AOMG High School

A Bit

I slumped my shoulders, dreading what I knew was about to come. I got to the front door and could already hear angry shouting. I adjusted my softball bag and gently opened the front door to my home.
"You have got to fucking kidding me Jaebum! This is beyond unacceptable!" I walked into our now spotless house to see Jay sitting on the couch with his arms crossed, head down and his ears a burning red getting yelled at by Mom.
I sighed, seeing him getting scolded like that. "Heeji. Get over hear." Mom barked at me. I let my head fall and felt my ears burn like Jays as I dragged my feet to the couch. "Can you explain to me again as to why you would throw a party while we are gone without our permission?" Mom clenched her teeth, firing daggers at both of us. "Its not my fault that you and dad are off doing illegal shit and dont even bother contacting us for months on end." Jay mumbled. I wondered if I heard him correctly and I wondered if Mom heard him. I bravely lifted my head to look at her. She was sucking on her teeth, glaring at Jay as she pulled her belt off. "Get up and bend over." She griped.
Jay jerked his head up and glared at Mom. "I am a senior in high school! You can't beat me with a belt!" He yelled angerly. "What's stopping me?" Mom taunted him. I put my head back down. "I'll run the fuck away and you know it! That's what's stopping you." "You wouldn't." "Try me. I got a bag packed already and I'm ready to leave. "
I was getting sad for very obvious reasons. Mom and Dad weren't home very often and usually when they were, they were either very distant or very hostile. I don't know why they were always so angry but it was always at Jay.  It was always like I didn't exist. They always made me sit through his lectures and I never quite got why.

Often times they treated both of us like mistakes but Jay was a more regretful mistake and I was their perfect mistake.

"Park Jaebum..." Mom sounded like she was choking back a lot of anger. Before finishing her thought, she left the room.
"Heeji. I gotta tell you something and you're not gonna like it." Jay sighed heavily and rubbed his face, clearly stressed. "What's going on? Where's dad?" "In prison. In Turkey." Jay didn't hesitate to tell me the truth. "What?" My eyes grew big and I couldn't close my mouth. "Mom won't tell me why but if you Google Dad, it's the first thing to come up. He got busted smuggling drugs and guess who left him high and dry?"  Jay seemed beyond stressed and for beyond obvious reasons. "Mom is currently drunk off her ass, trying to figure out how to take the heat off of them and put it all onto me." He sighed.
I was at a loss of words. "When she sobers up, I'm gonna talk to her about getting out of the picture. Me and you don't deserve toxic people like international drug dealers and disloyal narks in our lives a minutes longer." Jay threw his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I want you to stay with Jessi until stuff settles around here alright." "What?" "It'll just be for the rest of today and tonight. Don't worry. Your big brother will fix everything and come get you when I've got everything figured out. Go back your stuff and get out of here." He gave me a reassuring smile but I wasn't feeling reasured.

I did as I was told regardless of how I was feeling. As I was backing my stuff,   Jessi called me. "Hey babes. Jay told me things got heated at home and that he wants you to stay with me for a bit. Are you okay?" "I'm kinda freaking out a bit and don't know what to believe anymore but I'm hanging in there I guess." "I'll be over as soon as possible to pick you up. I promise we're gonna have fun and take your mind off of everything for a bit." "Thanks Unnie." "I love you Heeji." "I love you too Jessi." I hung up.
How long is a bit? Jay told me a day and a night but I feel like that's just not enough time and I don't the indefinence of 'a bit'.