I am 'welcomed' into the home, it's a little messy but like outside it's quiet as her mother and father watch me enter their home. Introductions are made and I can see Syd gets her thin body type from her father as her mother is a bit heavier set and both parents look amazingly tired but her Mom has a smile on her face with a visitor in her home. I got asked the basic questions along with how things were with the homecoming dance we went to and failed to make a good date. I don't get into the nasty details of my beating and avoid Sydney's shotgun date night with a football goon, it'd just complicate things. I'm offered food and looking around to notice things missing, there are some gifts and the food is small portions. I've lived like this, I've lived like this for years and I immediately put the plate down and tell Sydney that I have to go and that I'll be right back. I am pretty sure I'm leaving them confused but I am being driven by something I can't explain but it only takes me twenty minutes to find an open grocery store and grabbing a cart I make my way down every aisle grabbing things almost at random but I feel excited, more excited now than I have in a few years at this time. Three hundred dollars spent on food I grab gift cards for clothing stores and that electronic store with the yellow price tag on a blue background before loading up the trunk and folding up the backseat of my new car and heading back to Sydney's house.
I'm unloading the first armload of food on the porch when Syd comes out the door with a grumpy look on her face.
"What the hell is wrong with you," She asks hotly, like the desert sun in Africa hot.
"I needed to run to the store and pick up some things," I answered her, kind of quietly.
"Why" her Dad asks, taking up behind his daughter.
"Because she's my friend and you took me in on first look and wanted to give me food. I just don't know, I wanted to do something nice," it's ridiculous, I feel ridiculous.
I begin to take things back to my car when Syd takes my arm and stops me. Her Dad follows me to the car and takes a couple bags and the two of us unload the car quietly as Syd's Mom just smiles at the sight of everything being unloaded. I take my plate again as Syd sits down with me while her parents stock the shelves and I render unto her an explanation.
"I was really poor before Mom met Mr. Delauter, I didn't have a Christmas that didn't involve a stocking at a bar or a sad little tree with nothing under it because Mom
drank the gift money. I just felt something, a real something and I had to act," I explain as her parents return to the room having heard my brief explanation.
"Well this is a lot but how can you afford this," her Mom asks.
"His parents, well Mom and Step Dad are rich," Syd explains and I nod weakly.
"Well we weren't too bad off, just paid bills and were waiting on next payday to make up for the lack of presents and holiday food but this is most welcome," the Mom says and I get to smile.
We eat pancakes with peanut butter, butter was more expensive but I bought some of it and syrup too so we can have whatever we want. I get to sit and talk with Syd and her parents, Hunter and Angie, and explain my problems. I dump out my whole fucking shoe box of pain and confusion for them and while I feel a little better now I am exposed and have no place to hide it. If they are horrified they are hiding their expression very well.
"I like this Delauter guy, he's a workaholic honestly but so am I," Hunter explains and I shrug," Don't blow me off, listen boy, he expected everyone to group up and bond because it's what good people do and he's a good person. Hell I didn't know Sydney went home till three days after when she was crying about how horrible your night went."
Yeah Syd is embarrassed a little but I keep listening to her father as he continues.
"You seem like a good kid, a little shy honestly but other than the sister from hell your family sounds pretty nice," He states and I want to say something but he stops me," I know I didn't grow up with them, you did."
"What Hunter is trying to say is they only deserve a chance if you want them," Angie is a bit harder than her husband," You need to figure out what you want in the whole ball of wax. Yes, they're nice people and they give you pretty things but how do you feel when they do that stuff?"
"Okay I guess," I answer and she shakes her head.
"It's not the stuff then it's the attention. You like that they are paying attention now," Angie says and it feels true, mostly.
"I think so, I just don't like that it took three years for my step family to realize how shitty things were in their perfect home," I explain feeling a little upset but under control.
"That's to be expected honestly. People don't understand what they have until it's marching out the door and never coming back," Angie says and Hunter gives her a look.
"I didn't think I'd be coming back," he smirks and I think there is a story I don't know.
"Families aren't perfect, hell that Beth girl is far from it but at the end of the day they are going to be the ones to help pick you up. At least now you can see they don't hate you," Angie says and again more truth.
We talk, we eat, we laugh and they thank me for gifts. It's a good holiday until I realize I have been gone for four hours after I went shopping and now it's almost dinner time. I say goodbye and get a wave from the family before heading back towards my home. Almost six hours after leaving I realized a couple things, one I left without telling anyone anything and two I took my wallet but not my phone. Parking in the garage for the first time is nice but when I get into the house Mom and Mr. Delauter are not happy with me.
"Where the hell have you been," Mom is mad, I've not seen this level of mad before.
"I was helping a friend, her Christmas was bad and her family let me sit down and talk with them. I am sorry I forgot my phone," I get about that much out when Mom continues.
"I have been at my wits end to help you see that I love you and this family cares about you and you just run off on Christmas, ON FUCKING CHRISTMAS!," did I mention Mom was pissed," Now you run off to spend time with someone else's family leaving us here worried sick."
Mom is on the warpath as Mr. D just stands there with his arms folded, it's like he's waiting for his turn and I just need to speak and be heard.
"Mom… Mom… Mom…," she just keeps ranting at me," MOM!"
I think I broke the house, Mom was loud but I just trumped her in volume and something else. Not sure what it was in me but it's gone in a second and now both Mr. D and Mom are standing still as I take a breath and take my Mom's hands.
"Mom, I'm sorry. I couldn't think and didn't plan on being gone so long. I just went somewhere to think and ended up with my friend Sydney and her parents. We talked; they defended you and helped me a little. I spent a lot of money on them," I get those words out and Mr. D looks like he wants to say something," My money sir, not my allowance. They thanked me and sent me back home. I love you and I'm sorry I made you worry."
"Honey I don't know what you are thinking anymore. I worry everyday that you'll decide to not come home and I'll never see you again," Mom says, dropping the anger as we move to the TV room to talk with Mr. D behind us.
"Mom, realistically if I was going to leave I would have done it a long time ago. I can see that things are different now. I'm seeing you better than I was and all of you are seeing me finally," I explain a little of what I was led to by Sydney's family.
"Did the car handle okay," Mr. Delauter asks after a pause in the conversation.
"It was great, I wish it was Dad but it's the thought, the reason you got it that's important. Also I can actually go places now so that's a plus," I answer and add a little to help relieve tension.
After talking and Christmas dinner which isn't as nervous as some dinners have been over the past few months. Everyone talks about me, each other and just relaxes. I'm not the focus of all the attention and when we finally finish and I head to my room Beth follows me in to talk some more.
"So things with this friend of yours, Sydney? You and her dating or," she wants to ask and I chuckle.
"I think if we dated the world would divide by zero and negate all existence," I joke and it's intelligent humor, Beth doesn't get it," Oh crap search divide by zero meme on your phone."
"Whatever, I am just glad you're home and not running off on Mom," Beth says and I have to stop her.
"It occurs to me that had our parents never met you would have never noticed me. I would have been some sad pathetic boy you and the other girls would have mocked openly," I use bigger words to have an impact on Bethany's not so great vocabulary.
"Except you're not sad or pathetic and as for open mockery we weren't that bad most of the time," Beth says and I have to check my thoughts on her vocabulary.
"Yeah but that's not how things worked out and now we're stuck together, somewhat," I clarify my previous statement turning it into an observation instead of leaving it a judgment of Beth's character.
"Well I still don't understand the no revenge policy you seem to live by but thank you. I did shitty things by you and in some cases to you and you could have outed me as a complete bitch to the whole school," Beth thanks me but I have to explain myself, again.
"What good does it do either of us, you or me, to hurt you. I don't need the truth to come out if it hurts you and you are important to Mom and the family," I tell Beth and
she seems to get it but I guess I'm the more mature one," Besides thanks to you I've already been with two cheerleaders."
"What? Two? Who other than Lex," she asks and I laugh shaking my head," Oh fine. It's your thing but just don't make things weird for my friends when they come over. I am trying to help boost your image at school and they are gonna help."
"I know, I've heard the master plan. It's goofy to me but I guess we don't fully understand each other which is alright," I tell her and she smiles.
I'm alone on Christmas night and before bed get a text from Sydney thanking me for helping out her parents and welcoming me back whenever I want. It's nice to be wanted and I feel wanted. Finally this is a good Christmas.