*Ding-Dong!*
The doorbell rang while I was still mulling over whether I would be charged with battery if I were to beat the shit out of late Ryan's parents, who in the world's eyes were my parents too.
'I hope it doesn't come to that.'
Not that I didn't want to beat the shit of these two, but beating them could complicate my daily life. I didn't want that since I had barely settled into this new life.
'The world needs to know.'
I turned on the recording app on my phone and placed it in my pocket. In case of any altercation, I needed evidence to prove my side of the story because juvenile testimonies had a history of being undermined when the said juvenile looked like a man baby weighing a few hundred pounds. One look at me, and any cop would think I am the problem child taking advantage of the two pushover parents. If I don't get ahead of it, things could play out in the two shameless exes' favor. That was if the court chose to trial me as an adult.
'Every child deserves a parent but not every parent deserves a child.' This thought came to mind when I prepared to face the people supposed to be my parents in this world.
*Ding-Dong!*
'They are an impatient bunch.' Weighing all my options. I opened the door, stepped out, and closed the door behind me. I wanted this to be public and let neighbors remember that Grandma Hunt's only son and her ex-daughter-in-law were a piece of work. This body had zero charisma. I could only hope to get neighbors on my side out of sympathy.
"Hey, Son. You seem to have lost weight. Haven't you been eating properly?" Ryan's mother said chummily in an effort to gain my affection, but it only made me feel more disgusted towards her. And a little funny because in Ryan's entire lifetime, this should be the first time this woman addressed Ryan as her son and not as it or that thing.
Amber O'hore, late Ryan's mother, was a plump middle-aged woman with straight, short brown hair wearing a collared shell top and tights under a pencil skirt. She had a fair complexion and wore heavy makeup to look younger. Her small height made her healthy body look fat, especially her curves. I could see why Ryan's father would continue to have an affair with her after the divorce.
"Boy, answer your mother." Amber's ex-husband yelled sternly. He seems to be already in character as the bad cop. He was trying to assert dominance by being loud.
Stan Hunt, late Ryan's father, was a tall, middle-aged man with short brown hair showing signs of baldness and wore a cheap black suit. He had a large build with a beer gut threatening to pop his shirt buttons. Tattoos could be seen on the left side of his body underneath his collar and cuffs. He reeked of cigarettes. He continued trying to intimidate me with his stern glare, but I ignored him. This could have worked on late Ryan but not me.
"Why are you guys here?" I asked Amber. She looked at me with surprise as my reaction wasn't in sync with the Ryan in her memories.
Being ignored, Stan's glare got stronger. I practically felt his eyes on my skin. I was annoyed, but this was the best way to get him to explode and reveal his true self as a child abuser.
I remember he used to slap around Ryan because he didn't like Ryan running around the house. Back then, Ryan was barely 5-6 years old. Whenever Stan was home, terrified, Ryan would cower in one of the corners of the home because the only way to not get beaten by Stan was to stay out of his sight.
Amber and Stan used to party a lot. Every weekend they stayed out the whole night drinking and partying as if there was no tomorrow. Ryan would be left home alone with nobody watching over him. When hungry, his only option would be to fill his stomach with water as the couple would always forget to stock up their fridge. Since this was a regular occurrence, the boy developed a habit of hiding food in every corner of the house so that he wouldn't starve to death if his parents forgot to feed him again. Therefore the first chore Ryan did after his grandma passed away was to buy four cartons of instant ramen.
When they were not out partying, they would be at each other's throats. No matter who lost. They would take out their anger on Ryan because he resembled their partner.
While other kids hated school lunch, Ryan loved it. It was the only time he could eat to his fill without worrying about one of his guardians snapping and taking their anger out on him. Then came grandma. For late Ryan, She was the best cook in the world. She liked to spoil Ryan, and with his food issues, Ryan was bound to pudge out.
"I am here to give you your monthly allowance." Saying that, Amber handed an envelope to me along with the bags containing fruits, sweets, and other small gifts, "Store them in the fridge. They will last longer."
"..." I took the envelope and the bags. Amber was submissive because she spotted the neighbors peeking over here and had become cautious. Late Ryan never had any guests, so the neighbors were curious when two cars pulled over in front of the Hunt residence. The houses here were tightly packed, making one person's business everyone's business.
My whole plan was to get Amber and Stan to spiral out and create a scene in front of the neighbors. But Amber was too aware of her surroundings and acted cautiously. Now I could only pin my hope on Stan. He was about to burst any minute now.
"You bastard child, you dare to ignore me. Have you forgotten your manners? Let me help you revise them—"
*Slap*