Chapter 5 What's with all the yelling

When Maya got home, her shoulders were slumped, her eyes dull with exhaustion. She stepped in quietly, hoping to slip upstairs unnoticed. But her mother was already waiting in the living room, pacing with worry.

"Maya?" her mom called out the moment she heard the door.

"I'm fine," Maya muttered, avoiding eye contact as she tried to head straight for her room.

But her mom reached out and gently grabbed her arm. "Maya, wait. What happened? We were all so worried. I even asked your brother to try calling you. Your phone was off until you finally picked up." Her voice trembled. "What's going on?"

Maya stood still, her lips pressed tight. For a moment, it looked like she wasn't going to say anything. Then suddenly, the wall cracked. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I went for the interview," she whispered, "but the manager... he tried to touch me. I ran out. I didn't know where else to go, so I went to Jayden's place... and he....he was with my best friend."

Her voice broke. Her mom gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, Maya..."

"I just wanted to forget everything, so I went to the club. I just wanted to drink it all away," Maya finished, her voice shaking.

Her mom stared at her, stunned. "You went to drink... because of a man?" she said slowly, almost in disbelief. "Maya, that's not like you."

"I didn't know what else to do," she said softly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

A beat of silence passed before her mom added, "Jayden came by tonight. After you left. He asked for you."

Maya looked away. "I don't want to talk to him."

Her mom nodded gently and pulled her into a hug. "You don't have to. Just... don't shut us out, okay? We're your family. Let us carry some of this."

And for the first time in a long while, Maya let herself cry in her mother's arms

After crying for a few minutes in her mother's arms, Maya finally felt a little lighter. The pain was still there, but it wasn't choking her anymore. She sniffled, wiped her face, and pulled back gently.

"Thanks, Mom," she whispered.

Her mother gave her a soft smile and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Get some rest, sweetheart."

Maya nodded and slowly made her way upstairs to her room. She didn't even bother to change,just collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling, letting the silence comfort her.

Meanwhile, across town, Nathaniel was fighting a whole different kind of battle.

"I'm telling you, just one song!" his younger sister whined from the backseat of the car.

Jason, sitting beside her, groaned dramatically. "We already left the club, can't we just go home?"

Nathaniel pressed his fingers to his temple. "Why do you always get hyper when I'm tired?"

"Because you two are boring," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Come on, Nate. You promised we'd hang out this weekend!"

"I promised to show up," he muttered, turning into their estate. "Not to scream Beyoncé at midnight."

Jason chuckled, "She's got a point, though. You never loosen up."

Nathaniel shot him a look. "Says the guy who ran away the second she started making TikToks in the club."

Jason grinned. "Guilty. But admit it, your sister's crazy."

"In every sense," Nathaniel mumbled as he continues driving the car, still rubbing his temples.

Nathaniel decided to drop his sister off at their family house. Jason, already regretting tagging along, sat quietly in the passenger seat while she kept talking nonstop about how boring they were.

"You two are just plain dead! What's the point of going out if you're not going to have fun?" she groaned.

"You begged us to go," Nathaniel said dryly, eyes still on the road.

"Yeah, and you both acted like old men. Who even leaves a club at midnight?"

"Responsible adults," Jason muttered.

By the time they reached the house, the argument had gone from clubs to karaoke to her claiming her brothers ruined her youth. As they walked inside, she flung her bag on the couch and started stomping around dramatically.

Jason leaned closer to Nathaniel. "This is why I drink orange juice and stay home."

Then came the voice from down the hallway.

"What's with all this noise?"

Instant silence.

Even she paused, eyes wide. "Hi... hi... Mom," she said, voice suddenly sweet.

Jason stood straighter. "Evening, ma'am."

Nathaniel just shook his head and walked further in, already used to the chaos. "Every single time," he muttered.

Their mom walked into the living room and slowly sat down on the edge of the couch. Her voice was calm, but there was that underlying sharpness that always made them feel like kids again.

"What's going on here, Nathan? Ariel? What's with all the yelling?"

Ariel, Nathan's younger sister, stood there in her tiny black dress, looking like she'd just walked off a runway and straight into drama. Her hair was curled perfectly, but her expression was full of attitude,arms crossed, lips tight. She always had a flair for the dramatic, especially after a night out.

Nathan, on the other hand, looked done. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "I just came to drop your daughter off," before turning to head out.

Their mom's voice stopped him. "You still won't acknowledge me as your mother?"

He paused for a beat, back still facing them. He didn't say anything. Just walked out.

Jason gave a tight smile. "goodnight ma'am," he said politely, then quickly followed Nathan out.

Ariel scoffed under her breath and muttered, "Whatever," before heading upstairs without looking back, heels clacking on the steps.

Their mom let out a tired sigh and sat there alone, staring at the closed door

Their mom sat there, alone on the couch, eyes still fixed on the door Nathan had just walked through. Her shoulders slumped a little. For a second, she looked less like the woman who ran that house and more like someone trying to figure out where everything went wrong.

Outside, Nathan was already in the car, one hand gripping the wheel like it was the only thing grounding him. Jason slid into the passenger seat quietly, shutting the door without saying a word. The tension was thick.

Nathan pulled off fast too fast.

Jason held onto the handle above the window, glancing at him. "Hey... chill. You're driving like you're trying to kill us."

Nathan didn't say anything.

His jaw was clenched, eyes locked on the road, but he wasn't really seeing it. He was somewhere else, somewhere darker.

"No, you don't do this to me..."

"No... no..."

Bang.

That gunshot.

Jason noticed his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel. "Nathan, man... talk to me."

Still nothing.

"Bro, seriously"

Before he could finish, Nathan slammed on the brakes. The car came to a harsh stop at the side of the road, tires screeching. Jason jerked forward, then sat there breathing hard, one hand on his chest.

"Jesus..." he muttered. "You tryna kill me or what?"

Nathan leaned forward, resting his head on the steering wheel. His shoulders rose and fell, slow and heavy. He didn't cry. He just sat there, like the weight on him was too much.

"I'm not okay," he finally said, voice low and hoarse. "I thought I was, but... I'm not."

Jason looked over at him, quiet for a second. "Yeah. I figured."

Jason watched Nathan quietly. The car was dead still on the side of the road, the only movement coming from Nathan's clenched hands gripping the steering wheel. His knuckles were white, jaw tight, chest rising and falling like he was trying to keep something inside from boiling over.

The silence sat heavy between them, broken only by the soft hum of the car and the faint traffic in the distance. Jason didn't say anything at first. He just sat there, giving Nathan the space he clearly needed but still alert, still watching.

"You good now?" Jason asked eventually, voice low and cautious, like he was trying not to spook a wild animal.

Nathan didn't answer right away. His eyes were glued to the road ahead, but he wasn't really looking at it. He was somewhere else entirely. Somewhere dark.

After a few seconds, he let out a breath. "Yeah."

It wasn't convincing. Not even close. But it was the only answer Jason knew he'd get tonight.

Jason leaned back in his seat, eyes still on his friend. "Next time, just scream or punch something, man. Don't take it out on the damn gas pedal. I love my life."

That got a faint huff of amusement from Nathan. Barely a smile, more like a twitch of the lips, but it was something.

He reached for the ignition again, started the engine, and pulled the car back onto the road smoother this time, more controlled.

They drove in silence after that. No music. No small talk. Just two guys, heading home, carrying the weight of things unspoken between them.