Smoke and Fire ||Lams Soulmate AU ||

Young and Menace

Hehehe this is where the drama starts ;)
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Walking down the sidewalk after school, I kicked pebbles and garbage that I found on the ground. I enjoyed the silence, but after a while, it was kind of becoming awkward. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by that, since Alex practically carried awkward moments in his pocket everywhere he went, then whipped them out whenever he would interact with another person.

"What'd your dad say after what happened the other day?" I asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

Alex shrugged, moving a strand of hair behind his ear and out of his line of vision. "He just kind of let me off with a warning."

"Really?" I asked. "He tried calling my parents about it. Bastard didn't even know he was talking to one of his students." I laughed to myself, but Alex didn't seem to find it as funny as I did.

Instead of commenting on what I said, he redirected the conversation in a direction I would have loved to avoid. "What are your parents like?"

"Dead, and dying."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I-" he stammered, trying to take back his words, but I held a hand up to stop him before he said anything else he might regret.

"It's fine, I don't need your pity," I sighed.

Alex looked up at me with his eyebrows furrowed. "I wasn't going to pity you. I was going to apologize for bringing up something you're obviously not comfortable talking about." He looked away, holding his head high as we continued down the sidewalk. I couldn't help but smile at his cockiness, because it was a rare sight to see the Alexander Hamilton not afraid to speak his mind. The only other time he would do so is during a debate, in which he would always win.

We walked up to the front steps of my house, where I lifted a potted plant to retrieve a spare key that was hidden beneath it. I held it tight in my hand, mentally preparing myself for what could possibly be happening behind the front door that led to my hell hole of a house.

"I need you to stay out here. No matter what happens, just stay put." I advised Alex, pointing the key at him as I spoke. He nodded hesitantly, and I stuck the key into the knob, turning it to the right. Once I heard the door unlock, I turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Stepping inside, I searched my surroundings for any signs of Henry being home, but I couldn't find even a single unattended beer bottle, which meant he probably hadn't gotten back from drinking his sorrows away. I set my backpack down on the couch and advanced towards my room after closing the front door.

The floorboards creeksd with every step, and it wasn't until I got closer to my room when I heard faint, muffled sobs. "Martha?" I called out, hoping to hear that she wasn't the source of the crying.

But of course, as I got closer to my room door, I could confirm that it was in fact Martha who was crying. I knocked lightly on the door and called her name again.

After no response, I opened the door to find Henry towering over her small body curled up in the corner of the room, a bruise forming on her cheek. Henry was holding half of a broken beer bottle, while the other half laid on the ground in shattered pieces.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Get away from her!"

Henry turned around to face me, his eyes bloodshot and a scowl taking over his features. I advanced towards him, fully intent on hurting him, but he threw the broken bottle in my direction, which luckily missed and shattered against the wall behind me. He marched up to me and wrapped his enormous hand around my neck, blocking my airways, and holding me against the wall where there was a newly formed dent from the beer bottle.