SBI - His Curse of Binding

11

Tommy wanted to know what he did wrong. He obviously did something for the entire household to act off with him. Just last week, Christmas break had ended and it was fine. But something must've happened, whether it was Tommy's fault or not.

It started with Phil not asking how his day went at school when he got back. The first time Tommy wrote it off as him being busy. But the third time hurt. He sat next to the man, waiting for Phil to just acknowledge him, care enough to ask about his day. Yet, nothing happened.

He didn't realise how attached he was to the small talk that turned into an hour of conversation and laughter until silence settled in its place.

It was bad enough that the whole routine he'd grown fond of had been disturbed by Wilbur not going to school during this week. At this point, Tommy only thought he did something to Phill, that he had upset him unintentionally, and Wilbur was in another bad mood. But then Techno happened. Tommy never told the man that the only reason he got home quicker than usual—why he rushed out of the school gates to meet Wilbur in the car park—on Thursdays was because he knew the minute he'd get back, Techno would be waiting to take him fencing.

This Thursday though, he had to learn the hard way that Techno had already left to go without him. Nothing was more humiliating than getting changed and waiting downstairs only for an hour to pass by and the sinking doubt you tried to ignore from the first five minutes had won.

By Friday, Tommy had reached his breaking point. He sat at the table during breakfast with his head resting on his hand. His cheek ached from the constant biting.

Wilbur joined them for once. His arrival sparked conversation.

"Will, are you sure you want to go in today?" Phil asked, and Tommy hated how he perked up at the sound of his voice, not used to hearing it for days.

"I need to work on something," Wilbur said.

Techno sat up straighter. "That'll make it worse, Wilbur. Especially today."

Tommy scowled at the food in front of him, despite being with them for three months, he was back to the beginning, awkwardly out of the loop with where he stood within the household.

Phil faced him, his eyes tired. "Maybe it's best if you go round someone else's house after school."

"What did I do?" Tommy blurted out before he could stop himself. "You've all been acting weird this entire week. What the fuck did I do?"

"This isn't about you, don't worry."

Tommy scoffed. "How can I not worry when—"

"Drop it," Techno grunted, only fuelling Tommy's impatience.

"Maybe you shouldn't foster a fucking child if you've still got your own family problems." Tommy glared at anyone that would meet his eye and left the table. "I'm walking to school."

He tried to convince himself that the wetness trailing down his face was due to the rain but failed. He remembered the last time he shouted at his foster parents. That house had only lasted a week. As much as his life was destined to repeat itself, he didn't want that part to be included.

The dread swelling in his throat didn't leave him the entire day. He didn't want to return to that house to see Linda Smith there, waiting with a smug look on her face, as if she'd knew he would fuck this up and get himself thrown out of a family that didn't treat him like shit for once. Would they let him keep the gifts he got for Christmas? Would they even tell him what he did to deserve being alienated out of the blue? He wasn't sure he wanted answers if it hurt that much just thinking about it.