Cold Hearted Bastard

Chapter 21

"You didn't tell me you were bringing a drug addict in our house?" I screamed at my dad. Both him and Meredith rushed out of their bedroom from the commotion I was causing, sleep still present in their eyes. They looked like a disheveled mess.

"What are you talking about?" My dad asked as he raced down the stairs in a rush to meet me in the foyer. He was worried and you couldn't miss the concern present in his eyes as he reached me.

"I should have told you, David," Meredith frowned, following suit down the stairs to try to salvage the lie she'd told or the lack of not saying anything in the first place.

"I can't believe you didn't" I screamed at her, unable to control the emotions I was feeling at the moment.

"Is this true?" He asked her, hurt looming in his eyes, "why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to say no," she wept, the tears coming down her face, "he's my brother David, I had no choice. They were threatening to take him away from Aspen. He had no choice."

"Take who from him?" I demanded, my voice filled with anger.

"I would have never said any Meredith. I'm a doctor for Christ's sake," my father pushed her away and began walking back and forth. His eyebrows furrowed and it was almost like he was trying to smoothen them out with his hand, "we could have gotten him help. I would have even paid for it."

"He is getting help!" She protested, her speech pressured against my father's, "Well that's what he told me. I thought he was...I thought," she trailed off, unable to comprehend her brother's actions.

It all made sense why he was constantly disappearing. All the early mornings till afternoon. All this time he was probably attending a rehab center, or a therapist, or who knows what.

"Well, clearly it hasn't been working!" I screamed at her, incapable of controlling myself. Clearly, it was worse than I thought. His problem was actually a problem and to hear he was getting help scared me. It scared me because it meant he was dependant on it. Who knows what other substances he was abusing and all for what? Pleasure? Pain? I was disappointed, humiliated I'd even trust him. I couldn't believe Luca of all people, encouraging his friend's activities instead of getting help. He was probably taking a line here or there himself.

'Don't do drugs' my dad use to say all the time. Like a mantra, I couldn't forget. I always wanted to know why he was so adamant about it. Of course, every parent doesn't want their children to do it but my dad took it to another level. I never understood why until I was thirteen, and then everything made sense. I never questioned him after that.

The door swung open, slamming against the wall. It sent an echo through the room, the sound painfully loud. Aspen rushed in, his breath quickened as those eyes scanned the room till they laid on me. His mouth was set in a grim line, the irritability I noticed was rolling off of him in waves. I found myself wondering, what do you possibly have to feel rage? That you got caught in the act? I wanted to ask him, but my voice betrayed me and silence was my friend.

"Wynter please, talk to me," he begged as he approached me. He rested a hand on my elbow but I shook it off and began walking backward in the opposite direction. I really couldn't face him right now or ever I had thought.

"Aspen, I don't think that's a good idea," my father warned him, resting a stern hand to prevent him from going any closer to me, "I think it's best we talk, you, Meredith, and I. Living room now."

Aspen took one last longing look at me, his eyes frantically searching mine for some sort of reaction from me. I knew he couldn't understand why I got on to such an extreme but I knew eventually he'd know. I broke our gaze, turning around to run up the stairs to my bedroom. I felt the hot tears flowing down my face. But I knew it was because I was scared for Aspen. As much as I didn't want to admit it I wasn't angry at him for not telling me, I was angry at myself for not guessing sooner.

I fell face forward onto my bed, grabbing onto a pillow and squeezing my face in it. I screamed into it trying to release all of my unwanted emotions and went to sleep crying that night. It was like since Aspen came into my life all I ended up feeling was sadness. Or was I feeling that since before?