Your Name (Age Is Just A Number)

Chapter 3

Link's POV

7:00AM

I felt myself quivering from head to toe in fright, my eyes almost leaking hot salty tears, and beads of perspiration trickling down my forehead onto my pillow, as I lay a helpless witness to the hellish battle, taking place just downstairs. Going to school today was out of my schedule, even though it is my last day of highschool.

"You're making a mountain out of a molehill Amber, as usual!"

"Were you expecting me to be calm about this? I couldn't just carry on and act like nothing is wrong!"

"Amber -"

"No! You clearly made your point when you did what you did without caring much about my feelings, Edward! Now let me make my own choice."

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I propped myself up with my elbow, contemplating if I should go to school or stay home to get an ear full of these couples bickerings. Their fights is a weird format they use in telling each other how much they missed one another while the other was away. My dad owns diamond companies both in Pennsylvania and New York. Because of this, he travels often but returns in two months, and each time he does it's either we go on travel vacation or be given expensive jewelries. But this time is different, something's changed in my dad but I assumed it's work related stress and all. They have been fighting for over three weeks now, and every time they started, I made myself scarce. While they screamed at each other, they never pondered how I felt. I was terrified beyond my wits. Why don't they just stop it already? How long is this going to last?

A deafening crash rang from the kitchen, reverberating throughout the house, and rocking me to the core. I gave a loud groan of terror and plugged my ears with my headphone, hoping to block the awful battle sounds out.

"Are we breaking things now? You wanna vent, then do it on me, Amber!"

"How long have we been together, Edward?! Why now, after all these years, why did you choose to hurt me now?!"

"That's not true! I would never…it wasn't intentional"

"You lie!"

Heard another crash through my headphone, this time with the sounds of broken glass vases to go with it. Mom screamed at the top of her lungs, while Dad yelled incoherently.

"For the love of Christ, Amber stop breaking things, what would Link think when he gets back from school to see this. Can we just talk this out like a normal adult?!"

Dad's thunderous roar shook the very foundations of the house. I gave a loud grunt of horror, but stayed completely still.

I carefully walked out of my room. Taking a light step and every step I took towards the living room felt like a step closer to hell.

I poked my head through the doorway, only to behold an utter scene of devastation. A chair lay broken against the wall, three feet from Mom. A million shards of glass were left scattered all over the floor, and amongst them, three bunches of flowers lay in the wreckage, looking discolored and forlorn. But it was Mom and Dad that really frightened me.

Mom's hair looked like a pile of hay, with strands of golden locks stuck to her sweaty brow. Her eyes were fiery and fierce, and she was breathing very heavily, as if she was just involved in a physical fight with her own self. Dad's eyes were no less scary; they looked like the Basilisk's eyes, complete with its death glare. He was drenched with sweat, his fists were clenched like iron vices, and panting like he had just ran a marathon.

I was petrified. This was something new, they were having a real fight and if I wasn't home, they would've pretended nothing happened when I returned. My question is how long has this been going on?

I looked at them both for a few seconds, and suddenly, a rush of emotion flooded my veins. It was something familiar, something I knew I was expected to feel.

Anger. Since when did my parents dissolved into this sorry state.

I don't think either of them noticed my presence.

"What's going on?" I asked, standing at the corridor.

A dreadful silence settled upon the room as Mom and Dad froze, staring at me disbelievingly. I was supposed to be at school but screw that, I'm glad I stayed back home, who else was going to fill me in on what was happening at the moment?

I clenched my fist and grits my teeth. Without hesitation, I whirled around and darted out, before I could break something more than just a flower pot. As I wrenched the door open and threw myself into the cold winds in the street, I heard Mom's voice, now remorseful, calling desperately from twenty feet away.

"Link, wait…!"

I didn't look back. All I wanted to do right now was to get out of that house, away from my so-called "parents", away from those dreadful last three weeks of never ending war for a petty reason that I know nothing about.

I brought out my phone to call the one person that I know won't disappoint me in times like this, when I so badly needs a company.

"Hello, Jer...leave whatever you're doing, I'm in the mood for some car racing." And just like that, I ended the call and waited for Jeremy to come meet me at our usual meeting spot.

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