As the two eldest Seville boys continued to talk and share their perspective on the stories they had aquired over the years, Al emerged from the kitchen with a large pepperoni pizza and two glasses of soda.
"Enjoy." Al said as he sat the pizza on the table and walked back into the kitchen.
For the first time in a long time, Alvin felt his walls slowly start to crumble. For multiple reasons that he dared not share with anybody, he hadn't felt safe enough to let his guard down. Alvin wished that he could feel happy and at peace more often, but knew like all good things, it would quickly come to a bitter end. He had forgotten what it felt like to let somebody in and not feel judgement or malicious intent from them.
Laughter filled the air along with the scent of the brick oven and rising pizza dough. As Simon picked up the last slice, Alvin's phone vibrated in the pocket of his red hoodie. He read the message and quickly replied. He groaned in disappointment, as he placed his device back into his pocket. Just as he feared, the feeling didn't last. He would be lying, if he said that the thought wasn't in the back of his mind, gnawing at him like a dog chewing on a bone.
"Looks like Dave is pretty mad at us. We'd better get going, before he blows a gasket." He explained as his smile quickly faded into the normal emotionless stare he typically wore.
Alvin quickly gulped down the last of his soda before leaving a tip on the table. Simon had to practically drag his brother by the hand to the car. The way Simon grabbed his hand made him feel as if everything would be alright. For a moment, he had forgotten about all of the negativity that had been directed towards him for the past year-and-a-half. It was as if he had been freed from a wasteland of despair and had no clue what to do with his new found freedom.
"Just don't get us killed on the way back." Alvin said jokingly as he sat in the passenger seat and buckled himself in.
"Don't worry. If we do die on the way back, Dave won't be able to ground us for it." Simon replied as he started pulling away from the parking lot.
"That won't stop him from trying." The eldest said half jokingly before taking one last look at the small morsel of freedom he had temporarily been given.
Despite the fact that Alvin had been depressed recently, he knew a car crash wasn't the way he wanted to go. Within what felt like an instant, Simon was pulling into the driveway and parking next to Dave's Oldsmobile station wagon. The eldest felt disdain as he realized that he was already back home. Before getting out of the car, he took a moment to mentally prepare himself for whatever punishment Dave had in store for him. His biggest fear was that Dave would forbid him from going on the trip Simon had planned. It had been months since even had the chance to get out of the ever-diminishing town they reside in. Every time there was a chance, life violently jerked it away from him. It was as if opportunities to better himself were being dangled in front of him on a string and every time he reached for it, it was cruelly yanked away never to be seen again.
"Before we go in..." Alvin began, unbuckling the seat belt and letting it slide back into its normal position before proceeding with his question, "How are we even going to ask Dave to let me go with you? He hasn't exactly been my biggest fan, here lately."
"Don't worry about that. I've been planning this trip for months. The hard part was talking Dave into letting me take just you. He wanted me to take Theodore too, but he couldn't come because of his internship. If he went with us, he would miss almost a week of work. Besides, we all know how easily he gets car sick. I don't want to clean up that mess again." Simon answered.
The pair exited the car and walked into their house and went to their respective rooms. As the door to Alvin's room shut gently, the all too famaliar feeling of isolation began to take hold. The silence that filled the room was almost enough to drive him insane. He sat on his bed and closed his eyes. For a second, he wondered if that might be what it's like to be dead or if there is some kind of existance beyond death that he knew he wouldn't be good enough to encounter.
He gripped his pants legs with his fists as the intrusive thoughts started to flood in and eventually left him wanting to be released from life. He no longer knew how to reclaim his mind. Alvin felt that speaking out about his emotions would only cause people to laugh at him or make him end up in a padded room. At times, he wondered if that wasn't where he belonged.
Before he could think about it much more, a knock on his door disrupted his morbid thoughts. At once, his eyes shot open. He shook his head in an attempt to get those unwanted feelings out of his head.
"I just got off the phone with the hotel we'll be staying at. They double booked the room and they're giving it to the person that booked it first. They offered a discount and another room but..." Simon began.
"But what?" Alvin questioned.
"The only avalible room they have has a single bed. Are you sure that you still want to go?" Simon replied, hoping that his eldest brother still wanted to go.
"Yeah, that's fine." Alvin began, "It'll be like when Dave first adopted us and we had to share a bed."
"I'm just thankful that we have our own beds now. It was always a little awkward waking up to you spooning me and feeling your boner." Simon replied
Alvin retorted, "Come on, we both know you liked it."
Simon's face turned a light shade of pink as he said, "Just shut up. Thanks, for 'taking a look at my car'."
"Any time." Alvin replied.
"Oh, I'm probably going to pick up some drinks for the trip. Do you want to go with me?" Simon asked, trying to put as much proverbial distance between that thought and himself as possible.
Alvin thought about it for a moment before answering, "I think I've had all the fun I can handle for one day. I think I'm gonna try and get to sleep so we can leave on time."
Simon frowned for a moment, but he knew that Alvin would be up all night if he didn't get some sleep soon. With the distance of their destination from the small town of White Deer, Simon knew he would have to split up the responsibility of driving. He nodded and departed from his eldest brother's room.
"On second thought..." Alvin began, "I'll go with you."
