CYRUS | 2020

seven

Age seventeen

"F~ck this. It's a waste of time," Cyrus said as he sprung out of his seat and grabbed his backpack. He ignored the glare of his third therapist that year.

"Ugh, excuse me Cyrus. You're parents said-"

"Have you been listening this whole time? Huh? They aren't my parents!" Cyrus shouted before storming out of the therapy room. 

Other people with their own problems watched as he jogged though the quiet waiting room and out the doors to where one of his older friends with a car sat waiting for him.

He threw himself into the car and slammed the door shut.

"Hey watch my car!"

"Your car is sh~t anyway," he grumbled as he slumped back in his seat and he pulled the strings of his hoodie together so that his face disappeared behind it.

"That bad huh?"

"Yeah Donnie. That bad," Cyrus grumbled.

"Its not as bad as you think once you get used to it."

"I don't think I ever will."

"Well that's because you haven't given it a fair chance," Donnie muttered as he pulled out of the parking lot. 

"Shut up man. You're starting to sound like Hayze."

"Well Hayze is right. Listen to your elders."

Cyrus rolled his eyes and turned to look out the window. 

"Did you do that thing for James?"

Cyrus shifted nervously in his seat and stayed quiet, continuing to stare out the window.

He groaned as Donnie slammed on the brakes and he rubbed the part of his head that hit the window. "Don't tell me you didn't!"

Cyrus winced and shrunk in on himself.

"You did do it, right? Please tell me you did or else you're gonna have the twins on your ass."

"I didn't! Alright, I didn't. I couldn't do it. The last time I did, I got beat black and blue."

"You'll get beat black, blue and red because you didn't do it!" Donnie shouted as he hit the steering wheel.

"You didn't tell me getting involved with you was going to involve all of this Donnie. F~ck!" he cursed, his voice cracking slightly. "I came home with a cut on my cheek and a bruise on my neck that didn't look like a hickey and Hayze and River freaked out. I can't do that again."

"You're more scared of your guardians rather than James? Man, you've gotta pick your battles wiser."

"Its not that I'm scared of them. I'm scared they'll kick me out and not let me see Rosie again. She's sheltered and I know Hayze will make me stay away from her."

"They wouldn't do that. You're basically their kid."

"No, you don't get it!" 

"What don't I get?" 

"They're all I have left to make proud and I d- I don't want to see the disappointment in their eyes when they realize how bad of a kid I am. I just want to make them proud one more time before I have to leave them alone."

___

"Hi giggles." Cyrus tried his best to give Rosie a smile, but once he realized that it would come off as forced, he stopped trying.

Rosie got off the floor where she was drawing and launched herself into his arms, locking her legs around his torso. "I haven't seen you all week," she said as she pulled back to look at him.

He placed her down gently on the floor and looked at her drawing which was too faint to see at the moment. "What are you drawing princess?"

She blushed and quickly scrambled back towards her stuff, shutting her sketchbook closed and he squinted his eyes in suspicion. 

"Um... I was-"

"Let me see," he said, putting his hand out for her to pass him the sketchbook.

She shook her head and bit her lip nervously. 

"Come on Rosie. It can't be that bad, let me see."

He got down on the fluffy carpet and grabbed her sketchbook. She clung onto it, but eventually it slipped out of her hands and she hissed as it skimmed her delicate fingers. 

He apologized and grabbed her hand to press a kiss to it as he opened her sketchbook to the first page, which was blank.

He flipped over to the next page and noticed it was a drawing of Hayze, River, Rosie and him all standing on a boardwalk. Rosie had taken it with the new camera she had gotten for a middle school graduation gift and she wanted to take a picture of everything. It was annoying, but no one had the heart to stop her. When she was enthusiastic about something, she was utterly adorable. 

"This is really good Rosie."

"Th-thank you," she said, her cheeks turning scarlet.

He turned to the next page and laughed when he noticed it was a picture of him and her making mud pies in the garden when they were little kids. It was extremely detailed and well shaded. 

He turned to the next page and felt a smile creep up on his face when he noticed it was a picture of him sitting on his bed playing video games. He had a controller in his hands and he looked extremely focused. That day, he pretended to not see her take the picture, but he had seen it and he wasn't mad. As long as she didn't post it online.

He turned the page again and furrowed his eyebrows at the drawing of him stooped over and kissing her forehead. He looked up at Rosie who was covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. "How did you do this? I don't remember anyone taking a picture when this happened."

"I-I used my imagination. And a reference and then just put our faces there instead."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead and she squeaked at the feeling of his lips on her skin. "You're so damn cute Rosie."

"That's a bad word," she pouted. 

He smiled and then flipped the page again, chuckling when he realized it was a drawing of him at the gym. "You sneaky little girl," he tsked. "I thought I was just paranoid when I was down in Hayze's gym. Turns out there was someone watching me."

She hurriedly scrambled to shut the book but he snatched it away and flipped to the next page only to find his fists and jaw clench in anger. 

"Who the hell is this?" he asked as he pointed to the man leaning against a wall with a pencil behind his ear. He knew full well who it was, but he wanted Rosie to say he was just hallucinating.

"He's my art teacher. He said that if I draw him he'd buy me a box of pizza and bring it to me during lunch tomorrow."

He tore the paper out of her book and Rosie looked at him with wide eyes. "You can't draw him!"

"Why not? I was gonna come to your side of the block and share some of my pizza," she pouted as she stared at him with her big blue eyes.

He shook his head and ripped her drawing down the center before her enchanting gaze could affect him to much.

"Cyrus!" she screeched as she gently took the paper out of his hands and cradled it like it was a precious piece of china. He bit his lip as her chin wobbled and her eyes filled with tears. "Wh-why would y-you do that? I worked so hard on this."

He clenched his jaw and looked away from her as the guilt started to settle in. "Stay away from that f~cking teacher," he growled before he ran away, just like he did with all his other problems.