Sterling

Chapter Twenty-Three

Taehyung frowned when he heard that Jungkook had left school early that day, causing him to check his phone to see if the raven-haired boy had left him any messages at to why he had left so suddenly when they only had one class left before the final bell. But when he was met with a blank screen, he felt his spirits drop and his shoulders slump as he made his way home, denying a ride from his friends once again.

He wondered why Jungkook suddenly left without telling him he wouldn't be walking home with him. He worried and wondered if the said boy was having problems with his shoulder still, so he shot him a quick text asking of everything was okay. He didn't expect an immediate reply, so he shoved his phone back into his pocket as he continued his walk home, not even knowing his parents were already there and waiting for him.

When he seen their car pulled into their driveway, he immediately stopped in his tracks as his body stiffened from the sight of their black BMW parked right in front of their garage. He didn't expect them to be home so early in the week after he was told they would be gone for a week and a half, they were three days early. The sight terrified him, and he had to force himself to moved his legs and walk up to his house in hopes his parents were in good moods to allow him to just go and lock himself in his bedroom.

When he opened the door, he was met with that familiar eerie feeling, his hopes plummeting when he seen his father sat in the living room with a cigarette between his lips. He gently closed the door behind him, assuming his mother was in the kitchen doing her own thing as he peeked his head in the living room, his eyes landing on his father and the bottles of vodka setting on the side table by his chair.

He already knew the man was drunk because he reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke. He shuddered when he was met with those same cold pair of eyes, boring into his own deep brown ones that were praying for everything to be alright. His father stared at him with an expressionless face, bringing his cigarette back up to his lips and taking a long drag from it. The way his father stared at him had him already trying not to shake in fear as he tried not to have an intense staring competition with him, because he already knew where this was going.

"You guys are um... home early," Taehyung stated quietly as brought a hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing it as if it were to ease and calm his nerves that were currently all over the place. His father didn't even answer him, and Taehyung assumed the man wasn't in the talking mood like he usually is when they just came home from a business trip. He was about to take the silence as his invitation to leave until his mother came up behind him, blocking his escape.

His body seemed to have stiffened more, if it were even possible as he turned his body around and looked up at his mother, fear evident in his features. He clutched the strap of his bag that was slung over his shoulder, subconsciously, as his father stood up from his chair and took slow strides towards the small brunette boy. Taehyung heard the footsteps coming his way, causing him to turn around and see his father had that same deathly look in his eyes, and that's when Taehyung knew he had fucked up somewhere down the line.

What he did to fuck up, he had no clue, but he knew his parents must've known about it, probably why they're back here early and cornering him in his own home, terrified of what was to come. His father finally stopped a few feet away from his son, hand reaching down and picking up a half-empty vodka bottle from the coffee table, bringing it up to his lips and taking a long gulp from it before letting his hand fall to his side lazily.

Taehyung watched with round eyes in fear, his anxiety kicking in once again when his father brought the back of his hand up to wipe the remnants of the alcohol from his chapped lips. The small brunette boy almost flinched when he saw that hand move up, fearing striking him dead in his chest as he cautiously watched the man before him. The room was insanely quiet-too quiet for Taehyung's liking-a sound he's grown to absolutely despise.