Bilateral ✔

Chapter 33 - Worse [Daniel Quinn]

Wednesday, around midnight

     Daniel didn't have many fears. He was protective over Hannah since she was his innocent little sister that deserved a better life.

He was afraid he would end up alone because he always fell for the wrong guys—like Mitchel and Frey—even though both seemed to behave just fine, and even help him out in some ways.

Thirdly, he was afraid his mother was going to die. Which was pretty much a fear he dreamed about most of the nights, waking up crying, only to run to his mother and make sure she was still alive.

Which he found was true every time; she was always breathing calmly in her sleep, mumbling like she always did.

Until he went to see how she was doing on Tuesday after he came home from school. She was coughing, she was throwing up, and she had a spiking fever, and Daniel had called the doctor in complete panic.

His mother was taken to hospital after the doctor came over to diagnose her with a severe pneumonia, concluding she wasn't strong enough to fight it herself; she needed treatment.

Daniel had quickly called the one person he knew would have time to come over and watch Hannah while he went to hospital to take care of his mother's business; Mitchel.

He indeed came over right away, told him to take the time and that he would watch Hannah as long as needed.

Daniel had been exhausted to no end once he came home late in the evening, finding Mitchel asleep on the couch, and Hannah safely tucked into her bed.

He had slumped down on the couch with a sigh, and grabbed the mail, dreading the usual bills and reminders of bills that still were waiting to be paid, when he found the official looking envelope that he didn't recognize at all.

He had opened it—his curiosity getting the best of him—postponing to answer to Frey's texts late in the meantime.

He had felt confused at first and relieved right after reading the first couple of lines, but then he started to feel hopeless;

His father had died, and the letter was officially informing him—as his son—and Hannah—as his daughter—that they were the only two heirs.

But Daniel already knew there was nothing his father could've possibly left them, and by the end of the letter, that suspicion had been confirmed.

He left them nothing but debts.

More things to pay, more debts to take care off.

Daniel had stared at the letter for what must've been hours on an end, not knowing what to do, or how to deal with this.

How would he ever be able to pay off the assholes debts, if he wasn't even capable of paying all their own bills in time?

He had no time left to work more than he already did, he had no energy left to do so either.

He could drop out of school, but that would equal a shitty wage the rest of his life, and he at least wanted a diploma to be able to earn a decent wage later.

He knew college had been out of the question long ago. He tried saving up to go to college at first, and later—since he couldn't save up enough money fast enough for his own college fund—he was saving for Hannah. But then his mother got ill, things got worse, and he had to use the money to keep the three of them alive and off the streets.

Daniel was tired, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep things up. Eventually he broke down crying somewhere in the middle of the night, waking Mitchel up with his sobbing that he couldn't keep in any longer.