"I'm home!" Gary called letting himself in to the house, discarding his back pack full of clothes on the floor. "Mum!? Jake?!" He paused before going through to the kitchen as he started raiding the cupboards and fridge.
"Gaz!"
Gary turned around to see his younger brother of 12 smiling at him.
"Hey!" He smiled giving him a hug. "Where's mum?!"
"Out"
"When she coming back?!" Gary asked between mouthfulls of food .
Jake shrugged.
Gary watched his brother closely, instantly recognising something had changed over the past few months whilst he was at uni.
"What's up Jake?!"
Jake shook his head.
"Jake?" Gary pressed.
"Just leave it? OK?" Jake sighed before going back up to his room which he shared with Gary when he wasn't at university.
" Jake hang on!" Gary ran up the stairs,taking them two at a time. "What aren't you telling me?!" He followed him into the room. "What's happened?"
"Your dads back"
"What?" Gary asked, full of anger and hatred. "Since when?"
"Few months."
Gary shook his head, "is he living here?"
Jake nodded sadly.
Gary moaned angrilyd before running across the landing, picking up the phone. He dialled a number and put it between his head and shoulder, returning to the room he starting rummaging through his old wardrobe waiting for her to answer the phone.
"Gary what are you doing?"
"If hes back I'm leaving!" He shouted grabbing a few old back packs, he threw them on the floor and grabbed the remainder of his clothes from the cupboard, chucking them on the pile of bags.
"Gary you cant go!" Jake said quietly panick in his voice.
Gary ignored him, "hi, is Miranda there please? Its Gary!" He said down the phone whilst throwing the clothes into the bags and rushing them downstairs.
He chucked the bags in the corner with his backpack as he was on the phone. He hung up and went back upstairs.
"Gary don't go, please!" Jake started crying.
"I've got to" he replied softly.
"You can't!"
"What arent you telling me?" Gary starred at him.
Jake slowly turned around and lifted his T-shirt up.
"Oh my god? Did he do this?!"
Jakes back was covered in black bruises and scars.
Jake nodded.
"I'll bloody kill him!" Gary shouted barging out of the room.
Almost on cue the front door opened.
His mum and dad entered the house.
Gary raced down the stairs. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He screamed , he grabbed his dad and threw him against the wall.
"Get of me you creep,who said you could come home?!" The man fired back.
"Gary, get off of him!" His mum screamed.
Jake stood at the top of the stairs, watching terrified.
"You come back afterall these years. You hate me as a child, run off with another woman. Then ten years later your back.. HITTING MY BROTHER? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!" Gary ignored the cries of his mother and the swear words of his father.
"The man who created a peice of scum like you!"
"Your not even his dad! His father was a good man, treated us all with respect. Your not even his dad and your hurting him! A real man wouldn't lay a finger on a child!"
"And your a real man are you?!" His father replied aragontly. He pushed Gary off of him. "You have no right to be here, this isn't your home. And if I want to hit that boy, I will, because he's just going to turn into the same, worthless piece of shit you are!"
Without thinking, Gary turned around and punched his father in the face, knocking him straight to the floor. "DONT YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT! YOUR AN ABUSIVE DRUNKEN BULLY OF A TWAT!" Gary then kicked his father, right in the stomach, watching as he keeled over in agony, "TAKE A VERY LONG WALK OFF OF A VERY SHORT CLIFF" he growled between gritted teeth, he tturned to face his mum who was crying in the corner, gobsmacked. His hand slowly raised to his face, the corner of his eye was hurting from where his father had lashed out. He ignored the blood that dribbled down from his nose.
His father was leant against the wall, holding his bleeding face.
Gary bent down and scooped up his few backpacks before barging out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
Jake ran down the stairs following him, trampling through the freshly laid snow to garys car.
"I love you" Jake said softly as Gary chucked the bags in his boot before slamming the door.
He turned to face his brother; sighing soflty he bundled him into his hands. "It won't last, he'll leave again. But its up to you now, you've got to look after mum, OK?"
Jake nodded his head. "Will I see you again? Gaz, where are you going?"
"I love you too!" Gary kissed his brothers head before letting him go, and climbing into the car. He slammed the door and put his key in the ignition, the car roared into life.
"Gary, wait please!"
He looked at his brother one last time before putting his seat belt on and driving off down the road.
He looked in the rear mirror to see his brother stood in the middle of the road, crying.