Breaking the balance

Chapter 2

It was Christmas morning. I woke up to my mother knocking on my door, not gently either.
"Wake up brat. Your grandma is going to be here in 20 minutes."
Hearing this I quickly jumped out of bed. I loved my grandparents dearly. Although my grandpa had passed two years ago, my grandma was still doing fairly well for her age. The best part of every Christmas was when my she came over. Hearing a car pull into the driveway, I quickly made my way downstairs. My parents had already opened the door for my grandmother and her nurse. Since she had some respiratory problems, whenever she visited a nurse would come along just in case. When my grandma saw me, she gave me a smile.
"Merry Christmas Damien!"
I sent a smile back, and gave her a hug.
"Merry Christmas to you too grandma."
She handed me a package on her lap that I hadn't noticed before.
"It's not much, but I hope you like it dear."
"Thanks Grandma!"
My parents only ever got me presents when my grandma was around, and when she left they'd take them away. Luckily, they never took the presents grandma gave me. Mostly because they always ended up being books. Judging from the packaging, that's what this years gift was as well.
"How have you been doing mother?"
"Just great, what about you Marie dear?"
I thought I saw my mothers face twitch for a second.
"It's Marilyn mom, and I've been doing fine."
My parents continued to make small talk as we all gathered in the living room. As they talked, I did my usual Christmas routine. Opening my presents one by one, saying thanks, and trying not to get attached. At one point I opened a really nice pair of converse, and I had to put them down quickly. Last but not least, I started to peel away the wrapping on my present from my grandma. As I suspected it was another book, but this one looked different than the others. While my grandma usually got me books that looked fresh out the store, this one was old. It had a beautiful leather cover with words that were so worn out that I couldn't read them, and the pages were slightly yellow with age. My grandma laid a hand on my shoulder.
"That book has been in my family for generations. Take good care of it."
I turned around to face her and nodded.
"I will."
"Alright, who's ready for brunch?"

~~~

With the sun starting to set, it was time for my grandma to go back to the retirement home.
"Bye grandma, see you next time."
"Goodbye Damien!"
I waved to her as she got in the back of a taxi. As the car drove out of sight, I closed the door and walked into the kitchen. My parents were there, sharing some wine.
"What do you want brat?"
"I-...um-"
I think my mother was already a bit tipsy.
"Well? Spit it out."
"I-I bought an apartment."
It was silent for a moment. I didn't realize how shocked they would be. A crash sounded next to my ear, and it took me a moment to register that she threw the wine bottle at me. She started screaming but I didn't really hear exactly what. I felt like it wasn't real. I brought my hand up to my cheek, and when I looked at my fingertips, they were smeared in blood. Although, I was quickly brought back to reality when my mother wrapped her hands around my neck. Her nails broke skin, and I could feel the faint trickle of blood. Then she left go, breathing heavy and hair disheveled.
"You have five minutes, pack your things. If you want to leave that badly, then go right now."
She didn't have to tell me twice. I ran upstairs and quickly threw my clothes into a backpack. It didn't take too long, and it felt like I was back downstairs after a second. My mother glared at me from the kitchen while my father walked up to me. He shoved something into my hands before pushing me out the door. As I heard the click of the lock, I looked down at what he gave me. It was the converse from earlier today. I sat down on the sidewalk, taking off my old worn sneakers for the new ones. Stuffing the old ones into my backpack, I started waking to my apartment.