Better This Way

Eight.I

Flashback. III

No need to be asked twice, Drew ran upstairs went went inside the room that was adjacent to Nicki’s room. He closed the door quietly and pressed his left ear on it, trying to listen to the conversation between Justin and his parents, Roel and Lucy Decker.

“Justin, why are you still awake?” asked a high-pitched voice.

“Hi Mom, Dad,” Justin said as he kissed his mother’s cheek. “I just got home from Chelsea’s house. Her mom invited me for a dinner.”

“I like that girl of yours,” she gushed with a fake tone. “What about my dearest daughter? Where is she?”

“She’s sleeping now, Mom.”

“And her so-called best friend, has he been here?”

“Uhh, not that I know of. What’s wrong with Andrew going in here?” Justin’s blue eyes went wide and darker.

“Oh! Nancy and Tony James’ son? I just don’t like his family, that’s it,” she said and Drew got nervous and angry at the same time that he might destroy Justin’s furniture.

“Why, Mom? The moment you learned his parents's name, you went all angry for some unknown reason. You’re being unfair and unprofessional here.”

“Don’t you raise your voice to me, Justin William,” she threatened. Roel was just looking at them, face emotionless.

“Or what, mother? You’ll ground me? Do it for all I care! You’re being selfish and ungrateful. The only thing you are thinking anyway is your stupid company. Neither mine nor Nicki’s life. You –”

He had not given a chance to speak further because her mom slapped him right in his face.

“LUCY!” her husband roared.

Justin’s blue eyes were wide open and you could see different emotions in it – surprise, embarrassment and anger – it was because never in his seventeen years of existence had he experienced someone raised a hand on him – most especially by his very own mother. He touched the side of his face where his mom hit him and rubbed it soothingly.

“I never fail to do what you want me to do, Mother, even if it meant for me to be unhappy. I have sacrificed everything just to make you satisfied. And I am willing to do it again, just don’t break my sister and Andrew apart. It would kill them both,” he begged.

Lucy stared at his son for a minute and answered, “Don’t tell me what I should or should not do. Go to your room now. You have school tomorrow.” And with that, she and her husband sashayed up to their room. Drew backed off from the door until he could not hear the sound of clacking heels.

Slowly but surely, he went down to look for Justin. He planned on demanding for some answers from what did he just hear from Lucy. But what he saw made him want to go upstairs and bitchslap Lucy.

Justin was sitting on the floor, his back was on the foot of the couch and his head was buried between his hands. Drew could hear him crying and he saw that he was wiping his tears angrily.

“Justin, I’m sorry –”

“No, Drew. I should be saying sorry for keeping this. You heard her, right? Mom doesn’t like you for my sister. She hates you. You know why? Just because of your parents,” he chuckled bitterly. “I don’t know why she gets angry when Nicki mentions your name to her.”

“She talks to your mom about me?”

“Of course. She never stops.”