of the house without anyone noticing.
It’d be best if I didn’t show up for at least a couple days but since my parents would probably be staying a week or two, I’d eventually have to face them before they left, it was inevitable. But for now, all I could do for my sanity and theirs was to disappear for a couple of days. And this time, I knew where I had to go.