Chapter Three – Home
Disclaimer: I don't own Waterloo Road or the characters
It was past nine o'clock when I returned home. The air was cool and misty and slightly dark. I pulled the key out of my pocket and opened the door. The house was silent, the hallway illuminated with a side lamp. I shut the door and shrugged my bag off my shoulder and went up to the light as I saw a ripped corner of paper lying on the side. It just said "Out with Dad" written in Justin's spiky handwriting. I sighed and headed upstairs to my room, bringing my bag with me. At least I had the place to myself until the early hours in the morning. Of course, it was Thursday, which meant pub league. Dad and Justin would be out watching the football, enjoying themselves too much, and I'd be stuck at home doing my homework before picking up the pieces at 3am whilst they both simultaneously vomited into the toilet after consuming too much alcohol.
I went into my small box room and hung up my blazer and tie. I couldn't be bothered with cooking much for dinner so I just shoved a pizza in the oven before heading to the bathroom. I pinged the bright white light on and looked at my reflection.
"Thank god for that," I said aloud, peering at the faint red mark on my cheek. No bruising. No evidence. Nothing therefore happened, I thought.
I touched it tentatively with my index and middle finger. It was still radiating pain but it was getting better already. That Fairchild sure could give a good punch, I thought. At least I could thank him for not leaving any bruising. Last time, I looked like a right idiot saying I walked into a door – how creative of me. Thinking of Scott, I shuddered as I felt the weighty mobile in my pocket, before getting it out and opening up the text message section.
I keyed in another insult to Bonnie, shutting my eyes as I regrettably pressed SEND, so as to pretend nothing had happened. How did I get into this mess? I didn't want to be doing this, it made me feel sick to the stomach. It just wasn't fair for him to force me to do something like this; he was such a coward he should be doing it himself!
Snapping out at the buzz of the timer, I headed back to the kitchen and pulled out the pizza. It was a little burned but still tasted good all the same. I didn't have any money for lunch earlier so it was good to have something to eat. Not that I would have even bought lunch in the canteen though. I looked like a right idiot sitting alone. Generally I just hung around in the library listening to music and working. It was fine by me. Nobody really came to the library so it was good to be alone.
I quickly washed up my plate before getting two glasses of water ready with some paracetemol and put two on the bedside of Justin and Dad's beds. It was only routine. Exhausted from the day I shoved my school shirt over my computer chair and got changed into an old shirt and shorts and got into bed, taking off my glasses. Any normal teenager would laugh at me going to bed at 10pm, but I set my alarm for half past two in the hope that I could get a quick kip before becoming doctor at three am.
SLAM!
My eyes flicked open at the door banging shut. I could hear some faint noises from downstairs, I couldn't quite work out if they were good or bad. I sat up and flattened my hair out before putting my glasses on, adjusting to the light I switched on before creeping across the landing. I could see my dad and Justin in the downstairs hallway, both their faces red and angry. Oh dear. Their team had obviously lost.
Justin shrugged off his leather jacket and left it on the floor, walking over it as he wobbled to the toilet. He stubbed his toe on the way and swore very loudly, so I tip toed towards the top of the stairs, walking down them one by one slowly.
"Dad?" I said, a safe distance up on the middle step. "Is everything alright?" I asked, saying probably the longest sentence all day.
He just looked up and began laughing.
"You know what, sonny," he began, his balance up and down, "I don't think everything is alright," his voice was going up and down, loud and soft. He was well and truly pissed. "You know what," he said, swaying towards me, his shirt a skewiff and reeking of pub, "I th-think that you are the reason." He stumbled. In the background I heard Justin throwing up down the bog. He came up the stairs so his eyes were level with mine. He spat at me, his breath equally stinking of alcohol. I just remained there as I knew he didn't mean it, and spoke calmly.
"Come on, let's go upstairs." I said.
I put one hand on his back and guided him up the stairs and opened the door to the master bedroom. I guided him to sit down on the bed. I sighed and stretched my back, knowing I was in for a long night.
"Why don't you go to bed?" I suggested, "Come on, it's late and –,"
"Oh shut up!" he yelled at me, his face getting redder and redder.
I stopped in my tracks and tried to calm him down before he got angry, but it was too late. He wasn't talking any sense, his voice adrift and his eyes gleaming with spite.
"If it wasn't for you then merger would NOT happen," he said, skipping out words.
"No, it's not my faul-," I began, before he shot up and went to grab me. Luckily I dodged his aim and quickly opened the door to the hallway.
Justin wasn't in sight so I ran into my room – he could deal with himself for tonight. My heart was racing faster than it was this afternoon when Scott attacked me. I slammed the door and sat behind it and put my weight against it as my father tried to open the door. He was screaming insults from behind the door, loud enough for any neighbours to hear. I just reached for my phone on my bedside, plugged my headphones in, turned the volume up loud enough to cancel out any background shouting and squeezed my eyes shut, head in knees.
My home was music.
At some point in the night I must have been so tired that I didn't register myself removing my music and getting into bed, as when my alarm went off at 7am I woke up laying in bed. I slapped the alarm and pressed snooze for another five minutes and adjusted to waking up. My head was throbbing from the lack of sleep I must have had – two hours at the most. My ears had a faint tingle from the music I used to block out what was happening. And then I remembered the events of last night. Nothing abnormal. Nothing out of the ordinary Thursday evening.
I proceeded with the events of Friday and got up and dressed in my uniform which was hanging off my chair and went to see if everybody else was okay. My father was snoring loudly so I nudged him out of his hangover,
"Come on, you need to get up! We've got to leave for school in under an hour!"
I expected to repeat the same for Justin, however he was not in his bed.
I went downstairs and into the kitchen to see Justin asleep with his head on the table.
"Justin, come on, wake up," I said.
"Eurghh in a minute Leo."
My dad entered the kitchen, glass of water in hand.
"But you need to get up! What about school?"
"I said. Just leave it."
Without notice, I suddenly felt very angry at everything,
"You know what you two, I'm sick of it. Today, you can pick up the pieces. Because I'm fed up of saving your job as a headmaster, and I'm fed up of being up all night looking after you boh. Have a good day," I yelled, before storming out of the door, grabbing my bag on the way.
Time to face the day, I thought.
Aww Leo!
What did you all think? Any ideas on how Leo's day is going to be?
Promise to update soon!
:]
