Young Writers Society

Under the arches of the trees that lined the streets of Edinburgh, a white Range Rover sport sped along the almost empty road. Loud music blared from the speakers of the car, sending birds and squirrels flying from their newly made homes in the trees.

Inside the car, Jaiden Staveley drummed his fingers against the wheel to the beat of the music. He was free now; he'd been dismissed from his job as a bodyguard as the man he was guarding sadly, not sadly to Jaiden, had passed away. Jaiden didn't care, he did his job, and he got his money, now he could go home and look after his family.

His car turned into a small looking drive, which looked like it could barely fit a VW Polo, never mind his large Range Rover. He reached over and switched his music off before sitting back against the seat and turning the engine off.

What would he see when he stepped inside the house? He hadn't seen his mother for 3 years. His little brother Finn would be 6 now. Had his mum taken up her old drinking habits? Did she do something good with the money that he and Logan sent her monthly? Was Finn doing well in school? Does he even go to school?

The whirlwind in his head wouldn't seem to die down, as much as Jaiden tried to dampen it out, it just kept getting bigger until he saw the lounge light switch on in the corner of his eye. He unfastened his seat-belt before opening the door and sliding out of the car. After driving for 4 hours it felt amazing to stretch his long legs. Going to the back of the car, he opened the trunk and pulled his bag out, swinging it over his shoulder before locking his car and stepping across the overgrown yard. As he stood outside the door, he waited. He wasn't ready for this; he didn't know what he was expecting.

Eventually, he raised his hand and knocked on the door 3 times. His heart rate sped up a little as he saw the light flicker on and heard footsteps approach. As the door swung open, his heart stopped. His mother was stood in front of him, dressed in nothing but a dressing gown. She had changed so much in 4 years and he was scared it was for the worse.

“Don’t just stand there, come inside JJ.” She mumbled, stepping back so he could enter his old home. As soon as the door shut behind him, he was hit by the overpowering smell of alcohol and cigarettes. She never offered him a hug or told him how happy she was to see him. He turned around to look at her, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. Her empty, grey eyes met his; he couldn’t see any emotion in them. As she turned away and entered the lounge, he noticed the hunch in her shoulders as she walked, as if she’d given up on trying. Her brown hair was greasy and left hanging loose over her small shoulders. Jaiden knew at this moment that his fear was reality.

His mother, Eleanor, slumped onto the couch, beckoning Jaiden into the room. He stepped inside and immediately regretted it, there were empty glass bottles strewn over the floor and on almost every shelf there were the remains of a cigarette. A pile of mail looked as if it had just been thrown into the corner of the room. Almost as if she could sense his disgust, she glared at him as she lit another cigarette. Jaiden’s head turned towards her and as he watched her, his heart sank.

“Mum...” He whispered, running his large hand through his thick blonde hair. She took a long drag of her cigarette before blowing it out of her mouth, as she stared blankly at him.

“What is it, son? You don’t like the house? Too low for you?” she sneered, he knew what she meant. He’d been living in a rich house as part of his job, to help her pay for the roof over her head.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it isn’t.” He replied, shaking his head and sitting on the couch opposite her.

“What did you mean then, son?” she asked, sitting forward in her seat, holding the cigarette a few inches from her face. It was almost as if she was daring him to tell her how disappointed he was. He looked around him and gestured towards it with his hand.

“This.” He replied firmly. He wasn’t scared of her, no matter how scary she looked, she wasn’t scary to him. He knew she was just a woman stricken with grief, looking for someone to take her anger out on.

“What? Oh... you mean this.” She chuckled, leaning back in her chair, “The mess that you made.”

Jaiden furrowed his eyebrows, “I don’t drink so th-”

Eleanor cut him off. “You left me here by myself!” she shouted, “You made me do this! Logan comes home. He gives me money; he makes sure I’m okay.” She took another drag of her cigarette before throwing it down onto the floor. “Whereas you... you took the easy life. You don’t have to see what your mother has become because you’re too busy living your rich boy life.” She scoffed as she said this.

Jaiden felt his heart break in that moment, he had done everything humanely possible for his mother. When his father left them, his elder bother Logan and Jaiden had to get jobs, just to make sure that their mother was safe. When she gave birth to Finn, Jaiden was the one that looked after him, when his mother was drinking herself to death. Before Jaiden turned 18 and went off to work in England, she swore to him that she was changing and she would look after Finn.

“Where’s Finn?” Jaiden mumbled, picking himself up off the couch and grabbing his bag,

“Running away like you always do?” she taunted, standing up to grab another bottle of booze.

“Mum, please don’t...” Jaiden pleaded, touching her shoulder as she was about to take a swig of her new drink. She shoved him away, as if his touch burnt her.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do. You’re not my son anymore, you lost that title the minute you walked out of that door to go to London!” she spat. Jaiden’s eyes lined with tears as she took a swig of her beer.

What had happened to her? This wasn’t the mother that used to take him and Logan to the beach. This wasn’t the mother that took them on holiday and taught them how to swim. He was beginning to wonder if this was his mother at all.

Jaiden turned away, stepping out of the lounge and making his way up the stairs. As he reached the top step, his eyes caught sight of a small boy peering out from an open door.

“Finn?” he asked, wiping the tears away from his eyes with the back of his hand. He progressed forwards until he reached the door that Finn had swung open. Finn jumped forward, latching himself onto Jaiden. Jaiden wrapped his arms around the boys small, thin body as he sobbed into Jaiden’s neck.

“I m-missed you Jay, I missed you so much.” He stuttered through his tears. Jaiden carried him into his bedroom and laid him down on the bed. He lay down next to him, holding him as he sobbed against his chest. After what seemed like forever, Finn had fallen asleep. His small arms wrapped around Jaiden as if he was stopping him from going anywhere ever again. Jaiden watched his little brother’s chest rise and fall as he slept; his brown hair had fallen over his face. Jaiden lightly swept it away from his face, smiling to himself.

He was still as adorable as ever.