Chapter two!! I'm kinda writing these in blocks…
So deal with it.
Thank you very much to my wonderful reviewers!
PS, If you read my fic Getting Over L, it may start getting a little emo because most of the chapters are things that really happened to me and I lost my dad last month.
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"Shh." I hushed Lawliet, having just locked the door. I sat in front of him and wrapped my arms around his small shape. "It's alright… It'll be okay." I leaned back from the embrace and smiled at him, wiping tears from his eyes. "I promise this will never happen again. I'll fix if for you."
He sniffed a little before the tears stopped. "Promise?" I laughed.
"I never meant anything more in my life. In two days you won't even know daddy anymore. Now, let me look at your tummy, see if you're hurt."
Lawliet fussed for a moment, but managed to pull his oversized white sweater up. I poked at his stomach for a moment. "It doesn't look like you broke a rib or anything. You should be fine."
"But you cut your head, Page. You're bleeding." I gingerly touched my head and found that he was right. The pain had gone numb, but I still had to fix my head up. I slipped into the bathroom that connected my room and Lawliet's.
After washing and putting band-aids on my cuts, I pulled the glass out of my hair and brushed it, making a mental note to shower and wash out the stench of whisky after Lawliet fell asleep. I took a moment to look at myself in the mirror. I quietly backed into the wall and slid down so I was sitting with my legs held in front of me.
And I cried. I began to sob over what our family had become. I continued to cry even after Lawliet pushed his way into the bathroom and sat beside me. And when I eventually stopped, I gave Lawliet another hug, and we went into his bedroom.
It was considerably smaller than mine, but it had a small book shelf, because Lawliet could read from an early age. Then there was his bed, and a few other things. I quietly locked the door there too. I didn't want dad in here either.
"We're not going to school tomorrow, okay, Lawliet?" I said, still distracted by the thought of my own plan.
"Alright. I wanna go but if you're gonna make dad better then I can stay home."
"Lawliet?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm not going to make dad better. I'm going to make dad go away." I bit my lip. "Tonight and tomorrow, while dad is at work, were going to get everything we need for a while, and leave and go away. Daddy is never going to hurt you again."
"But-"
"Lawliet you need to trust me, okay?"
Tension hung in the air for a moment. "Just get into bed, okay? I'll tuck you in."
Lawliet did as I said, and I went over and hugged him. "Y'know what?" He asked, as I was about to go look for a suitcase.
"Hm? What?"
"I know mom isn't here anymore, but you act like my mom." He said.
I smiled. "It's not like we have a dad." I closed the door to the bathroom and took that shower I said I would. It took three squirts of shampoo to get all the smell out of my hair and I still found some glass shards I hadn't found before.
Afterwards, I put on my PJs and went to bed.
But I couldn't sleep. I wasn't sure what had happened that night that just pushed me over the edge. Lawliet was right, I was being his mom, but I had no choice. We couldn't deal with what we had now, so we would deal with the streets if we had to. And we had to.
I got up after only a few hours and walked over to my desk, and sat in front of it. I rubbed my hands on my face, and looked down at my desk, as tidy as ever. I pulled a pen out of the left hand drawer, and reached for a note book, flipping open to a blank page of lined paper. Carefully, I ripped it neatly from the book, and put the notebook back where it had been.
Leaning over the paper, my hand hesitated, the pen tip hovering just above the sheet. I swallowed, took a few shaky breaths and wrote.
Dear Mr. Lapinski,
You may have been expecting me to address you as 'dad,' or, 'father,' but unfortunately, that doesn't fit your description anymore. I am writing this note to leave for you so that you may further understand the situation.
Lawliet Lapinski and I have decided that it is beneficial for both of us and you if you and we no longer lived under the same roof, and as such, we are leaving. Thank you for your 'hospitality' for these years you have taken care of us.
Please, do not come looking for us. We don't want anything from you after the date of November first, 1984. We will take many of our belongings with us when we leave, as well as money. Feel free to do what you wish with anything we leave behind.
I thank you again, Mr. Lapinski. Goodbye.
-Page Lapinski,
Lawliet Lapinski.
PS, Since you are likely drunk as you read this, I'll sum it up. We're sick of you and we're leaving. Thanks for nothing.
I pulled an envelope out of my small box of stationary, the best envelope I could find, and I folded the letter, as carefully as I had ripped the paper, and tucked it inside. I sealed it with so much caution it was infuriating, but I had to if I wanted to do anything right: my hands were shaking.
After writing plainly Mr. Edmond Lapinski, I placed the pen back where I found it. Slowly, I slouched over the desk, and buried by face in my arms. I was tired and falling asleep, finally.
I didn't bother to move. No, I was too tired. I fell asleep at my desk, and had pleasant dream and horrible night mares about the future.
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The first thing I remember of the next morning was something tugging sharply on my night shirt. Sitting up straight, I rubbed one eye and looked at the familiar child.
"Good morning, Lawliet." I said.
"Why didn't you sleep in your bed?" He asked. "Were you writing something?"
"Yeah… I was writing a letter to daddy. Speaking of which, is he still home?"
"No, he left a few minutes ago."
"Then go get a duffel bag and back only three sets of clothes, alright? Then pack your toothbrush and a soap bar, and a hair brush and things like that." I instructed.
Lawliet nodded. "Okay." Then he ran off. I followed my own instructions and gathered together some good, warm clothes and toiletries. I then went for every secret money stash I kept, tossing it into a small purse. I went over to Lawliet's room.
"You all packed?"
"Yup. Do you have your stuff?"
I nodded, putting my clothes in the bag. "Now, I need you to go and get the money pot on the kitchen counter, alright?" I received another nod and Lawliet ran out of the room.
I followed suit, but instead broke into dad's room, quickly grabbing a large blanket and an umbrella. I then searched for several minutes, and found several hundred dollars in money for booze in a small box in his drawer. I emptied it into the purse.
I slipped out again, closing the door softly. When I got back to Lawliet's room, he was sitting solemnly on the bed, beside the duffel bag.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.
"We can never come home, can we?" He replied. I froze. "We can't even see daddy. And we have to work, or live outside now."
I hesitated before answering. "Not forever, just for a little bit, then we'll get an apartment. And we can grow up really happy, and I'll send you to University. Everything is gonna be just fine."
"Then I can get a job and take care of you?" He asked hopefully.
"Yeah." I laughed. "But I won't bother you. I'll find a husband and we can all be happy."
I hated it. I hated lying to him. He was a little genius, but he was too gullible. It kinda hurt. But I got over it-It was time to leave.
I zipped up the duffel bag and tossed it over my shoulder.
"Come on, Lawliet. We gotta leave. Get the note off my desk and bring it downstairs." I grabbed the bag and started through the hallway. Half-way down the stairs I heard Lawliet's foot steps behind me. "You found it?" I called back.
"Yeah. Should I put it on the kitchen table?"
"Smart. Yeah, put it there. I'll wait for you out front."
I ran quickly out of the house to wait by the front door. I had left Lawliet alone for the reason that he would be upset to leave. I gave him a moment before we left. I wanted to give him a change to say good bye to the life he'd know, with its good and it's bad. The only life he had ever known.
I let my eyes drift freely across the street and around the house. And when my eyes fell on one figure across the street, my heart sunk. I began to panic and ran into the house. Because of all the things I had planned for, I hadn't planned on my father showing up.
Running through the kitchen, I grabbed the note off the table and almost ran right into Lawliet. I grabbed his hand and pulled him through the house to the laundry room.
"What are you doing?!" He yelled.
"Shh." I hushed. "He's back."
"Who?"
"Dad."
The tension only worsened when silence hung over the room. I heard the sound of the door and then a colorful stream of curse words. I instinctively covered Lawliet's ears. I, on the other hand, listened carefully.
"MOTHERFUCKER!! I CAN"T BE-FRICKEN-LEAVE IT! THEY CAN"T JUST FIRE ME THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!!"
So he got fired. About time. That means that we should get out soon, and we can't get out that way.
"Lawliet, I'm gonna help you up to the window, alright?" I whispered.
I got another nod, and lifted my little brother to the windowsill, were he quickly got out of the house.
"Good." I said, before climbing on the dryer to jump out the same window. I sighed. "Ready to leave?"
Lawliet almost mimicked my sigh and bitter-sweet expression before replying. "Yeah."
He held out his hand. I took it in mine, and we walked quickly out to the end of the street and around the corner, headed straight for the train station and our true goal of Winchester.
But I could imagine what happened later that day.
Dad would walk, for whatever reason, into the Laundry room, and find an envelope, hastily tossed to the floor. He would read it, then his swearing would get worse. Then at least, he wouldn't have to see us anymore.
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Not as good as the last one, but the waterworks come next chapter. WITH A TIME SKIP :D
Anyway, thanks to you all for reviewing. See ya next chapter!