What she expected upon going home was silence, maybe the tv on in van’s room, but definitely not the full-scale argument between van and his boyfriend that she had walked into.
Taking her shoes off, she made her way up the small stairs and towards her brother's room.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she heard van yell.
“BULLSHIT! You- you SULT!”
Crash
She heard something break and rushed to his room, throwing open the door to see a much taller man, the boyfriend, standing over her brother.
His hands were shaking as he sat on the floor, picking up pieces of broken glass from a picture frame that had been broken.
Van glanced up, hoping the boyfriend opened the door to leave but that hopefulness changed, and a look of pure horror crossed his face,”y-you’re home?”
She may be small, but she's had a long ass day. She turned and looked at van’s “boyfriend”. She gave most of her attention to the sorry excuse of oxygen in the room.
“You have about 3 damn seconds to get the hell out of our apartment, or I'm calling the police.” Her face was blank, but in her mind, not only was she worried for Van, but she was livid that this sea urchin thought he could harm HER brother.
“Oh yeah?” he sneered, stepping into her space, practically spitting on her as he spoke,”The fuck someone as useless as you gonna do about it? Huh? The police won’t be here soon enough, doll~”
With a downright sadistic smile,”Why, I'm so glad you asked!” she said, faking cheerfulness, grabbing the collar of his shirt, and yanking him down onto his knees.
With her other hand, she grabbed a fist of his hair and pulled his head back,”I am sure Van is too nice to tell you when enough is enough, but I, sweetie, am not.”
He looked pissed and humiliated, but the adrenalin in her system managed to aid her in keeping him down.
“Y-You’re fuckin’ crazy” He croaked out.
She twisted the hand in his hair and smiled,”Don’t like it do you? When someone makes you feel small?” she practically pulled him down the small stairs and to the door.
Van scrambled up from his spot where he had been staring at the glass and followed,” L-Lottie stop- Jesus christ! Let him go! I swear it was a misunderstanding! Fuck- Let him go- please!”
She looked down at the guy. He had clenched his teeth and had a few tears welling up in his eyes, though from anger, pain, or humiliation, she couldn't tell.
Then, she glanced at herself in a small mirror they had hung up when they moved in.
Letting his hair go, her hands dropped to her sides, as she staired hard at her reflection. Her nose, eyes, and lips. She always envied Van for getting their fathers looks, she resembled their mother.
The man stood and rubbed at his scalp,”You’re fuckin’ crazy” He spat at her.
Van went and, hesitation clear as day, hugged his boyfriend. The boyfriend gave Van a kiss but kept his eye’s on lottie and flipped her off behind Van’s back.
An hour later she sat on the couch staring at a blank tv when Van came in. There were dead flower’s on their coffee table, filling the room with a souring scent.
With tears in her eyes, she turned and looked at Van,”Do you- am i really like mom?” she asked.
His eyes widened,”Oh dear, lottie, no. You’re nothing like mom, I'm so sorry I said that. It was in a moment of weakness, I’m having a pretty bad day.” He chuckled weakly.
She brought her knees up to her chest,”But you’re right.”She stated looking away from him to stare at the tv again.
"I was making those comments like mom did- don’t make that face, i may be 4 years younger but i understood the body shaming she put you through.”
He closed his mouth then opened it again to deny,”Save it,”She interrupted whatever he was going to say.
”I'm so sorry i told you that shirt made you look fat..and-and i’ll try not to make comments on you be-being thin and and” she couldnt quite get a grasp on her tears as she began crying violently.
“Oh hunny, come here.”He opened his arms for a hug, she scooted into his embrace.
He ran a shaky hand through her hair, gently scratching her scalp,”You are so much better than that old witch.”
She gave a wet laugh,snuggling closer to her older brother,”You know you can talk to me about anything...right?”she asked, picking at his fraying shirt.
“Yeah, why?” He looked down at her.
“would you tell me if he was abusing you?” she looked up at him.
Van fell quiet and was deep in thought with a blank face.
“Sometimes, the things we want to say and do…sometimes it’s better if we dont do or say them.''He sighed.
"I love you ,lottie, I really do. You’re my best friend, little sister, and my whole world. But somethings i'm just not comfortable talking about with you” He finished with a whisper.
She nodded and gestured around the room,”this place we built here. It was supposed to be better than this. I-It was, IS , supposed to feel like a home.”
She sighed and looked up at Van,”Don’t you feel it? The accumulation of misery we have here?”
He nodded, and to attempt at lightening the mood said,”maybe that man of yours will end up letting us move in.” he joked.
She laughed,”Yeah maybe, he’d have to actually be my man first. I keep saying the wrong things, and i think he thinks i dont like him.”
She stretched out on the couch, “Only time will tell, my dear brother. But I think I , well we, have great things coming our way.” she drifted off to sleep, the day finally catching up to her small body.
He shimmied out from under her when his phone went off, heading into the kitchenett. He got chills as his feet hit the tile.
7 missed messages from Samuel
‘You told her, didn't you?’
‘You know what i said would happen’
‘Answer me, you idiot!’
‘I still know where she works’
‘I hope you know what happens next is your fault’
‘Sorry baby, i won't do it any more, you know how i get when i drink’
‘See you tomorrow <3’
For lottie's sake, he hopes she stays out as long as she can. He would never forgive himself if something happened to his little sister.
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Here it is, folks, chapter six
I got seven in the making and an idea for
Eight
Honestly, Van and Lottie have such a complex bond, and I can't wait to dig deeper into it
Make sure to share your thoughts, feelings, and places you think I could fix it or make it better
🫶🏽
YOU ARE READING
To Short For This
Romance⚠️WARNING⚠️ This story contains mentions of abuse, mental health issues, and strong language ⚠️WARNING⚠️ Okay, so maybe climbing the aisle at Walmart wasn't the brightest idea, but when it lands you in the lap of a very handsome lad, falling and sc...
