Queen of the track

VII

Chapter 7.

Raven

"Mason also said we don't think he's responsible." I say to AJ.

We're both standing in the kitchen, trying to think of a way to talk to our brothers and make them understand where we're coming from with our decisions that impact the family. We both know first-hand that saying, "you can't do this, but I'm not going to tell you why or give you any other options, so deal with it," causes you to be extremely fucked up.

"I never said he isn't responsible," AJ says. "In fact, I did the complete opposite."

I glare and him and he raises his hands in defence. It's way too soon for him to be making jokes about leaving our brothers alone.

"Okay," he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "We just ... we go up there, and we explain that they can't see dad just yet, and to prove to us that they're responsible and mature, they should accept it and not fight with us about it."

That is literally what I just thought we shouldn't do.

"And that's how not to parent," I roll my eyes. "We're not dad, AJ, and they're not us."

He sighs and throws his arms up in a defeated manner, "then what do you suggest?"

I shrug slowly, "we ... talk to them? Try and understand their point of view, and then explain ours."

AJ looks down at the floor, thinking it through before he eventually nods. "All right, but I lead, Mason might still be upset with you."

"Hey, you're the one who picked them up from school in a mood," I say defensively. "It's the first thing he said to me when I got home."

AJ doesn't reply to me and leads the way out of the kitchen, up the stairs and to the door of Mason and Will's shared bedroom.

"Maybe we should move one of them into dad's room?" I suggest quietly with a shrug. "It's not being used and maybe they could use their own space."

AJ gives me a look, "you really think moving one of them into his room is gonna help this situation at all?"

When he says it like that, I grimace. Yeah, maybe that isn't such a good idea, it'll just make them miss him that much more.

AJ brings his knuckles up to the door that has 'Mason & Will' written with foam stick-on letters of different colours, various other stickers of cartoon characters decorating the wood. After a moment of silence, AJ knocks again, but no one answers. He turns the handle of the door and pushes it open for us to peer inside.

"Boys?" His deep voice asks curiously.

Will sits at his desk in the corner of the room, his lamp on as he hunches over it and Mason is lying on his bed playing on his phone. Both boys have earphones in and music blaring. No wonder they didn't hear us knocking, they probably put them in to drown out our yelling.

AJ and I share a guilty look at our joint realisation before walking into their room, Mason is the first to notice us and pulls out his earphones.

"Have you finished yelling at each other?"

AJ sits in the end of his bed as I go over to Will and gently place my hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention. He swivels around in his chair and pulls out his earphones, I smile down at the current drawing he's doing of one of his favourite comic book characters and sit down on his bed that's next to his desk.