For Love

Struggles of Night Time

Elijah Thompson

I hold the thick packet closely to my face as if it would make me concentrate more. I see my name scribbled at the top with AP Chemistry written in ink below it. All other words were unrecognizable. The test was tomorrow and I know I'll fail.

Due to all the noise at once, I don't  know exactly what was going on but I could distinguish some stuff. A baby crying, a man yelling, a door slamming, food sizzling, and music blasting, making it impossible to focus.

Out of frustration, I drop the packet on the floor and leave the small bedroom. Maybe, just maybe, if I ask they'll actually be quiet.

"How many times I done told you when I come back ion wanna hear that damn crying?!" Kevin yelled as loud as he could.

"You think I wanna fuckin' hear it? He never stops!" Jaylin screamed back,  matching Kevins tone and volume.

"Bring him here!" Mama demanded from the kitchen. She had a spoon in her hand whisking what I assumed to be a mixture of beef, garlic, onions, and pepper.

Jaylin obliged with no complaints, swiftly handing baby CJ to Mama. Mama began to mumble under her breath, Jaylin rolled her eyes in response, and Kevin sat down looking annoyed. Dad was standing by the front door, still in uniform, obviously fresh from work. He surveyed the area visible bothered by the nonsense. The tension was clearly high and I know better than to ask for silence. I walk back into the bedroom, unnoticed. I sit back onto the bed trying to study once again. Not even a minute later, the door opens and Dad's standing there.

"Eli, you mind leaving?" It wasn't a question but a request.

"I have a Chem test tomorrow," I reply.

"Go to the attic then, I need to sleep."

He turns around and begins to unbutton his shirt letting me know that the conversation was over. I silently leave the room and wandered over to Jaylin who was eating. Since, I couldn't use my parents room my only other choice was Jaylin.

"Jay, you mind if I use your room to study," I ask, politely.

She immediately shakes her head no. "After I'm done, I'm going right to sleep. I'm so tired."

For a moment, I have an urge to argue. She's not in school, she doesn't work, hell she doesn't even take care of the baby, mama does. How can she possibly be tired? I swallow my urge, though. I simply nod and go over to the bathroom to continue my studying.

The house was small, only two bedrooms. One of the rooms belongs to Mama and Dad. The other was for my sister Jaylin, the baby, and her worthless baby father, Kevin. That leaves me on the couch. It was better than nothing but I have literally no privacy. Therefore, I like to retreat to the attic. If only I could turn the attic into a room. The problem was size. I can't even stand up let alone bring a bed, a dresser and all other room essentials. For now, it was a study area. I climb up and turn on the light. I get comfortable on the blanket and pillow I put there and focus on the packet.

After an hour and a half, at 10:30, I finally feet confident enough to take my test. I leave the attic and return to the main floor. It was completely dark except for one tiny light above the stove. I walk over to see Mama had left me a plate of chili. I pull up a chair and began to eat. It was ridiculously quiet, both in the house and outside. It was actually so quiet, I could hear my own heart beating. Something about eating alone in the dark in utter silence just makes a person feel lonely. I crave to be alone and now that I was, I don't like it. It was a weird emotion and I want to get rid of it. I scarf the food and before long, was laying down in bed. I toss and turn waiting for my chest to rid of the feeling.

A few hours later when I was awaken by CJ screaming, I wasn't even annoyed. It was a real reminder that Im not a weird loner who spends their nights locked in an attic looking at orbitals and sublevels. I was an actual teen who has a whole family to love.

I jump off the coach and began towards the door to check if everything was okay. As my hand was on the door, I recoil, hearing Jaylin and Kevin argue.

"You ain't shit as a motha! Tell him to shut up!" Kevin says, harshly. He usually talks to her like this but tonight he seems especially belligerent.

"Hey Cj, shut up," Jaylin taunts, with an extreme amount of sarcasm. "Oh look, I guess telling a baby to shut up doesn't actually work."

I hear Kevins ridiculously loud footsteps and his voice booms, "Who you talkin' to like that? Who you disrespectin'?"

Jaylins voice now came out softer and almost vulnerable. "Kev stop, don't."

There's a thud following a whimper. In a matter of seconds, I jump in the room and to Jaylins side.

"You alright?" I inquir, the panic clearly noticeable in my face.

"Go to sleep. I'm fine," Jaylin replies, covering her face.

"Fuck is wrong with you?!" I scream in Kevins face.

I felt my whole body heating up and I swear to God, I could kill him at this moment.

"She said go to sleep, lil nigga," Kevin snickers.

Jaylin grabs my arm and pulls me out the room before I can reply.

"I'm fine, okay? Nothing happened. Just go to sleep," She says quietly. She places a kiss on my forehead and I feel the heat of her cheek from being hit. She runs back to the room and locks the door. God, I want to kill her to for being so weak.

I suddenly have an extreme need to hit something but I know any noise would wake Cj up again so I had to resist.

Is he crazy? How can you lay your hands on any female let alone the mother of your kid? How can anybody get hit and just take it? I can't get any answers which frustrates me even more. The clock reads 4:17 am. The best thing I can do to stop myself from killing Kevin is to sleep. I lay down on the couch again. The relaxed love is gone. I was pissed off that he hit her, shocked that she defended him, and feeling craven because I didn't do anything about it.