Achieving Unbroken

-Chapter 27-

Achieving Unbroken
Chapter Twenty Seven

—

"I should stay strong;
But I'm weak, and what's wrong with that?
Boy oh boy I love it when I fall for that"
Weak | AJR

—

Jason
[Friday, March 23rd, 2017]

"Happy birthday dear Jo-ey, happy birthday to you!" The five of us chorus as Mama places the made-from-scratch triple chocolate cake in front of my little brother, who turned fourteen today.

"Cake!" Sapphire squeals, her and Diamond playing around in their seats, giggling and saying incoherent things in their high pitched voices.

"Shh, Sapphie," Mom goes, gently pressing her index finger to her lips. "Joey's gotta make a wish."

Joey's face lights up when Mom says this. The twins are young and crave attention, and I know that bringing them into the house has been something that was an adjustment to both Joey and I.

But for Joey, he seems to still be adjusting.

Having Mom defend him and acknowledge that this, right now, is his thing that he gets to do, reassures him. I've tried to do the same; but it feels different coming from our parents. I always feel happy when they give him chances like this. It cheers him up.

He takes a moment — his moment in the spotlight — to think of what he wants to wish of. I can tell that he's prolonging this moment as long as he can manage, because he loves that the eyes are on him for once, he loves feeling loved.

Unfortunately, he makes his moment a little too long. And it's cut short before he even realizes it.

As he was thinking about what he wanted to wish for, I could see Diamond and Sapphire playing around across the table. They weren't too distracting, so quiet that I couldn't even hear what they were saying, so it wasn't an issue.

Until I hear—

"Stop!" In Sapphire's little voice, though it echos through the dining room.

And in a breath, the room is dark. Joey's face isn't glowing; none of ours are.

Diamond blew out his birthday candles. The two candles, the '1' and the '4', Are no longer dripping with wax. They are instead letting out streams of smoke.

Diamond took his wish. She took his moment in the sun. She took the one thing he felt like he had; and made it hers.

"Diamond," Mom reprimands. "You can't blow out your brother's birthday candles! This isn't your birthday."

Livid, Joey storms out of his chair, trying to leave the tear falling down his face unnoticed. He leaves so fast that the chair falls backwards and clatters on the dining room floors, and the only noises made are Joey's feet thumping upstairs and his door slamming shut.

"Fuck," I whisper sharply.

"Jason," Mom snaps.