𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘, 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 - kiara carrera²

𝒙𝒙𝒙𝒗. 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

"OKAY, LISTEN, I'M SORRY FOR...WHATEVER I HAVE TO BE SORRY FOR."

Tatum Quinn rolled her eyes once again and entered the next room of her old home. The smallest space in the house filled with two bunk beds and four huge piles of clothes, leaving absolutely no space for walking. Leroy and Joe on the left; she and Thomas on the right. She still found it hard to believe that only a few months ago all four bunks were full. All four siblings would drift to sleep at the sound of guns and violence. All four siblings would try to imagine their lives being ordinary in order to dream.

Cameron followed after her, a disgusted frown on his face at the sight of the chaotic 'bedroom'. Large holes put through every centimeter of the walls, springs coming out of the mattresses, insects climbing through the floorboards, and that smell - was that...blood? There was no way people actually lived in here.

Hearing his footsteps as he stepped into her old room, Tatum turned around and shot Cameron another nasty glare. She didn't care what Leroy said. She didn't care that what she used to want was a big, happy family. She already had that with the pouges. And with Thomas. She didn't need this posh bastard strolling in and trying to take his place.

"Okay, look, I'm sorry if I'm a bit insensitive at times," he said with a little sigh, his legs growing tired from all the standing up, but he refused to sit down in fear of what he might be sitting on. "I just say what comes to my mind in the moment, you know? I'm socially awkward, seriously. Autistic, actually. I can mask it sometimes but when things get uncomfortable, I just..." He shrugged, not really knowing how to explain it, not really understanding how his mind works.

Tatum didn't seem to care much, anyway, as all she did was sit down on the right bed's bottom bunk rather than saying anything.

Another few moments went by, and the birthday kids stayed in complete silence. The girl fiddled with a sharp spring on the mattress while she boy played with the strings on the hoodie he borrowed from Leroy. A brown, stained hoodie wouldn't have been his first outfit choice, but he didn't exactly have time to pack before bailing his mom and uncle.

"So, what was it like...having the life me and my brothers should've had?" asked Tatum eventually, bitterly. Cameron was glad she was so highly dosed on meds, because if she wasn't, he'd seriously be fearing for his life right now from the way she was looking at him.

The boy shrugged, too scared of disease to even lean against the wall. "The money was good," he admitted with a shrug, "but the people weren't. They didn't get me. I never fit in in their perfect world."

Tatum's eyes slowly rolled their way up to meet his, a bored look on her face.

Cameron sighed sadly. "I get you've been through a lot - trust me, JJ screamed it all in my face yesterday - but Mom wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, either," he told her, trying to be as sympathetic as he could, but it was hard for him to properly express feelings.

"In what way?" asked Tatum, surprising him a little. She didn't seem like she cared that much, but like he grew up wishing for a dad, she probably grew up wishing for a mom. Now, the two of them were finally realising that both their parents were terrible people, and they weren't missing out on anything by not having one in their lives.

"I first came out as a lesbian when I was thirteen," he begun, crossing his arms, sucking it up and finally sitting on the dirty, disgusting bed beside his sister. He shrugged. "I always knew I liked girls - I think everyone did - but Mom wasn't happy about it. You know, she paid these really old people to try and do conversion therapy on me?"

Tatum's mouth dropped. "What the fuck? I thought that stopped, like, years ago."

Cameron shrugged again. "Rich people can do anything," he said sadly, reminded of all the ways his own mother had discriminated him and his lifestyle, but got away with looking like the angel of the story all because she had people to pay off for it. "Anyway, that ended quickly when I punched a nurse in the face."