Chapter 21

"Hey babe." Tom whispered to Sam as he pulled her closer with one arm around her waist.

Sam chuckled and lent up, pecking him on the lips gently.

"Where's Joey?" Tom asked.

"In the lounge." Sam told him, smiling. "With your brother."

Tom stood confused for a few seconds, before becoming excited like a child. "What? Has Avan come here?"

"No. It's Ajit." She said, looking into his eyes and watching the positive face turn into one of disgust. "And Jack was here too."

"What?" Tom shouted this time.

"Calm down, Tom. Why's it such a problem?"

"Jack hates everyone; everyone hates Jack - first explanation. Second, Aj hasn't talked to me in months! I'm not exactly pleased with them turning up - when Joey is vulnerable." Tom replied with high anger in his voice.

"Joey has been more mature about this than you. He said sorry to them both, yes, Jack didn't accept the apology, but Joey's trying. If you can get along with your dad, why can't you get along with your brothers too?" Sam reasoned.

Tom stood taking it all in, jaw clenched, then relaxed as he realised how perfectly right all of Sam's words were.

"Okay." He gave in.

Tom walked into the lounge, with Sam close behind him.

Joey turned his head when Tom came into the room, and called, "hey."

Ajit stood up, allowing himself to move closer to his older brother. He held out his hand, as a sign of 'thanks for not going off on one' and waited for his hand to be taken. Tom didn't shake his hand, but instead wrapped one arm around Ajit, embracing him in a brotherly hug.

Tom mutter in his brother's ear, "just to let you know, I'm not entirely happy with you being here. If you do anything that upsets Joey or anyone close to me, you're out."

Ajit nodded to his brother's requests and walked backwards, out of the embrace.

"So, what are you doing for work now?" Tom asked.

"I was made redundant last month. I haven't really looked at what's going." Ajit replied.

"You got a degree, right?" Tom persisted.

"Yeah, for PE - teaching." Ajit spoke. "But at these times, people aren't looking for younger teachers; they want more experienced ones."

"Where are you staying?" Tom asked.

"No where really. I was going to stay with Jack for the night, then find a hotel. But, I don't want to see him at the moment."

"You and me both." Joey muttered.

"You can stay with us." Tom stated, pleased with himself. "For how ever long you need."

"Thanks, bro." Ajit nodded to Tom.

"Right, I'm going to dad's. You guys can come with if you want." Joey stated.

"I'll come. I guess I'll have to see and speak to him sooner or later." Ajit followed Joey as he walked towards the front door.

"Thanks for trying." Sam whispered as she placed a hand on Tom's chest.

"I'm still not happy with him being here." Tom repeated.

"I know. Come on." Sam took Tom's hand and led him out the door, behind the other two.

They spent around an hour at their dad's – lucky for their dad, their step-mum was out. They left after Ajit and their dad started shouting, which later turned into the son taking a swing at his father. Their dad physically pushed Ajit out of the house, giving him a probable black eye and bleeding nose in the process – because of the son's struggling, he claimed.

Joey hadn't been best pleased with his father's outburst – neither had Tom. Sam had taken Leah, Georgia and Mike to the park – insisting they could not see their family as it were current portraying – as soon as the uproar began.

"No wonder Tom didn't want me to see you! I'm actually hating you right now. You're not my dad 'til you sort your shit out!" Joey hollered as he ran after Ajit.

"Way to go dad. You can't say I didn't try. You must have an automatic action to push away every family member. Well done." Tom yelled sarcastically and angrily at his dad. "Ask Clare to come round and pick up the kids later. They are definitely not coming back here."

Tom hurried after his brothers, catching up with them quickly. Ajit sat on the wall at the end of the house's long private drive. Joey kept asking him if he was okay.

"Come, you two. We're going home." Tom walked off. With Sam taking the car, they had about a forty minute walk ahead of them.

When they arrived back to the apartment, Tom was in an even worst state than before – much the same as the two brothers with him. Saying Tom was angry was an understatement.

Joey and Ajit left him in the apartment to go to the local gym. Joey had decided to take his anger out on a punch bag – Ajit agreeing with the idea. Tom, however, was more focused on releasing his anger on any object, or abusing his insides with apparent paradise.

At the same time as Sam entered the home with her boyfriend's half-siblings, Tom sat slouched on the couch, a now half full pint glass of vodka in his hands. Sam told the children to take their shoes off, while she walked into the lounge.

She saw Tom almost immediately. She walked up behind him and announced her presence. As she crouched down behind the couch, she smelt the alcohol in his hands and on his breath.

"Tom, what the hell? Why are you drinking? Where are Joey and Ajit?" She hushed aggressively in his ear.

"Oh, shut up. It's only a little drink. I'm perfectly fine." He slurred back.

"Tom!" Came the squeal of an excited, young Georgia.

"Hey Georgia." He bent down, picking up the child and stood up again.

"Ew, your breath smells funny." She turned her nose in disgust.

"Ah, yes. That's because I've been a naughty boy and I haven't cleaned my teeth today." He tried best to keep her oblivious – for a five year old, she was certainly already clever.

"Then go do them!" She ordered, laughing.

"Will do. You stay here with Sam, your sister and brother." Tom left the room.

He went into Sam's and his bedroom. He fell back on to the bed, reached over to his side, and searched the bedside cabinet. He found his objective; a full bottle of vodka, another still in the back for later.

He unscrewed the cap, raised the bottle to his lips, letting the smell hit his nostrils. He swung his head back with the bottle, the spirit stinging his throat.

Clare came for her children around an hour later. She was told of what had happened, and concluded it was not best for her to take them home just yet. She told Sam that if Tom or Joey wanted to speak to her, she has her mobile and will be at her mother's. Sam replied with, "okay," said goodbye to the children and closed the door after all four had walked out.

She hadn't heard Tom since he left the lounge. She went to their bedroom, opening the door cautiously. He was sat there with a small drop left in one bottle, and she saw another on the floor.

"Tom!" She yelled. She couldn't believe he could be stupid enough to get into a mess like this. He looked at her with anger on hatred burning through his pupils.

Standing, he made quick strides towards her. "Yes?" She turned her head to the left as his breath hit her senses.

"What are you doing?"

"Just having a bit of a reminisce. My dad is a massive bastard. Who does he think he is, hurting my brothers like that? He's not going to get away with it this time." He spoke, an evil hint evident in his voice.

"Stop! Don't do anything to him. Sort this out some other way. You can't fix broken pieces when you're in a prison cell." Sam tried to reason.

"Who said I would get caught? And who are you to stop me? Tell me what to do? Huh?"

"I'm supposed to be your girlfriend. I don't want to sit by and watch you do something you'll later regret." She tried to reason, again.

"Then don't. Run along. This isn't your home anyway." He pushed her out the way with quite some force. She fell onto the bed, hitting her leg on the frame.

He walked out the apartment without a look back. He had no idea where to go. He threw the bottle in his hands into one of the recycling bins on his way – he had no idea which one he threw it in, or if it went in one.

Sam still laid on the bed, her eyes red. She was crying for two reasons, both relating to pain. One, her leg hurt and so did her shoulder; two, she didn't think it possible that Tom would ever be like this – violently drunk.

This ending is partly due to the spoilers or what. Just found my own way of interpreting it into this story.