Crossroads

I needed a cigarette. It was driving me crazy and the fact that I knew I couldn’t get one until the next day just made me even more crazy. I couldn’t just go into my bag and grab one because Matt would go crazy. He’s kinda hypocritical that way, he’s smoked before but if he were even to think that I was smoking about eight a day he would literally kill me. He’d say that I was throwing my life away on a cancer stick.

My throat was extremely itchy as I walked out of the bathroom and downstairs to join Jimmy, Matt and the rest of his family for dinner. Jimmy was staying at Zack’s tonight but Zack was going to call him to come over after his date had finished so they’d decided he’d just have dinner here.

“Kamryn sweetheart, can you help me bring some stuff through?” asked Matt’s mum, Kim. I nodded my head before following her through the dinning room and into the kitchen. “Sweetheart are you alright?” she asked. Matt’s mum had always called me sweetheart ever since I was a kid but she was the only one who would ever get away with it.

“Yeah, I’m great. Why do you ask?” I bit my lip, I knew this was about the phone call from my dad earlier and to be honest I really didn’t want to talk about it. She sighed and then, taking my arms in her hands, sat me down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

“I know this is a touchy subject Kamryn but you know I have to ask after hearing what your dad said about you to Matthew earlier.” she’d used my name, that could only mean trouble. “Has your dad ever hit you Kamryn?” my eyes went wide.

“No! No, he would never do anything like that! I swear it. Something really bad must have happened to make him drink so much, he would never really hit me, it was the alcohol talking not him.” I explained hurriedly, praying to god that she would realise I was telling the truth.

“Okay sweetheart. But you do know that if anything ever happens, you can always come here. Anytime, day or night. I know it must be difficult for you without your mom around but if you need anything you can come to me.” she smiled sweetly as she rubbed my arm comfortingly.

“Thanks Kim.” I smiled back, tears welling up in my eyes for some unknown reason. Can the need for a smoke make you more emotional? I dunno.

After we’d had our little chat we got everything together and took it through to the dinning room where everyone else was sitting. Matt noticed the tears that were starting to go away as I sat down next to him, his brow creased and I shook my head while mouthing later. He nodded his head before we began dinner. All through dinner Matt’s little sister Amy kept glancing between Matt and I with a slight smile on her face, I gave her a confused look and she bit her lip as though she knew something that no one else did.

At the end of the meal, when we were just about to clear everything in, the doorbell went.

“Gary will you get that please?” asked Matt’s mom and his dad got up to go answer the door. Everyone else got up and started to leave, Amy was helping her mom and I decided I would as well so I could ask her what she’d been secretly giggling about throughout dinner.

“No Gary let me see my fucking daughter!” I heard my dad scream from the front of the house, I got such a fright that the plate I was holding fell to ground and smashed into a million pieces. Ignoring Kim’s shouts for me to stay where I was, I ran through the dining room and into the hall. There, at the door, stood my dad. His face was red, his eyes puffy and he was staggering a bit with a bottle in his hand.

“Kamryn, baby. Come here.” he tried to smile as he beckoned me with his hand but it was crooked. I took one step towards him before I heard the sound of Matt and Jimmy bounding down the stairs, not seconds later I felt Matt grab hold of my arm and push me behind him, next to Jimmy.

“David I think you should just go home and sleep it off. You can speak to her tomorrow.” Gary spoke as he tried to get my dad to leave again, he’d managed to push himself into the house slightly.

“Kamryn come on, lets go home. Please Kamryn lets go.” I could tell from both his red eyes and the sound of his voice that he’d been crying which really wasn’t like him, he didn’t even cry when mom left him. I attempted to step around Matt again but Jimmy wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him so I couldn’t go anywhere.

“Dad what’s wrong?” I asked, trying to see around Matt who was doing his best to stop me from having to see my dad in the state he was in. “What happened?”

“Let the fuck go of me Gary, why won‘t you let me take my daughter home?” he screamed making Kim appear from the kitchen.

“That’s enough David, get the hell out of my house or I swear I will call the cops.” She seethed, dishcloth in hand. “Boy’s take Kamryn upstairs. Amy go with them.” I felt myself being pulled away from everyone as both Jimmy and Matt had hold of me, pulling me upstairs to Matt’s room with them.