18Disclaimer- I do not own this book series nor do I own the chapter title. That belongs to the wonderful and fabulous band called Relient k
Words- 623
Date published- 6-25-11 or 25 June 2011
I wish I could communicate better with my beta better. :/ all meh fault. Dx
You're mad. More than mad, actually. You're livid. Who are you angry at? Your own flesh and blood, your own son, Hamilton.
But you know how to control your emotions in times when it really counts. 'Breathe in and out, in and out. Whatever the kids did this time wasn't that bad.'
Except this time, it is. Keeping your face as neutral as a Tomas can, you turn around to look at your son.
"You lost."
"I know."
"Losing is not okay. It is not what I expect from you, do you understand?"
Hamilton leans against the wall and makes a noncommittal grunt.
Your eye twitches and the edges of your mouth pull down. Usually, your son would cower before you, apologize for whatever he did wrong, and then scamper out the door, his tail between his legs. You remember wishing before that Hamilton had the guts to face you like a man, instead of being afraid. Now that your son is unaffected by you, however, you feel strangely proud... yet at the same time, you want him afraid again.
Calm approach: no go. Bring out the big missiles. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
"I said okay!" Hamilton yells back, his hands clenching.
Good, good. Anger is better than indifference.
"And do you know what losing makes you?" Calm. Might throw him off.
"What does it make me, Dad?" Hamilton doesn't sound scared or angry. He just sounds tired. Not good, not the result you were looking for. Gloves off now.
"IT MAKES YOU A LOSER!"
"And losing is always bad, huh? Even when it's to save your friends and your family? Does that still make losing still bad?"
You splutter. The way your son is talking, he sounds like an Ekat; he looks like a Lucian, leaning against the wall like that, and is acting like anything but Tomas.
Ignore the point that he is right.
"You still gave up your clues willingly! That is a disgrace! That is losing! YOU ARE A LOSER!"
"Think about it Dad, I saved lives. You may call me a loser, and heck I may be a loser, but I feel like a winner."
This is not what you thought would happen. "EXPLAIN YOURSELF."
"Dan and Amy would have died. They're my friends, Dad- we're friends." You think you see something flicker in his eyes at the word 'friend', but you convince yourself that you imagined it. "And Natalie and Ian. I hate their guts, but that doesn't mean I want to see them spread out on the floor in a pile of blood! Not to mention that you and the rest of my family were tied to gravestones that were about to explode! What would you have done in my position?"
You pause, thinking it over.
He speaks before you. "Weigh your answer carefully, Dad. All my respect and love for you rests on your response." His chin and eyebrow rise as he looks at you.
You think some more.
And some more.
And more.
Finally, you have your answer. You're about to open your mouth and tell him the truth, when you see his face. It's twisted in an expression akin to disgust.
"Never mind, Dad: you just gave me your answer." He turns and leaves, throwing one last glare over his shoulder, before he slams the door.
You yell his name, but he doesn't come back. Turning, you sit behind your desk in an office you barely use, in a house where the people make it a home.
You had hesitated.
You thought too long, and you hesitated.
Now nothing you ever do will put your relationship with your son back to the way it had once been.
But, really. Your son should have known you don't think well under pressure.
Author's Note(s)-I know, the idea for the drabble is overused. But when I think loser/winning I think of Charlie Sheen and Hamilton Holt. Sorry, sorry. xD And again I wanted to challenge myself so I wrote in second person. Is it okay? And I know that Hamilton never really got this mad at his dad, but how do you know for sure? Maybe they had a big argument when they got home and Hamilton just blew up and nothing was ever the same? Hm? Yeah, I know that didn't happen. but it was fun to write. xD
Sadly, I'm not that fond of the ending. Usually I have fun making up endings (some happy, some not) but this time... I just couldn't think of a good way to do it. :/
See you guys in a month!
...Boy will I have a lot to catch up on... Dx