I Love to Hate you

Really?

music:
*Normal Girl by SZA

"Morning" I mumble, walking towards the kitchen where my brother currently stands.

He doesn't spare me a look before walking across the room.

Is he really going to keep this pity party going? "Look, what do you want me to say huh?" I turn around abruptly, stoping him in his tracks as I steadily hold his forearm. "I'm- I'm just upset alright." He finally speaks.

"Oh wow, I even forgot how you sounded, or did your voice drop an octave in this last few days?" I joke, turning back and continuing my track over to the kitchen to grab the coffee, but once I get there, the coffee pot is empty. "Now that's a low blow, didn't even spare me the coffee you made?" I complain, rinsing the machine so I can make more for me. "You know, I went to sleep at 4am yesterday, insomnia hit bad-"

Once I turn back again, to look at my brother, he's not there anymore. "Really?"

I sigh, rolling my eyes.

Suddenly I hear the machine beep, indicating my daily coffee is ready.

I pour it into my cup and walk over to the counter, leaning on it as I stare at the blank apartment. The empty apartment.

————————

On my way over to the class, I video call Daphne. "Hey my love, how are you?" She asks, a fake smile on her face and the reddened eyes telling me all I need to know. I instantly stop on my steps. "Hey, I'm fine. What's up with you?" I ask worriedly, she is clearly on the verge of crying.

"I- I'm fine" She sniffs, bringing her sleeve up to her eyes. "No, no. Tell me, what is it?" I ask her, my voice a little angrier now, assuming this has to do with her parents."Look, it's nothing alright? Just- my parents-"

And there it is.

"They keep telling me what to do and-" Tears stroll down her cheek. "-and they keep giving me this statistics of how being a teacher doesn't make me a valuable person, because their salaries aren't usually the best" She sniffs, squinting hard her eyes in a attempt to avoid tears slipping down. "Don't- don't buy that. If you want to be a teacher, you can sure as hell be one." I assure her, wishing so much I could just hug her sadness away.

I turn on my tracks, going straight back to the apartment. "I'm sorry I'm interrupting your-" She starts but I instantly cut her off. "No. You're not interrupting anything. How's your brother in all this?" I ask her, worried for the duo.

"He's probably getting the talk right now. But I don't know, because he only started hockey in the first place because my father made him. Mickey always liked surfing more, and living life on the summer. You know Mickey" She explains, I nod, silently asking her to explain it further.

"Well you were there so you know it, but, my dad was the one that forced Mickey into the world of hockey and doing the medicine coach thing. So I don't know how the talk with him will go, but unless he finally stands up for my father, nothing much will happen to him. I just wished we had another brother you know, someone that wanted the company, and then could take the company the fuck away from me and Michael. I hate it, the only thing that generates is anger and angst." She confesses, clearly still very sensitive about the topic.

I remember that all too well. It's pretty hard to forget when your best friend calls you in tears, desperate. Telling me how she wished she could just be a day away from her home.

So I guess that's why Daphne is constantly off her house, always going out, finding reasons to hang out away from her home. I could never blame her from it, if my parents attempted to force me into something I hated, I'd feel the same way.