Playing Pretend

20| Sober up

"I don't want to study today, I'm too tired!"

"Here drink some coffee." He handed me his starbucks cup. I took a sip and immediately spit it out, "EW! Its black coffee and its cold!"

"Its been sitting there since this morning." He let out a chuckle and turned on a corner to my house. "I hate you!"

"Nah, you love me!"

"Gross, not in a million years."

"So two million?" He raised a brow.

"Never!" I stated.

"Never!" He mocked. "Whatever." He chuckled.

I looked out the window, our neighborhood isn't as fancy as his. I started to feel a tad bit embarrassed, we didn't always live in a place like this.

"Hey, when you come over to my place. Don't you even worry about your car getting stolen?"

"No, the thought never crossed my mind." He pulled up in my driveway. "Why?"

"I-I don't know I was just thinking."

I got out the car and to my surprise my dad was home. "Oh crap! I didn't think my dad was going to be home." I groaned.

"We can't go to my place because my dad is home." He stated.

"Right. We are just studying i-it shouldn't be a big deal." I just hope he isn't drunk.

"What, you guys haven't talked yet?"

"No, I never want to speak to him again." I unlocked the front door. "Well that's a bit harsh don't you think?"

"Harsh? What he said to me was harsh. You just had to be there."

Once I stepped foot into my house the smell of bleach hit me like a trunk and I started to get nauseous. "Oh my God!" I covered my nose from the stench.

I looked around the house it was...  Clean.

"Dad?" So much for not talking to him.

"Hello?!" I slowly walked over to where the scrubbing sound was coming from. I finally entered the kitchen to see my dad on the floor scrubbing the cabinets like crazy.

He couldn't here me because he had headphones in.

"Dad." I tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped, dropping the rag out of his hand. "You scared me!" He took out his head phones, "When did you get home?"

"Just now... W-What are you doing?" I questioned confused.

"I'm cleaning, the house was a mess. I started this afternoon, I clean the upstairs already, the bathroom, my room, I even cleaned your room, and now I'm starting downstairs."

"Yes, I see that. But why?"

"Wel-"

"Is it okay if I go upstairs?" Sebastian popped his head head the kitchen.

"Who is this? And why is a boy trying to go upstairs to your room."

"I'm Sebastian sir." He carefully walked into the kitchen, walking around the wet spots on the floor. He hold out his hands, "Its nice to meet you. Again." He smiled.

"Right..." He stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans, "We did meet." He shook his hand.

"You actually remember that? Drunk and all. You remember when you basically attacked him, you attacked my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" They both said in unison.

"Yes boyfriend." I grabbed a hold of Sebastians hand.

"I didn't attack him."

"Yeah Crystal, he didn't attack me. You're being dramatic."

"Okay!!," I let go of his hand and crossed my arms. "You're on his side now? You know why don't you two clean together." I turned around and started to walk out the kitchen.

"Crystal, I'm changing!"

His words made me stop in my tracks. But I didn't dare turn around.

"This seems invasive I'm going to head up." Sebastian says and heads out the kitchen but before he does so he gives me a squeeze on my shoulder.

"I-I said some terrible things, and I get it if-if you don't ever want to speak to me again. But just please just look at me."

I wiped my eyes from tears, "Really?" I turned around, "Look at you? Because I recall you said you COULDN'T look at me." I spat.

"I know.... I said a lot of things. And I'm so sorry Crystal, I'm so fucking sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was wrong, everything was wrong."

"But you meant every single word though."

"No I didn't!"

"YES YOU DID!" I covered my mouth, stopping me from crying.

"You just had the guts to say it out loud dad. If I hadn't been born she and Aiden would still be here. It is my fault." I started to feel nauseous and not because of the bleach. I sat down on a chair and my dad squated down in front of me.

"Its not your fault. Its nobodys fault, I-I just needed to blame someone for my bad behavior. That's why I'm not drinking any more. I went to my first AA meeting today."

"What?"

"I said I was changing, that's why I started cleaning. I started to get anxious and I needed to do something a-and get my mind off of drinking. You were right, I am an alcoholic." He started to cry, "I'm so sorry Crystal, I'm sorry. I've been the worse father ever. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He cried.

Without second thought I pulled him into a hug. He's grieving just like me, and we all grieve in different ways, I can't beat him up over that. "Its okay dad." I whisper, "Its okay." I repeated.

I can't believe this is happening. He's changing, he's not going to me drinking any more!!

Mom, dad is going to be coming back.

"I'm going to get back to cleaning, okay." He wiped my tears, "Keep the door open okay."

"Okay." Before I headed upstairs I pulled him into a hug one last time. "I'm so proud of you."

Sebastian

I walked around her room, patiently waiting for her. I walked towards her dresser and looked at her pictures, I let out a laugh when i saw a picture of her when she was younger, she had red lipstick smudged all over her face.

"Shes too cute."

I carefully placed it down and moved on to the next one. It was a picture of her brother... everyone knows that her brother and mom died in a car crash. An uneasy feeling ran down my spine, imagine loosing your family.

How does she handle all of that?

How is she always so happy?

"Bash!" I quickly placed the frame down. And turned around before I could react Crystal had jumped into my arms and hugged me.

"Woah, what are we celebrating?"

She pulled away. A part of me didn't want her too.

"My dad! He's changing, he's going to stop drinking a-and I'm getting my dad back back!" She said with the biggest smile on her face.

"Sebastian!" She squealed out of excitement, and slightly jumped up and down. Which by the way was extremely cute. "I could just kiss you right now!" And without second thought, she did. One minute she was jumping up and down the next her lips were on mines.

"Holy shit." I said out loud.

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Sorry for the short chapter.