Iris

By the next hour I was drunk. Almost everything I said was slurred and I kept falling so eventually at some time during the night I’d took my shirt off and fell asleep in Izzy’s bathtub. Yes, that’s what I said, the bathtub. I woke up in the bathroom to see many more people in the bathroom and wondered what had happened. I saw Izzy and Gabe on the floor and Justin had knocked everything off the counter and fell asleep while I seen Kellin on the toilet seat. What had happened? I carefully stood up and put a hand to the side of my head hoping it’d stop the horrible throbbing and pounding. I looked around and found my shirt in the sink next to Justin. I went over there just as he was waking up. “Ugh, what happened?” He asked.
“I honestly have no idea but I have to go-” Oh wait, I told Gwen I wasn’t coming back. “Actually Nevermind.” I said shrugging. I got my shirt out of the sink and seen Justin blush a little. I felt completely fine like this though. For some odd reason Justin just seemed…trustable. I didn’t mine since I’d had on a bandeau bra under the shirt.
“What Nevermind?” Justin asked.
“Oh, nothing. My mom and I got in a fight and I told her I wasn’t coming home so I’m not.” I said.
“Seriously? Over a little argument?” Justin asked swinging his legs over the side of the counter.
“It wasn’t a little argument. Please, don’t underestimate a situation you know nothing about.” I said.
“Sorry, sorry. But what happened?” He asked.
“Well, when I was younger I had a younger sister and Gwen already acted like she didn’t want us and then to add onto the situation she was an excessive drunk. So one day she wrecked the car while she was drunk and my little sister snapped her neck. I wasn’t in the car but when she came home because her husband had bailed her out of jail I’d already known what’d happened. Ever since then I’ve hated her. I only care about my little brother. I wish that I could take him with me to wherever I was going but I can’t. Someday I hope I’ll win custody over him though.” I said putting my shirt back on. I’d lost my hat too. Oh well, I had plenty of those. I could just grab another one.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Justin said.
“Don’t be because one day she’s gonna get what she deserves.” I said.
“So where are you heading?” Justin asked.
“Actually to Gwen’s real quick just to get my stuff. Then I don’t know.” I said.
“Want me to go with you?” Justin asked.
I shrugged. “You can if you want to.” I said. It’s not like we’d ever see each other again. I went over to Izzy. I leaned down and smacked her awake. I always did this since we were little and she always knew who it was.
“Hmm?” She said. She must have been too cozy on Gabe’s chest.
“Hey, Izzy I’m leaving. Like the town, I’m leaving the town. Gwen and I got in a fight. But I’ll stop by to see you sometimes.” I said and walked out of the bathroom before she could protest. I motioned for Justin to follow me. We walked down Izzy’s stairs and out the huge front door. We walked onto the street. It was cloudy so we had to be quick before it started raining.
“You have really pretty hair.” Justin said out of the blue. I turned to face him.
“…Thanks?” I said and we laughed.
“No it’s true. You’re very pretty.” He said.
“Thanks,” I said, “I’ve never really thought so myself.”
“Well, you are just to clarify.” He said.
“Well, thanks buddy.” I said. “Hey, do you have a cigarette?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Justin pulled out a pack of cigarette’s and a lighter. He handed them to me.
“Thanks.” I said taking a cigarette and lighting it.
“No problem. You can have that pack if you want.” He said.
“For real? Thanks!” I said.
“Yeah.” He smiled at me and I returned it. Soon we got to my house. “Is everyone’s house on this block this freaking big?” Justin asked.
“Yes.” I laughed.
“God, beats a bus.” He said.
“I would pay to live on a bus with you and the rest of the guys.” I said.
“Well, you should.” He said.
“No way.” I said. “I can’t just barge in like that.”
“Can you sing?” He asked.
“I don’t know. Probably not.” I said.
“Well, sing for me in your house.” He said.
“No. I get embarrassed.” I said.
“I won’t laugh if you’re bad.” Justin said. “Can you play anything?” He asked.
“Yeah, voice. But not very good.” I said and Justin laughed.
“You play voice?” He asked still laughing. I laughed a little too. We got to the front door and I turned the knob. I stepped inside and seen Gwen then Luka.
“Oh my God Naomi! Where were you?” Gwen asked trying to sound worried.
“Save your crap Gwen I’m not in the mood. I have a horrible hang over.” I said.
“Hasn’t that been the case for the last 5 years?” She asked.
“Don’t come at me with bull shit like that.” I said taking the cigarette out of my mouth. Gwen seen Justin come in and she gasped.
“Who is this?” She asked leaning on the counter.
“A friend. Justin Hills.” I said putting the cigarette out on the counter.
“Let me guess. Someone from a band?” She asked.
Justin nodded. “Nice to meet you.” He said.
“Don’t worry you can tell her she’s the devil.” I said.
“Naomi…” Gwen warned. “Please not while you have a guest over and your brother is in the room.” Gwen sighed.
“No! You’ve never said anything about it before now! What? You don’t want me to leave! Well, good luck because I’m leaving anyways just be glad I don’t take Luka with me. It’s not like you’re capable of keeping him.” I yelled at her. I felt Justin put a hand on my shoulder.
“Naomi calm down.” He said.
“Ugh, you know what Naomi? I give up. On you on Luka on everyone.” She said and that’s what really set me off.
“You give up on Luka! Are you fucking kidding me?! You gave up on Sarah and that’s why she’s dead!” I screamed at her. “Forget it! I’m taking Luka with me wherever I go!” I said. I grabbed Luka off the bar stool. “Come on Luka. You’re gonna live with me for now.” I said. “Justin come on.” I said. Luka wrapped his legs around my waist and kept his arms around my neck. Justin followed me upstairs and I heard Gwen crying in the kitchen.
“I don’t know what to do!” I said braking down. I felt the tears on my face as I set Luka down on my bed. “I don’t know!” I said. I screamed and put my fingers around a glass globe I had by my nightstand and threw it. It shattered with the horrible sound of something like cracking bones. I felt arms go around me and I looked up to see Justin hugging me. I just put my arms around him and cried.

When I was done crying Justin still told me that Luka and I could stay on the bus with him and the guys. “Justin I just can’t do that.” I said. “Kellin has Copeland and Katelynne with him.” I said. “I can’t come on the bus adding me and another kid.” I said.
“He’s a big boy. He knows how to listen don’t you?” Justin asked Luka and Luka smiled and nodded. Justin had been playing with him the whole time and Luka had actually taken a liking to him. I was a little surprised because Luka was socially awkward. He didn’t talk to other children at school or on the block. He really only like me and Izzy so the fact that he was taking to Justin was crazy to me. “Come on. I’ll take care of you guys.” Justin said. I sighed.
“It’s not that I don’t think you won’t Justin! I just…I barely know you. Yeah, I’ve admired you from afar for years but that doesn’t change the fact that I barely know you and neither does Luka.” I said. I wasn’t going to say my decision was final because it wasn’t. I was still thinking about it and at the moment I was leaning more toward saying yes honestly. “
“Okay, what will it take for you and Luka to move in on the bus with us?” Justin asked.
“I don’t know.” I said but then I thought of something. I was doing this for Luka’s happiness. I stopped packing for a minute. “If Luka wants to move in then we’ll move in. If not then we’ll find somewhere to stay.” I said and I seen Justin get nervous but he said okay. “Okay, Luka?” I said moving toward him. I squatted and looked him in the eye. “Do you wanna move in with Justin and his friends or do you want to find a place with just me and you?” I asked. Luka was old enough to understand. The sun hitting his hair made it look gold. He tilted his head in thought. Then he did what he had done since he was 2 and leaned next to my ear. He never liked to talk in front of strangers and the idea of him really talking at all was kind of foreign to me. Ever since the first time Gwen had beat him when she was drunk the day after his second birthday he’d just stopped talking all together. Some night Gwen would get on her hands and knees and beg him to talk to her and some nights she just stared at him like she was waiting for him to talk to her again. In a way I guess we both were but it still never happened. Sure he would whisper things in my ear but by now I’d gotten used to his signs and what they meant. He wasn’t mute but hearing him talk was a rarity. He cupped his small hands around his mouth and my ear. “Justin.” He whispered and backed up smiling. I was shocked. I was 100% sure he was going to say just me and him. I started to wonder what miracle Justin had worked on him when I wasn’t looking. I sighed.
“Well, looks like we’ll need a bunk.” I sighed out. Justin’s face lit up and he flashed a huge smile.
“Come here buddy!” He said bending down to pick Luka up and hug him. Luka gladly obliged. I felt myself smiling. It was great to see Luka smiling and being so happy for once. I never seen him like this with anyone but myself. I wonder how he’d take to the other guys.
“Hey, bring him in here so we can get his stuff.” I said directing Justin to Luka’s room.
“Okay.” He said and looked to Luka. “And hey Luka me and you are gonna have some guy time soon.” He said and Luka nodded and smiled. Luka was turning 8 in a few days and ’guy time’ is really what he needed. I knew he was sick of sitting in a house full of females all the time and he wanted to go do some stuff with some guys. His dad had tried but Gwen had ran him off. Big shocker. We entered his room and Justin put him down. Luka ran to his drawers and pulled out all his clothes.
“Get everything Luka.” I said. He nodded. I walked over to Justin. “Don’t try to force him to talk.” I said. Justin looked at me.
“I wasn’t going to but why? What’s wrong with him?” He asked.
“Gwen beat him when he was younger and he just hasn’t been talking since then. I think he’s scared to get attached to anyone except for me. He knows Izzy but he doesn’t talk to her like he does me. Gwen was drunk and she just kept hitting him and since then he just…I don’t know. He became socially awkward after that too. You’re the first person I’ve ever seen him open up to like that.” I said. “Just please don’t try and force him to talk. It’ll just hurt him more. He’ll sometimes whisper things to me when I don’t get what he’s trying to tell me but he may just start whispering to you too.” I said and smiled at him. He smiled back. Justin seemed like he would be a good dad. Wait, why was I thinking of Justin being a dad? Oh god he was already getting in my head.