Unhinged [Rafe Cameron]

[the forbidden zone]

(tw: scenes with violence, abuse, and drugs.)

"So... you're saying that you got the drone, right?" I ask.

JJ paces John B's porch, and Kie is dangling her feet off the fence.

"That's what we've been trying to tell you this entire time!" JJ exclaims.

"Yeah, in half sentences and chopped up words!" I shoot back. "I barely understood a thing you were saying; you were so excited."

JJ waves his hand, dismissing my point. "Yeah, yeah. You got our point anyways."

"Guess so." I agree. "So, what are we waiting for?"

"The right weather." John B states, hopping off the porch fence. "We don't want to lose the drone."

"That's fair." I say.

"I'll call you guys when we need to go." JJ says.

"Of course you will." I chuckle.

I arrive home, and creak open the rotting door, trying to dodge the raining spiders from the door frame.

"Dad?" I call out into the empty hallway.

No response. Called it.

I make my way into the living room, fully expecting dad to be sprawled on the couch, passed out. No one is there.

A jolt of fear runs through my body. What if he's wandering the streets, getting into trouble? Or what if he's unconscious in a different country? Oh my god. What if-

Someone taps me on the shoulder, sending me into cardiac arrest.

"C." My dad's voice drawls behind me.

"Dad. You're up."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He asks innocently.

"Dad." I turn around to face him. His shaggy beard looks grayer than ever, his eyes dropping from the weight of his past. It hurts me to see him in this state. He doesn't even know where he is half the time. The things he does.. he doesn't even know that he does them.

"I know we've talked about this before, but," I pause, sucking in a breath. "Could you please consider going to rehab?"

Dad turns his face, a scowl deepening the wrinkles around his mouth. "I'm not some toy that's broken and needs to be fixed."

"No." I say, my tone becoming pleading. I've been down this road before, and I know how it ends. "Of course not. It's just- you're not yourself. You need help, and you'll get it at rehab."

His eyes shake from side to side and he sways on his feet.

God. What happened to you?

A tear slips from my eye before I can help it. "Dad... please. I can't stand to see you this way." I beg.

"I don't need fixing!" He yells, throwing his hands up.

"Please. You need help." Tears well up in my eyes, and I reach forward to touch his shoulder.

A flash appears before my eyes and I feel his fist connect with my face. The impact knocks me backward, and I stumble over broken bottle shards. I hold my hand gingerly to my face and wince.

"Oh god... I'm so, so sorry, C." My dad says, stretching his arms out.

"No, no. Don't fucking touch me." I say firmly, although everything inside of me is breaking apart.

Composure, Celeste.

"Fuck." I whisper, pushing my dad aside and walking to the door.

I look back at my dad, standing pathetically in the middle of the hallway.