Wild Bastard by Ella Savitskaya (book suggestions .txt) 📕

Matt

I wake up by lunchtime. The summer time allows me to sleep as much as I want. I have to go back to university in September to finish the last year of my studies, which I blew because of that asshole Ledger. The jerk ratted me out to my dad, though I'm partly grateful to him.

If it hadn't been for him, who knows where I would be right now at the mercy of that bitch Mia. The clinic at least brought me back to my senses and reminded me that if I didn't give up drugs, I might end up like my sister. The involuntary memory of Evelyn overwhelms me with the usual wave of longing, but I quickly chase it away.

I get up, take a shower, and go down to the dining room. The smell of fried bacon and scrambled eggs is just delicious. Some people already have lunch, but Laura knows my schedule, so she prepares breakfast just in time for me.

"Good morning," I cheerfully say coming into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Matthew" The woman puts a plate of eggs, bacon, some asparagus, and tomatoes on the table right in front of me.

"Good morning," Replies Lana, shoving her granola and milk. She's fiddling with her phone not even looking at me.

I sit down in my seat and snatch her iPhone.

"Hey, give it to me," The younger one says indignantly, but I 'm already going through her messengers.

"Who's BFF?" I arch an eyebrow questioningly, stumbling into a rather long dialogue with "Mark" as the last topic of discussion. I put my hand with the gadget back to keep Lana from reaching for it.

"None of your business! Give me that!" Her demanding fists smack me on the shoulders, but I'm more amused than angry about that. I push her into a chair so she doesn't flicker in my face.

"I asked who it was."

Laura drops a glass of fresh-squeezed juice in front of me and prudently evaporates from the kitchen. A clever woman, the only one who managed to adapt to our family and that is why for five years she still gets her hard-earned money safely.

Lana freaks out and puts her hands to her sides.

"My best friend."

"You have a friend?" I'm genuinely surprised, since my sister had no friends..... Never.

"Imagine that. A lot has changed in six months of your absence. And yes, I finally have a friend."

"What had changed, exactly?"

Not that I don't know. Before I left, I'd asked Redhead to keep an eye on the little fool who was always getting into trouble, but he hadn't told me anything about her friend.

"Like the fact that I'm soon to be eighteen, Matthew, and I'm not going to report to you on my life!"

I lunge forward, grab my sister by the hair, ignoring the squeak of complaint, and pull her to my face.

"Listen to me, Lana! In case you've forgotten, all your friends go through me. Guys, chicks, all of them! - I tell her through my teeth. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying in vain to turn away. - If you want to hang out with someone, you bring them to me, and I decide if you will hang out with them or not. If you've forgotten in six months how to behave properly, I'll remind you! Got it?

Lana is silent, clutching my hands, and I can see the tears starting to come out of her eyes. It's okay to let her cry, it's good for her. Next time she'll be thinking about whether to be friends with who knows who.

"Do you want me to repeat the question? Do you understand?" I bark in her face.

"Yes," my sister's shaky voice barely touches me. I'd learned to ignore the forced, resentment-induced tears. It's like children who cry all the time and whose parents gradually build up their armor so that they don't get caught up in their pathetic sobs.

"Matt, let her go," A faint voice comes from behind me.

Oooh, my brother's here. The whole family is here, great! 

I let Lana go and turn around to see Lucas stomping on the threshold.

"Come on in, don't just stand there!" I point him to the seat that was secretly assigned to him.

He looks at me with a frown, and then at our sister, who had managed to snatch her phone and shove it into the front pocket of her jeans, naively believing that I wouldn't get it there.

Lucas pours himself a glass of juice and sits down at the table.

"Well, family, I think it's time for us to talk. You've been too relaxed while I was gone. You," I point my finger at Lana, " will introduce me to your so-called friend. And you," I turn it over to brother, "did you know if she's hanging out with someone? Who's her friend and Mark anyway?

Lucas first throws a quick glance at sister, as if to see if he's allowed to talk. Oh, fuck. After six months away, they're already getting along.

"Look, Matt, I totally understand, of course," He looks at me, trying to sound resolute, "but Lana's really old enough to be in control of her every move. She can hang out with whoever she wants, what do you care? You're not our father to administer justice.

I cut off a piece of bacon deliberately slowly, put an asparagus on a fork, and drop it in my mouth. I don't intend to explain anything to them, and I don't have time for that.

"Really, and where's our dad?" I lean my head to the side, and then shout loudly enough to echo through the house: "Daaaad!"

Lana and Lucas simultaneously shudder, and I pointedly put my palm to my ear, listening to the silence screaming back at me.

"He doesn't seem to be here as usual" I say, and then I put the jokes aside and lean my elbows on the table, shifting my eyes from my brother to my sister in turn. "So, listen carefully, your relief is over. I don't know what you've done while I've been gone, but it's all back to normal now. No partying, no hanging out until night, and so on. Although you, Lucas, can hang out with me if I'm going somewhere" My brother perks up visibly, while Lana looks like an angry rabbit. Her lips are pressed together tightly, "And you, kid, stay at home quietly and peacefully. And if I find out you're hanging around after ten o'clock at night, you'll be sorry."