MOONDUST

56 🌙 Shame on you

Jules Martin

"I guess a warm welcome is too much to ask for?" My head shot out into Gabriel's direction, Evelyn grabbing his hand to make a point to still rub it in my face after all this time. You have got to be kidding me? This isn't happening. Why?

"You invited them?" I shook my head at mom and dad, both of them trying to say something, both of them too quiet to my liking. "Seriously?" I was furious now, grabbing Luna's hand so tightly it must have hurt her. Not matter how much I squeezed it she squeezed mine back with all her strength, wanting me to know she was there. She is here for god sake! Luna is here and they do this? "Why would you do that?" I clenched my jaw to hold back the raised tone of voice that was yelling inside my head. I took a deep breath, and the anger subsided, but now all I felt was betrayed, and disappointed that they decided to do this the one time I come home, and with a plus one that I desperately wanted them to meet. "Luna bought me a ticket home for my birthday." I looked at her, feeling incredibly guilty they ruined her present like that. "I brought her because I wanted you to get to know her. Without the problematic family drama." I shook my head, looking at Luna next to me, swallowing the embarrassment. She squeezed my hand the moment her eyes felt the hurt in mine, and a soft smile painted her lips. I can't believe I dragged you into this mess. I'm sorry Lu.

"Jules," Mom pleaded and the sorry look on her face was just making me feel angry and misunderstood. "I just thought." She said, but corrected herself. "Your dad and I thought that since we were doing a thanksgiving do-over it was maybe a good time to get the family together." I just shook my head at her, shewing on the inside of my cheek.

"The family was together." I put my fist on the table, feeling the urge to slam it into the hard surface and making the dishware clatter. God dammit.

"The whole family." Mom countered, her tone serious now as she nodded at Gabriel and his girlfriend, to take a seat. I don't see any plates, so I don't see a reason for them to stay. "It has been a year." She pitied me, I could see it in her eyes. She pitied me for holding a grudge. She pitied me for being the stupid brother who let his girlfriend sneak into the other room. She pitied me for breaking up our family and keeping it broken. She thought this mess was my fault for god sakes. I shook my head in disbelief, letting go of Luna's hand. At first she didn't let me, tugging my hand back as soon as she saw me get up, but the anger clouded my brain and I just needed to leave, even though the hurt on Luna's face tore my heart to shreds.

"Seriously. I can't believe you would do this!" I bit, shoving my chair back with a scoff.

Mom yelled at me, frowning heavily. "Jules sit down!" For a second I just stood there, panting almost as I needed to punch something, no someone, before sitting back down, anger coursing through me. I grabbed onto the edge of my chair hard, until my knuckles were white. All I wanted was for Luna to meet my parents, so they could love her as much as I do. I wanted her to have a true thanksgiving, turkey and all, so she could pretend it was chicken and not the other way around. I didn't want this! Any of this. Not a year ago, not now, not ever.

"F-f-fine," I rolled my eyes, while my blazing gaze fell on Gabriel, looking him straight in the eye as I stuttered again. It didn't even faze him. He didn't care. He probably took pleasure in knowing I was still struggling. The one time I saw him after the accident we got into a heated argument about that stupid girl sitting next to him now, and more so about how I lost my brother because of her. You would have lost her anyway if she had to put up with your stutter right now. His words not mine, and I didn't know how much he actually meant them or of it was the anger talking. All I know it's that it carved into me deep. I promised myself to keep quiet around people. I decided to let shame cloud my person, instead of working around it, because I'm fine even with the stutter. It took me one person to undo the damage my brother did, and now he might do damage to her to, and I won't let him. "It's c-c-clear who's side you're on maman."