when is tomorrow chpt. 10 - brian
Brian
“I think someone’s at the door,” Michelle informed me, even though I was sitting right across from the door and heard the doorbell.
Getting up and opening the door, I gave an annoyed eye roll. “Yeah, I think you’re - Matt, John, what the fuck happened to you?” I moved out of the way as Matt roughly pushed him in.
“I don’t know. He won’t go to the hospital.”
I just stared at Matt, still shocked this would happen to my family.
“Uh,” I scratched my head and blinked. “Michelle, no, uh, I’ll be out in the front, alright?”I walked out the front door, shoving Matt with me and stood in the front yard, my hands shoved in my pockets.
“You gonna fucking say something or what?”
“Your girl.“
“My what?”
“Your ex…”
“Yeah. What about her?”
“She’s fucking psycho”
Running my finger over a scar under my lip, I just laughed. “Tell me the story.”
Expecting it to be short, I crossed my arms and waited for him to tell me something.
“Okay,” John was finally confessing. Sitting on the front step, he started to speak quickly and quietly.
“Marilyn told me about what you did to her a while back. How you were so drunk, you were hitting her and all this-“
“This isn’t about me, John, shut the fuck up and get on with the shit.”
“Okay! Anyway, over the next few days, I, uh, sort of pressured her into having sex with me when she stayed over at my house,” I shot him a disgusted look (I still, to this day, don’t know why I did it), but I let him continue.
“When she didn’t give in the first time, I kicked her out of the bed, you know, but that’s not a big deal, is it? Then, I mean, the thing with Grace happened -“
“What thing with Grace, John?” Getting tired of standing, I sat on the porch swing behind him.
“Um, well, Marilyn had gone out to get a few things at the store, so she left me and Grace in the kitchen. Grace was drinking some water, and she spilled it by my phone, so I got pissed off and started to yell at her. And then, coincidentally, Marilyn happened to walk in to say I was parked behind her. When she did walk in, I had hold of Grace’s arm and it looked really bad. I didn’t mean any harm. I might have left bruises, but it wasn’t intentional. Marilyn started to scream, and I panicked, gave her a good hit to the face, and… I sort of just kept going until she gave up. I promise you, though, I was on my knees hoping I didn’t kill her. I’m… I’m sorry, Brian. I didn’t want to go to jail for domestic abuse.”
I stood up and gave John a good slap to the head. I don’t know why I was so worried about Marilyn. We were crumbling anyway.
“You’re fucking scum, John.”
“She’s pregnant!“
“You stupid asshole,” I kept hitting him.
“I saw ultrasounds.”
“Fucking selfish bastard.”
“BRIAN!”
“I heard you! Jesus fucking Christ. Unfortunately, I’m in a bit of a hassle right now. Fuck,” I began to walk around on the porch, taking shallow breaths. “I’m so fucking stupid.” This has never happened before, so why did it happen now?
Leaning against the porch railing, I closed my eyes and shoved a cigarette in my mouth.
I heard that nagging voice in the back of my head.
When you have kids, Brian, you’re gonna have to stop smoking and drinking.
I snapped my eyes open and turned to Matt.
“You wanna go out for a drink?”
For all I cared, that was not my kid.
“I think someone’s at the door,” Michelle informed me, even though I was sitting right across from the door and heard the doorbell.
Getting up and opening the door, I gave an annoyed eye roll. “Yeah, I think you’re - Matt, John, what the fuck happened to you?” I moved out of the way as Matt roughly pushed him in.
“I don’t know. He won’t go to the hospital.”
I just stared at Matt, still shocked this would happen to my family.
“Uh,” I scratched my head and blinked. “Michelle, no, uh, I’ll be out in the front, alright?”I walked out the front door, shoving Matt with me and stood in the front yard, my hands shoved in my pockets.
“You gonna fucking say something or what?”
“Your girl.“
“My what?”
“Your ex…”
“Yeah. What about her?”
“She’s fucking psycho”
Running my finger over a scar under my lip, I just laughed. “Tell me the story.”
Expecting it to be short, I crossed my arms and waited for him to tell me something.
“Okay,” John was finally confessing. Sitting on the front step, he started to speak quickly and quietly.
“Marilyn told me about what you did to her a while back. How you were so drunk, you were hitting her and all this-“
“This isn’t about me, John, shut the fuck up and get on with the shit.”
“Okay! Anyway, over the next few days, I, uh, sort of pressured her into having sex with me when she stayed over at my house,” I shot him a disgusted look (I still, to this day, don’t know why I did it), but I let him continue.
“When she didn’t give in the first time, I kicked her out of the bed, you know, but that’s not a big deal, is it? Then, I mean, the thing with Grace happened -“
“What thing with Grace, John?” Getting tired of standing, I sat on the porch swing behind him.
“Um, well, Marilyn had gone out to get a few things at the store, so she left me and Grace in the kitchen. Grace was drinking some water, and she spilled it by my phone, so I got pissed off and started to yell at her. And then, coincidentally, Marilyn happened to walk in to say I was parked behind her. When she did walk in, I had hold of Grace’s arm and it looked really bad. I didn’t mean any harm. I might have left bruises, but it wasn’t intentional. Marilyn started to scream, and I panicked, gave her a good hit to the face, and… I sort of just kept going until she gave up. I promise you, though, I was on my knees hoping I didn’t kill her. I’m… I’m sorry, Brian. I didn’t want to go to jail for domestic abuse.”
I stood up and gave John a good slap to the head. I don’t know why I was so worried about Marilyn. We were crumbling anyway.
“You’re fucking scum, John.”
“She’s pregnant!“
“You stupid asshole,” I kept hitting him.
“I saw ultrasounds.”
“Fucking selfish bastard.”
“BRIAN!”
“I heard you! Jesus fucking Christ. Unfortunately, I’m in a bit of a hassle right now. Fuck,” I began to walk around on the porch, taking shallow breaths. “I’m so fucking stupid.” This has never happened before, so why did it happen now?
Leaning against the porch railing, I closed my eyes and shoved a cigarette in my mouth.
I heard that nagging voice in the back of my head.
When you have kids, Brian, you’re gonna have to stop smoking and drinking.
I snapped my eyes open and turned to Matt.
“You wanna go out for a drink?”
For all I cared, that was not my kid.