Myshuno! Prompt #12: "I don't want to end up like my parents."
Prompt: "I don't want to end up like my parents." (superfr0g)
Characters: Douglas Thorne, Peggy Bradford
Rating: PG for language
Summary: Douglas really, really, really doesn’t want to end up like Bruce or Rosalie.
Notes: Canon. Takes place when Douglas and Peggy are in high school. May appear in a future chapter, so it can be considered a spoiler.
Word Count: 498
Douglas Thorne picked up another rock and tossed it at the old oak tree that marked the edge of the property line. He’d been doing the same thing for the past few hours, ever since he stormed out of the house after yet another fight with his mother. She could be such a bitch sometimes, and just didn’t get him at all.
“What did that poor tree ever do to you?”
Douglas looked up to see Peggy walking towards him.
“Nothing,” he smirked, “but I don’t think my mom would be too happy if I decided to throw rocks at her.”
Peggy arranged her poodle skirt as she sat down next to Douglas. “Something tells me she’s already not too happy.”
Douglas snorted as he lobbed another rock. “Nah, she went ape on me earlier ‘cause the principal called home about me sluffing off classes this afternoon.”
“I noticed. I took notes for you in English.”
“Thanks.”
Douglas threw another rock as Peggy watched. “You know, Doug, your mom is always yelling at you for one thing or another. What’s got you so upset this time?”
His shoulders slumped. “She said that if I keep up these ‘little stunts,’ I’ll never amount to anything.”
Peggy gasped, and Douglas smiled wryly. “Right? Just because I find school boring means I’m nothing in her eyes. She’s the one who dropped out of college with a year left just to get married! And I’m the dumb one!”
Peggy said nothing, but covered the hand of her friend that was clenched around another rock.
“And don’t get me started on my dad. He’s never around, and then wonders why Mom has such a short fuse. Hell, anyone would have a short fuse after dealing with all of us all day long.”
“You and your brothers and sisters can be a handful.”
“He’s such a fucking hypocrite. If he wanted us to be a certain way, maybe he should have been around more so he could have a say in our raising.”
“What’s really bugging you, Doug?”
He heaved a sigh. “Teddy was getting on my nerves this morning, and I told him that he should know better than to behave like that. The exact same words my mom has used on me a million times coming out of my mouth. It was like my worst nightmare come true.”
“So that’s why you sluffed off class this afternoon.”
“Yeah.”
The pair lapsed into silence, Douglas’ rock tossing abandoned.
“I really, really, really don’t want to end up like Mom. Or Dad for that matter.”
“Would it really be the worst thing in the world if you ended up like your parents?”
Douglas looked at Peggy like she had three heads. “Uh, yeah. They’re so out of touch with reality that it’s not even funny.”
“Well, what are you going to do so you don’t?”
“Get as far away from this place as I can once I graduate high school. And never look back.”
Characters: Douglas Thorne, Peggy Bradford
Rating: PG for language
Summary: Douglas really, really, really doesn’t want to end up like Bruce or Rosalie.
Notes: Canon. Takes place when Douglas and Peggy are in high school. May appear in a future chapter, so it can be considered a spoiler.
Word Count: 498
Douglas Thorne picked up another rock and tossed it at the old oak tree that marked the edge of the property line. He’d been doing the same thing for the past few hours, ever since he stormed out of the house after yet another fight with his mother. She could be such a bitch sometimes, and just didn’t get him at all.
“What did that poor tree ever do to you?”
Douglas looked up to see Peggy walking towards him.
“Nothing,” he smirked, “but I don’t think my mom would be too happy if I decided to throw rocks at her.”
Peggy arranged her poodle skirt as she sat down next to Douglas. “Something tells me she’s already not too happy.”
Douglas snorted as he lobbed another rock. “Nah, she went ape on me earlier ‘cause the principal called home about me sluffing off classes this afternoon.”
“I noticed. I took notes for you in English.”
“Thanks.”
Douglas threw another rock as Peggy watched. “You know, Doug, your mom is always yelling at you for one thing or another. What’s got you so upset this time?”
His shoulders slumped. “She said that if I keep up these ‘little stunts,’ I’ll never amount to anything.”
Peggy gasped, and Douglas smiled wryly. “Right? Just because I find school boring means I’m nothing in her eyes. She’s the one who dropped out of college with a year left just to get married! And I’m the dumb one!”
Peggy said nothing, but covered the hand of her friend that was clenched around another rock.
“And don’t get me started on my dad. He’s never around, and then wonders why Mom has such a short fuse. Hell, anyone would have a short fuse after dealing with all of us all day long.”
“You and your brothers and sisters can be a handful.”
“He’s such a fucking hypocrite. If he wanted us to be a certain way, maybe he should have been around more so he could have a say in our raising.”
“What’s really bugging you, Doug?”
He heaved a sigh. “Teddy was getting on my nerves this morning, and I told him that he should know better than to behave like that. The exact same words my mom has used on me a million times coming out of my mouth. It was like my worst nightmare come true.”
“So that’s why you sluffed off class this afternoon.”
“Yeah.”
The pair lapsed into silence, Douglas’ rock tossing abandoned.
“I really, really, really don’t want to end up like Mom. Or Dad for that matter.”
“Would it really be the worst thing in the world if you ended up like your parents?”
Douglas looked at Peggy like she had three heads. “Uh, yeah. They’re so out of touch with reality that it’s not even funny.”
“Well, what are you going to do so you don’t?”
“Get as far away from this place as I can once I graduate high school. And never look back.”