Gwen's POV
My cries weren't silent this time.
People in Europe could probably hear them.
Beck held me close and I could only hear Aly get up. "What the hell is your issue, Dad?"
And there she goes, taking the matter into her own hands, sending her straight to a bedazzled grave.
"How dare you talk to me in that tone of voice, Allison Jane?" Dad sounded angrier than he was when he was yelling at me.
Nothing good is going to come out of this.
"How dare you hit my little sister just because she's repeating your actions? How dare you and Mom get drunk and go off driving like idiots? How dare you get drunk again after being in the hospital, come home and scream at a fourteen year old? Riddle me that."
Just stay here, cuddled in Beck, Gwen. Don't peek. Don't move a muscle.
"I am your father!" Wow, was that really all he could say in rebuttal? It's only 'cause he knew Aly made a good point.
"Oh please. Beck makes a better father than you ever will!" I stiffed out a gasp and lifted my head from my brother's chest. So much for not peeking or moving a muscle.
"Aly, I think that's enough-" My aunt was holding her hand up trying to get Aly to stop talking, but it didn't work.
"No. No I want to say this. I cared about both of you when you were in the hospital, but now, I couldn't care less if you were dead." Both my mother and aunt placed hands over their mouths in shock.
Now suddenly everything I was thinking about them while smoking seemed miniscule. How could she even say that?
"Go. To. Your. Rooms. All of you." Through his teeth my father growled. I'm out of here.
Aly was the first to stomp quite loudly up the stairs, Beck made sure I got to my room safely and then went to slip into the kitchen for an ice pack.
I forgot how much my eye hurts.
I heard a knock on my door and it slowly opened. "Hey, are you alright?" Aly leaned her back on wall next to my doorframe.
"It hurts." I let out a soft whimper and poked my bruise.
Beck's footsteps padded up the stairs and he rushed to my side and held the cold ice to my eye. "Well don't poke it," He chuckled.
Hurray for ice packs.
Aly came and sat at the end of my bed and Beck had put his arm around me while I held my zip lock bag full of soothing ice. "I meant every word," my sister mumbled quietly.
So she really did mean that she could care less if they were dead. Maybe I felt the same way…
Perhaps more about daddy than my mom.
"Als, just calm down. We need to focus on making sure Gwen's alright." My brother winked at me, attempting to make me feel an ounce better, even though it wasn't really working.
How can you ever feel better when out of an angry rage, your own father smacks you insanely hard in the face?
Footsteps were coming up the stairs, but it couldn't be my parents, seeing as they couldn't exactly use the stairs. At least I hope it isn't my parents.
"Can I come in, darlings?" Oh no, it was the soft loving voice of my Aunt Lea.
I nodded to Beck. "Yeah, come in."
Sympathy covered her entire face when she looked at me. "I'm so sorry, Gwendolyn."
But I didn't say anything. What am I supposed to say? 'Oh, it's fine, honestly.' Because in what universe would this be considered fine?
"Your parents wanted me to tell you that…well…I don't know how to put this. Y-your mother has decided that it would be best if her and James attend the alcohol abuse center near where I live."
"It won't change anything," Aly said coldly. But Lea ignored her. She's used to her remarks and such.
"-No. Something will change. They're not exactly going to be living here while they attend said center. They'll be staying at my house, and I'll be staying here, at your house."
Oh. My. God.
/ /
In light of this new information, I think my day just maybe slightly got ten percent better. Even though I'll miss my mom, I think this is what they need. Beck, Aly, and I always talked about how great it would be if they go to Alcoholics Anonymous, but this is a step farther than that. This is an actual center where they would have people helping them for a longer amount of time.
And it'll be nice to come home to a house that isn't littered with empty wine bottles and shot glasses and angry dads and hands connecting with faces.
Living with Aunt Lea is going to be the best ever.
Maybe even Beck will move back into the house while she's here…
Fat chance.
But I can still hope.
Speaking of whom, he had migrated to my awfully girly swivel chair and was texting his girlfriend. Jade will probably want to kill my dad as much as Aly and Beck do when he tells her what happened.
Speaking of which…what am I gonna tell everyone at school? When Als got hurt, it was easy to cover up, but my eye is sort of different colors and swollen right now. Although, by tomorrow it'll just be one heck of a shiner. Gross.
But I can trust them enough not to tell anyone if I tell them the truth…right?
I should just ask one of my more knowledgeable siblings, ugh.
"Beck…?"
He looked up from his texting and smiled. "How's the eye?"
Barely hurting and very cold. "Doing better. But, I wanted to ask, what am I gonna tell the others at school? And my teachers?"
Normally when a child comes into school all bruised up the teachers ask questions and then they ask the parents questions and in comes child services.
"I sorta already told Jade." Beck rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "-and she told Cat. But we know Cat's good at keeping serious secrets, and as for the others, you don't have to tell them if you don't want to."
And I kind of don't. "What am I going to tell people then?"
"I guess you could tell them Aly hit you when she was dancing or something."
"Why is it always me that takes the blame when it has something to do with violence?"
Well look at that, as if on cue my sister steps in from…doing whatever it is she was doing.
I grinned. "Because, you are usually the one who causes the pain." But not this time.
She rolled her eyes. "But not this time."
Holy banana flavored Kit Kats; I think Allison can read my thoughts. Beck had already returned to texting Jade, and didn't bother to add anything to Aly's comment.
Maybe I should text my significant other. I barely talked to David all day because he had an away swim meet during school. I should wait though, he's probably really tired from, you know, swimming all day.
He's lucky, though. It's so hot in Los Angeles right now, I wish we had a pool.
"Hey Gwen," Aly waved me out of my thoughts. I raised my eyebrow. "On a scale of one to ten, how good are my teeth?"
Our brother looked up and chuckled. "Why?"
Aly rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I asked Gwen, not you. Butt out." She stuck her tongue out at him and he raised his hands in defense. "-So? From one to ten."
What in the world? Why is she even asking that? Oh, gosh. Uhm, "An eight…and a half?"
She seemed content with my answer but inspected her teeth in the reflection of her pink PearPhone.
Weirdo.
"And what about mine?" I asked, pondering my own teeth structure.
"A nine. For sure." She complimented, at least I took it as a compliment. Score for nice toothed Gwenners.
"What about my skin?"
Oh, Aly-kins. "Ten. And mine?"
"Nine and three quarters."
What's wrong with the quarter? "Why only three quarters?"
"Cause, you have a beauty mark under your chin," Aly pointed out my freckle.
I grinned. "Doesn't that mean that spot is beautiful, then?"
She let out a 'ha' and returned her attention to the screen of her phone.
Pffft. Who cares. Under my chin is now deemed as beautiful. I win. Aly loses.
"Beckett! Gwendolyn! Allison! Time for dinner!" Our lovely aunts voice flooded the house and I was so pumped to eat her delicious professionally prepared food.
That would be another win for me.
Aly's POV
The smell of the chicken penne is making my stomach turn and I'm pretty sure that it has some sort of cream sauce, which means it has dairy. Please have dairy in it.
I won't eat it all of. Just the small bits of chicken, because noodles, otherwise known as carbs, are too hard to purge.
Ew. God I hate that word.
Purge.
What an ugly word.
"I didn't use any cream based sauces just for you, Aly-gator." My aunt's shining face brightened up ten times more as Gwen, Beck and I entered the dining room.
"Oh…thanks." I tried to force a smile but knew it wasn't working. Yeah thanks, as if I'm not already fat enough.
I looked at the empty chairs. Were they not joining us? I mean, I'm surprised we're still having this dumb welcome home dinner.
"I guess they're eating in the guest room…" Aunt Lea sighed and sat down, her hands motioning and encouraging us to sit.
The guest room is the only place they can get too anyway, seeing as it's downstairs.
It's still good enough. Because I'd honestly throw James' crutches out the window, dump his chicken penne in his lap and then push him out the door.
But that's just me.
I picked up my fork and resisted the urge to cut my chicken into fourths, then eighths and chew thirty times each. That'll give me away for sure.
So I'll take two out of the three medallions of chicken I was given, cut them in half and then eat those. And only those. Move the noodles around a little and then drink an entire glass of water. Talk to Gwen a lot, not only to distract everyone from the fact that I'm not eating, but to make her feel better.
"So," My aunt clapped her hands together, much to cheery for my mood. "-why don't you tell me about these new special boys in your lives."
I heard Beck groan from the other side of Gwen and I smiled.
"His name is David. He's a really tall Asian cutie pie and he loves art; just like me! He's super sweet and loves me no matter what I do, even when I jump to conclusions and said that he was moving to Japan even though he was just going to visit his grandmother, and oh! He brought me back a commitment ring, look, look, look! "
That was barely understandable. I swear to Santa her and Cat could be related sometimes.
Which isn't too far fetched considering she's adopted.
Nevertheless, Lea smiled that mother-like smile she always wore even though she's clearly not our mother and got a closer look at Gwen's finger, investigating the ring. "He sounds wonderful. And the ring is beautiful, Gwenny." She turned to me. "What about you, sweetheart?"
Yay, perfect excuse to stop eating this mega delicious amazing- I mean, awfully putrid smelling chicken. "Sean's really sweet and everything I've ever wanted in a guy. He's perfect."
Short, sweet, and to the point. That's how I roll.
I skate the al dente noodles across my plate to the three o'clock position and take a rather large sip of water.
Gwen talks more about David and about the art show and tells Aunt Lea that she won and after dinner she'll have to show her the trophy. This kid is really excited that this lady is going to be staying with us for awhile. I'm happy she's staying here too, but for all the wrong reasons.
Yeah. Precious Auntie Lea doesn't know about my past issues of the toilet and food variety.
Scooting the uneaten food through the non-cream based sauce, I feel Beck's eyes burning a whole through my forehead.
Can't let him catch on. I just can't.
"This is really good chicken." I smile, shoving one more piece than I had planned into my mouth.
Great job, fatty.
