Chapter 2. The Closest to You Hurt You the Most

“I thought we spoke about this, Dad. You cannot keep doing this!” Mark said when he smelled the alcohol on his father’s breath. He did not want to delve into the reasons why he hated the burning devil, but it was one of many, as it made you look as disheveled as his father did at the moment.

“Do what?” The other man raised a brow at him, adjusting his shirt, not wanting to look into his son’s eyes.

“You know quite well what I’m talking about, so stop behaving like you have no idea what it is.”

“Mark, someday you’re going to grow up and experience life and know that it’s not quite the rosy thing you’ve made it out to be. Someday, you’ll understand why I’m the way I am right now, and even though you do not like it, you’re going to have to live with it.”

Mark wordlessly turned away from his father and took huge strides to the car. There was absolutely no real sane conversation when it came to his father; all they ever did was argue and fight until one of them got tired, and it was always Mark. 

But try as he might, he still loved the man to pieces. He understood that he was hurt about everything that had happened to them since he was born, his mother’s death, and whatnot, and yesterday had not been easy for them either. Although he had never met the woman, he had seen pictures of her and had heard countless stories about her from his father. 

Yesterday was her memorial service, and he could feel the tension radiating from his father’s body. True, he had always had a drinking problem, but yesterday was not like the other days. Not only had he been dead drunk, but he had turned violent and had begun scattering and destroying stuff. 

Mark sighed for the umpteenth time that morning; he had to get to school in thirty minutes, and the fact that his father was doing God knows what inside made him boil in anger. He opened the car door and jumped out, only barely missing the metal trap by an inch.

“Careful, boy, we wouldn’t want to have to have you stay back home from school because of these. If your foot gets stuck in one of these, then you’re as good as gone, especially with no help,” his father cautioned, lighting a cigarette.

“Dad, I’m going to be late for school if you do not drive me to school now,” Mark complained, already feeling his temper hanging on a thin line.

“I just need a drag, and I’ll be all set. My mood’s a bit shitty on mornings after the memorial service, and well, you know…”

“Right, well, in that case, I better drive myself to school then. It’s my first day, and I’d rather not be the last person to be in class,” he gritted out. Both father and son stared at each other for a few minutes before the older man rolled his eyes and threw the cigarette on the floor.

“C’mon, get in there. I’ll take you to school.”

The drive to school was as uncomfortable as it could get. Both father and son were lost in their individual thoughts, and neither found it necessary to break the silence. Mark could tell that it was going to be a long day, and he could feel some temper brewing inside of him. His inner wolf was seeking a way to release the pent-up emotions from last night, which he was not able to release, and at the moment, a wrong move could make him snap.

“Did you pack up everything you’ll need for today?” His father asked, successfully bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Yes, Dad, I did.”

“Your notes, pens, everything?”

“Yes, Father, I packed everything, including my brain, too,” he rolled his eyes.

“There’s really no point in being sarcastic, Mark; I’m only trying to make a conversation.”

“I really do not feel like talking to you, Dad. I’m really tired,” he complained.

“Isn’t it a tad too early to be tired? You’re young, and the day had barely even begun. Surely, you cannot be tired at this point.”

“I’m fine; I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“You and I are both boys. You and I both,” his father commented, keeping his focus on the road. They sat in a comfortable silence for some minutes before he broke the silence again.

“I noticed you didn’t touch your eggs at all this morning.”

“I didn’t feel like having eggs at all.”

“Your coffee wasn’t touched either.”

“I wasn’t thirsty,” he replied monotonously.

“Sure? Because you never seem to stay without having coffee, especially in that mug of yours.”

“Dad, please. Can we not do this right now? I’m tired and exhausted from everything, and yesterday was a bit hectic, too. I really do not feel like talking right now,” he spoke up, successfully shutting the man whom he had come to love in a strange way as his father.

Mr. Liam stopped the car with a jerk and sat in silence for a while. Mark wasn’t sure what was going on in the man’s mind and sat still to understand the whole thing. Mr. Liam took a few breaths in a bid to calm himself down; apparently, he had gotten tired of his son’s attitude and, at the moment, was more than ready to give him a piece of his mind.

“Look, I understand that you’re upset about what happened yesterday and what’s been happening for the last few days, but there’s no need to get all bratty with me. For fuck’s sake, I’m trying my goddamn best out here, and it ain’t that easy like you think it is. She was my soulmate; we were going to build a family together. We were going to travel the world with you in our arms, and you think it is going to be a piece of cake, forgetting all of that? Now, if you’re going to keep behaving like a spoiled brat, I would definitely not talk to you about it anymore. Have a nice day in school today, and remember never to have anything to do with those fuckers.”

“I hardly think they’ll be in college, Dad,” Mark replied, refusing to apologize for the stress he was causing his father because, as far as he was concerned, the man was beginning to get on his nerves. 

Sure, he loved the man to pieces, but then, he had a way of getting under his skin and bringing out the worst in him, and the events of the day before were in no way doing any good to either of them. Not only did the man drink himself into a stupor, but he began throwing tantrums that he got tired of. Drinking was becoming a daily occurrence in the house, and it made Mark resent the man. 

To Mark, drinking never solved anything; instead, it paved the way for more problems. It was only cowards who drank, and that was what he knew and believed. There was no way he would be comfortable with the unhealthy drinking habits of the man, and at the same time, he really did not blame him; losing a loved one hurt like hell, but even at that, drinking was never the answer.

“Oh, they will be alright; they’re gonna be in your school. They’re people too, and even if they’re not at your school, just make sure to stay clear of them, and if they mess with you, kill them.”

“I’m not a killer, Dad,” Mark stated dryly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and plug in his headphones; that way, he would not have to listen to his father talk.

“You would never know what you’re capable of until you’re faced with problems or, even worse, death. You would not know how far you can go for a cause until you’re threatened,” Mr. Liam said, staring into the road.

“I hardly think that applies to me. I am not a killer, and I would not take to killing someone to prove a point,” the son insisted, refusing to accept whatever the man was saying.

“They killed Anne! They killed my wife; they killed your mother. Because of them, your mother isn’t here with us. Because of them, I’ve had to shed a lot of tears, but I will not let them succeed this time. The gentle ones never make it that far, but then you have to be sure that you do not spare any of them who try to mess with you. Is that clear? I raised no weakling, and as long as you were born from my loins, you will not make decisions like one. Is that clear?” his father roared, clenching his fist on the steering wheel. 

It was something he did when he got really mad, and the fact that he had been on a drinking spree throughout the day added more fuel to the fire.

Mark stared at his father for what looked like minutes before slowly nodding. It was like he was seeing a whole new version of the man; sure, he had always been passionate about his hate for the wolves, but this time it was more intense. He seemed angrier, hate-filled, and more aggressive. 

There was no passing day without a reinforcement of the number one rule in their small family, and even if he wanted to ignore them, he couldn’t, especially since he had had to grow up without his mom and had had to face the weird looks given to him by his classmates for not being able to relate to the ‘yo mama’ joke. He couldn’t relate to getting pecks and hugs from his mother before a game or before school, and somehow, that had unconsciously turned him into a loner. The fact that he was also very different from his mates made it all too worse. Nobody knew who he was, the real him. And his father had made sure that they kept it hidden from everyone.

The rest of the journey was filled with silence, each still lost in their thoughts. When they were approaching the college gates, Liam sighed.

“Hey, kid, I’m sorry for shouting at you. It’s just that sometimes I get so frustrated and angry with life, and it’s just crazy.”

“It’s alright, Dad; I totally understand. I should get going now; I wouldn’t want to be late for my first day.” He smiled at his father, who gave him a nod in return and some cash for lunch or, as he liked to call it, “self-defense.”

Mr. Liam watched as his son walked through the school’s gate with mixed feelings. He had always wanted the best for his son, and every night, it always killed him when he realized how empty they were on the inside. He sighed for the umpteenth time that morning and drove back home. 

The house was a bit messed up, so he had to clean the place. There were empty beer bottles littered all over the place, left by a few of his buddies who had come over for the memorial service. 

He couldn’t ask Mark to clean up, especially since he wasn’t even a part of the whole thing in the first place. He picked up an empty trash bag and began putting the empty cans of beer into the bag. He swept the place, arranged it, and when he was done, he headed out to the garage to do some repairs.