5

Chapter 5)

Aaron walks past the living room and heads for his brother's bedroom. Before he reaches the door, however, a voice calls his name. He stops and turns around to find his sister leaning against the wall with a small frown on her face. Aaron approaches his younger sister and looks up at her expectantly, waiting to know what is going on. Once he notices the slight frown on her face he raises his eyebrows. "Is something wrong?" He asks concernedly. "Is it Dad? Did Dad say something to you?" He quickly adds when he realizes how worried he must have looked because of his little sister's reaction.

"Well, I… Actually, no…" Rachel admits reluctantly. "It's nothing like that…"

Her tone tells Aaron that something isn't quite right and that she won't be able to finish her sentence without further questioning. "Then what is it?" He presses, crossing his arms over his chest.

Rachel sighs before looking away and shifting her weight between her feet nervously. "Dad wants to talk to you," she mutters softly. "He called and said he needed to speak with you about something."

"What did he want to talk about?" the teenager inquires, raising an eyebrow. Something didn't sound right to him. If his father called Rachel, it had to be because he knew he was in the area. However, that wouldn't explain Rachel's reaction.

Rachel glances back at Aaron, then down towards the ground, before mumbling something unintelligible and staring determinedly at the floor. After a couple more moments of silence, she suddenly turns and walks briskly down the hallway, disappearing from his sight completely.

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Aaron finds himself standing frozen outside his brother's bedroom. The teenager slowly pushes open the door, stepping quietly inside and closing the door behind him. The room, once illuminated by the morning sunlight, feels almost dark despite the large windows covering most of the walls. In the middle of the room, sitting upright in a straight posture, is his father. He wears a long, white buttoned shirt beneath a pair of black slacks, and his hair is styled in its usual way, with one side hanging messily over his shoulder. He is gazing at a picture lying on the bed, while occasionally tapping his fingers impatiently on a coffee mug sitting on the bedside table. When the teenager steps fully into the room, his father doesn't respond immediately.

The teenager takes this time to survey his surroundings. His younger brother is seated in bed as well, watching him curiously from underneath his messy hair. Unlike the other male, however, his blonde locks are neatly combed backwards, allowing it to rest comfortably along his slender neck. He also wears a simple red turtleneck with dark wash jeans. Overall, he looks very much like himself. Except for the fact that his blue eyes, instead of being vibrant and lively, seem dull and lifeless.

As the teenager starts to make his way toward his father, the latter suddenly lifts his head to glare daggers at him. "Where have you been?" Aaron's father demands angrily, standing up from his spot on the bed and pointing his finger at the teenager accusingly. "After running out of here and ignoring my calls for a full half hour without any warning whatsoever, I was beginning to think the worst."

"I...I was trying to help..." Aaron stutters, fidgeting anxiously under his father's intense gaze. "I was helping my mom pack some clothes for you. I told you that a few days ago and you just brushed me off."

Aaron's father scoffs at his response. "Don't lie to me, Aaron," he snaps, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If you're just doing this to avoid dealing with my problem, forget it. You don't need to play the martyr anymore. We both know your mother couldn't handle the pressure and ended up getting sick."

"Look, you're not going to stop me!" Aaron exclaims, grabbing onto his father's arm tightly. "We both know that if I keep doing what you tell me to do, I'll eventually end up losing my job."

Aaron's words hit a chord with his father, causing the older man to let out a breath of defeat. Aaron knows he's right. "I'm sorry, Aaron..." His father apologizes as he releases his arm. "I know I haven't always shown you the love you deserve. It's just... You're all I've got... And now you're gone. This whole ordeal has really taken a toll on me, and I honestly don't know what I'm going to do or what to say. All I want is for you to return to the life you had prior to this nightmare. But you're not willing to give that up, are you?"

"Dad..." The teen lets out a frustrated sigh. "I'm not saying I'm going to leave my job. But you still never let me make any decisions regarding my lifestyle."

"Maybe you should listen to your parents..." Aaron's father replies. "You can't possibly know what they might be thinking about this. What would they think if their son suddenly disappeared, especially since they hadn't seen each other for years? How would they feel? What about Emily? What about me?" His father rants.

Aaron stares at his father with wide eyes and opens his mouth to protest but he doesn't get the chance to do so before his father continues talking.

"Do you even know why you're doing this, Aaron? Can you tell me honestly? Are you just using me for whatever purpose you have? Or are you using me to get revenge for what happened before you left?" His father questions. At the mention of that word Aaron clenches his jaw. "Because if so, then there's nothing to forgive me for. I shouldn't have blamed your mother so much in the first place... I should have trusted your gut instinct rather than forcing my expectations on you."

"Hey! That's not what I meant!" Aaron yells, grabbing his father's shoulders to prevent him from leaving the room. "And please stop blaming my mother! You're not the one to blame either! You know perfectly well I'm doing this because... Because you forced me! I was happy before! I loved it here!