☄. *. ⋆ LOST LIVING, J.W

THREE

CHAPTER THREE
walking into the doors of hell.

WITH BREE UPSTAIRS TIDYING herself up some more, the table was awkwardly silent, the only noise being their forks scratching against their plates.

Ruby barely even had an appetite, her eyes boring into the half bitten pizza on her plate as her hand still interlocked with the boy beside her.

Soon, the time came for them to leave, which Jake and Ruby had been extremely grateful for.

They stood side by side as they watched the small family gather into the car, waving goodbyes at the two teenagers as they pulled out.

As the sped off into the distance, the dynamic due raised their middle finger in sync.

Jake held the metal bowl of cat food in his hand before setting it down and calling out for his pet, furrowing his brows in confusion as the animal never came to eat.

He shrugged it off before walking back into the house, the girl following  him as she shut the door gently behind her.

The two jumped as they heard groaning and loud crashes coming from upstairs, making them both hurry up the staircase and straight into Jake's bedroom, discovering a horrific scene.

Luke repeatedly brought a bat to the sculpture his son had been putting his all into, not feeling an inch of remorse as he completely ruined it.

Doll parts covered the floor as it was being destroyed, every piece getting smaller and smaller with every hit.

Jake attempted to pull his father off but failed as he was only shoved off, stumbling back as his legs hit the edge of his bed.

After he felt settled enough, he dropped the bat, his chest heaving as he glanced up at his shaking son, "no more dolls, Jake."

Luke walked out of the room like nothing had occurred, completely unaffected as he fled the scene.

Ruby dropped to her knees, picking up every broken piece of plastic she could into a pile, figuring out a way to rebuild his broken sculpture.

Jake placed a hand on her shoulder as he fell beside her, tears ridden in his brown eyes as his bottom lip quivered.

He buried himself into her open arms, wrapping his own around her waist as he began to break down, violently sobbing into her chest.

"I'm so sorry." She cooed softly, dragging her palm along his soft curls, her other hand rubbing circles into his back.

They sat there for minutes, until he finally stopped crying, he leaned back, bringing his thumb to his eyes as he dried his tears, sniffling as he sighed gently.

The small sneaker poking out underneath his bed caught his attention, making him reach for it as he pulled it out, revealing the doll he had just purchased hours ago.

He clutched it, his lips parting in confusion as a chunk of orange cat hair was sitting close to where the doll was placed, blood soaking it.

"Oh my God." He croaked, dropping it back onto the carpet as he shook his head.

Ruby became nauseous at the sight, forcing her to turn her head away from it and scoot back slightly in disgust.

"Please don't tell me that's-" She shook her head, gawking as she punched her eyes shut.

"It is." Was all he managed to say, "you should go home. It's getting late."

She picked her head up, peeling her eyes open as she glanced at him, "and leave you alone? Jake."

"I'm fine. Your mom got off about an hour ago. She's gonna be pissed if your late again, Rub." Jake reassured her, standing up weakly as he stuck a hand out for her.

"Whatever you say." Ruby held is hand as he helped her up, the two beginning to descend down the staircase.

Luke was passed out on the couch, the bottle filled with liquor now completely empty, Ruby frowned.

"I'm right next door, J. Please don't hesitate to climb up my window. I love you, okay?" Ruby sighed, fearing for her best friends safety as he was now left alone.

He smiled gently, his eyes still glossy and red as he held her forearms, "I'll be alright. I love you. Now hurry."

The hole of emptiness returned as she stepped down the concrete steps of his house, watching as he closed the front door, leaving her abandoned.

Ruby hated calling her house a home, it was more of a place she had been staying, she never felt welcomed or safe. She caught herself wanting to be with Jake at all hours, because over time she learned that he was her only form of a home.

She gripped the front handle of her front door, slowly opening it to avoid the squeaking noise it made, but of course it was louder than ever.

Her mother laid sprawled out on the couch, the tv light making her visible as she watched the news, her hair knotted, work clothes wrinkled, a bottle of liquor empty.

But, Junior's words only replayed through her mind, he was right, he'd always been right about everything.

"You're home. Surprised you even came back." Anne slurred, attempting to sit up but miserably failing as she flopped back down.

"Sorry, mom. I was having dinner with the Wheelers next door." Ruby apologized, grabbing the patterned blanket from the wired basket at the foot of the couch, she threw it over her mothers shaking body.

Anne shut her eyes as the exhaustion became to hard for her to fight, letting Ruby off once again.

The teenage girl hurried up the steps before her mother could wake, halting at her little brother room as she creaked the door open.

Rubin sat on his floor, shivering as a towel was the only thing covering him, fresh water droplets covering his fragile skin.

She nearly threw herself at his side, wrapping the towel tightly around the young boys body as she dried him, "what happened."

"She told me that'd she be right back. But she never came back, Ruby." He whined, tears staining his chubby cheeks as he snuggled into his sisters side.

"It's okay. I'm here now." She smiled gently, dressing him in the pajamas laid out for him, she helped into bed, tucking him in before planting a kiss on his forehead, "sleep tight."

This was an everyday thing, her mother getting wasted as soon as she'd arrived home from work, getting to hammered and ultimately forgetting about her youngest child.

It was a repeated cycle, and Ruby wasn't sure how much more she'd be able to take.

She brushed out her wet strands as she stepped out of the shower, sighing to herself as she dressed, nearly belly flopping onto her bed.

"God, please make it stop." She whispered before dozing off.

authors note <3

this chapter is low-key sad...