Alone Together [RIIZE]

10. Anywhere But Home

"Just do something about it and get over yourself! You're too scared, you bitch." A masculine voice called out in exasperation, loud enough to hear from the curb.

Another voice, higher pitched this time, screamed equally loudly as Anton approached the large, gated, grand house. "Call me a bitch one more time and I'll grab that gun and be a real bitch about it! How about that?"

Anton walked through the glassy front doors of the large house, not even paying any mind to his parents' screaming in another room. That whole thing got old, fast. Like... 10-years-ago-fast. They've been doing this forever- it's been so long that sometimes Anton really wishes one of them would man-up and do something, anything.

Divorce or separate or just kill each other in their sleep. Literally anything as long as Anton doesn't have to hear deranged screams anymore.

He dragged himself up the spiral stairs without his parents or their housekeeper noticing him. Three rooms down and to the right, where his spacious childhood room sat.

Thank god his little siblings were staying with his aunt tonight because the fighting was only going to get nastier, Anton knew that well.

He slumped against the side of his bed, trying to tune out the fighting. His earbuds were dead, so a sound distraction wasn't possible because it was the only pair he had.

Truth be told, Anton wanted to be anywhere but home. He could slip out of the house again easily, but then where would he go? It was late and dark outside and his aunt lived across L.A., so that wasn't much of a choice either. The city was dangerous and Anton only turned fifteen this year. What was he supposed to do by himself?

He texted Sohee, seeing that her status was online. If anyone could distract him from how shitty things were at home, it was Sohee. She always, always knew what to do. Whether it be late night calls or texting about Anton's favorite TV show right now or even inviting him over so he didn't have to stay here.

But as soon as Anton texted, Sohee's status went dark and she looked to be offline. Anton shrugged it off as a coincidence, but his brain decided it had other plans.

Because in his head, multiple scenarios were already playing out; Maybe she'd gotten kidnapped and if she wasn't looking at Anton's text, it wouldn't have happened -which makes it totally his fault. Or maybe she was with Wonbin right now and they decided right then and there that Anton was a pile of shit to them and they'd finally both leave him behind. Maybe she didn't know how to help anymore and gave up on him, like everyone eventually does.

He called Wonbin, but he didn't pick up, just as expected. Panicking, Anton called each of his friends up, praying that someone could pick him up in their car or talk to him while his parents got violent, but there was nobody, no one.

He got to the last number in his recent texts, an unknown number without contact information that he assumed was Sungchan's. Reluctantly and desperately, he hit the dial button and nervously held the phone up to his ear.

It rang, and rang, and rang, then went to voicemail. Anton groaned and punched a pillow, putting his face in his hands as muffled screams rang out downstairs.

Anton flinched, hearing a glass plate shatter against the wall. More screams could be heard, but he wasn't sure if they moved from the studio to the kitchen or home-theater. Either way, something broke downstairs and nothing's resolved.

He would be upset that nobody even acknowledged him come into the house, but he thinks it's safer this way.

Anton whimpered and dropped to the side of his bed, crouching down instinctively.

Yeah, definitely safer under the radar. He-

A sudden gunshot rang out and interrupted his thoughts and the bullet broke through one of the large kitchen windows facing the street. Anton's heart skipped a beat and he though of the worst possible outcomes until he heard his parents bickering again, very much alive.

He didn't even notice the sound of a car swerving  wildly, someone honking their horn, and the sound of the vehicle hitting a lamppost down the road.

"You wanted me to be a bitch? Fine. That was a warning shot." His mother's voice screamed out, followed by more frantic yelling from his father.

Anton wanted Sohee. He wanted his friends. He wanted to run away, run far from here with them -all of them- and be together. No parents, no rules, no screaming or fighting or assholes at school or...

The front doors slammed closed, so hard that Anton was surprised that the glass didn't shatter. Police sirens grew louder, approaching from down the street.

Anton pulled his hoodie hood up over his eyes and hiccuped, only suddenly noticing thick tears falling from the corners of his eyes and down his chin.

"God, crying is stupid, isn't it?" He asked himself between hiccups, laughing softly as he sobbed. "I shouldn't be upset, I have everything here. Sohee doesn't have this. Seunghan and Taro... they don't have this. They'd wanna be like this, right?"

He looked around his spacious room and out the window at the dark skies covering his gated neighborhood. His window faced the backyard, where he liked to watch the sunrise sometimes. "Big house, small family. Famous parents, my own room... I should wanna be here , right? This is what every kid dreams of." He muttered bitterly.

Except that no kid dreams of neglectful or abusive parents. That's the catch, because life ain't fair.

"I wanna be anywhere but..." He looked up to the ceiling, practically praying to a god he doesn't even believe in. He sucked in a deep breath and wiped away his tears angrily, laughing in straight misery now. "Fuck, just anywhere but here."