The Breakfast Club

[B e t h y <3]

Morgan smiled softly. "You don't have to do it for me, but you can come, if you want. I'm sure Cody would enjoy hanging out with someone besides me." She brushed her fringe back and once again, her phone vibrated. "What now?" She said, pulling the phone back out.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"Well, I don't mind helping, really. Like I said, I'm not busy otherwise," Asher replied, smiling. "Besides, more time to get to know you. And your brother now, too." He watched her with a steady gaze while she checked her phone.

 

[B e t h y <3]

"Well, thanks." Morgan said with a warm smile. She looked at the screen on her phone and frowned. She quickly slid it open and started typing. After re-reading the text, she hit the send button and threw the phone back into her bag.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"You're welcome," Asher smiled back at her, genuinely again, a rare feature for him. "Her again?" he asked her, just out of pure curiosity.

 

[B e t h y <3]

"No...that was Kyle, my other brother. He is just getting back from Iraq and was supposed to visit today, but now he might not be able to..." Morgan said, frowning. "In case you didn't realize, my brothers are my best friends. So I'm kinda pi**ed that I don't get to see Kyle, considering the last time I saw him was last Christmas. So, almost a year ago."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"Oh, I see.." Asher couldn't imagine what it would be like not seeing his sister for so long. "And I really do see. My sister was really the only friend I've ever had. I'm not a particularly sociable person, and my parents have never been very supportive of me wanting to choose art for my career. So she's all I've ever had." Pause. "I'm sorry that you don't get to see Kyle much.."

 

[B e t h y <3]

"It's not like it's your fault that Kyle chose to be in the army." Morgan said, looking down. "And I know what you mean, my parents never really supported me. Well, my dad didn't. And I don't remember my mother. But anyways, I would love to make art a career, but what I really want to be is an art teacher for kids with disabilities."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"I don't know why he wouldn't.. I think that's a wonderful career to want to have. So many people are just obsessed with earning money or being famous. I think wanting to work with people who will never have a chance at so many things is so amazing." Asher hoped he didn't sound too gushy or anything, because that wasn't his intention. He was quiet for a moment before he asked her softly, "What happened to her..?" obviously referring to her mother.

 

[B e t h y <3]

"My dad wants me to make money. For him." Morgan explained. When asked about her mother, she looked down and sighed. "Well... she kind of left the family when I was about five. Kyle told me it was for my dad's boss. He was eight or nine when it happened. Cody doesn't remember her at all, considering he was only three. The only thing I remember about her is that she smelled like peppermint all the time. Which is why I never eat peppermints anymore."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"Oh, that's.. Terrible. I--" Asher had been about to say 'I'm sorry', but she had seemed to take it the wrong way only a little while before. "I mean, I guess I'm really fortunate. Sure, my parents have never really supported my career choice, but at least they've always been there.."

 

[B e t h y <3]

Morgan attempted a small smile. "Yeah..." she really didn't know what to say. "Let's move to a different subject besides my xsshole parents, shall we? What's your family like?"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"My sister's kind of like the half of me that's missing. Outspoken, sociable, doesn't really know when to shut up.. So like the complete opposite of me," Asher chuckled, deciding to move on quickly from their old subject. "My parents are kind of boring, though. I wouldn't say either of them have any notable characteristics worth talking about. They probably used to, but when I was young and I hadn't decided on my future just yet."

 

[B e t h y <3]

Morgan smiled. "When did you decide that you wanted to be an artist?" she asked. Morgan reached into her back and pulled out the leftover poptart from earlier. She nibbled on a small piece while she listened to Asher explain his normal family and his normal life.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"Well, I went to stay at my aunt's for a while. My parents were going through a lot of difficulties at that time, so my sister and I got sent elsewhere. My aunt wanted nothing to do with me. In fact, she blamed me for what was going on.. Being too quiet and therefore not supportive or understanding," Asher began. He cleared his throat and took a momentary pause, "And, well, she got very emotional about it so she hit me a few times. I was so scared that I shut myself in the room I'd been allocated. I couldn't listen to music.. Too loud. So I drew. I drew about everything I was feeling. And it made me happy. I barely stopped in the month or so I was there. And the less angry I was, the less forced it became and I grew to love it. And I obviously got a lot better. So I realised that it was all I wanted and needed to escape and to be happier."

 

[B e t h y <3]

Morgan wanted to kiss him. Finally she had found someone who could somewhat relate to what she was going through. "Oh..." Morgan said, still a little surprised at how much they had in common. "Actually, the reason I got into art is kind of similar..." she said

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"Yeah?" Asher replied, raising his eyebrows slightly and his eyes softened as he looked at her sympathetically. "Tell me about it, if you would."

 

[B e t h y <3]

Morgan hesitated before saying, "Well, I've never told anyone this before, but I guess there's a first time for everything..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "So, you know how I said my mom left when I was five? Well, after that my dad became depressed. He turned to alcohol to make him feel better. When I was six, my dad hit me for the first time. I had dropped a cup or something, so he went off. My father was, obviously, drunk. Kyle tried to stop him, but what's a ten year old boy going to do to a grown man? This went on for a while. I read to get away up until I was ten or eleven. I ran out of books, so I started drawing fantasy worlds that I'd want to live in. Then, dear ol' dad raped me for the first time when I was twelve. I thought it was normal, so I didn't tell anyone. I was upset, though, so I kept drawing. All of my drawings at that point were of Cody, Kyle, and I living with my mom...." she suddenly realized she had told Asher too much. She barely knew him, yet now he was in on the family secret.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

So there was finally someone out there who really understood the things that had made Asher the way he was. Well, Morgan acted in a very different way to him, but there were more alike than he'd first thought. Not to say that he was so unfortunate as to have been raped by a member of his own family, and he had looked at her with understanding until the point where she'd told him about that, where his expression was that of mild shock -- mild because he was actually very shocked inside, but he didn't think she'd appreciate it too much if he showed her the full extent of his surprise. He could tell when she trailed off what she was thinking and he said, "I'm not going to tell anyone, I promise."

 

[B e t h y <3]

Morgan looked up at him and knew he was telling the truth. "It's okay." she said, noticing his reaction to the rape. "I know you're shocked. No need to hide it. Kyle almost killed someone when he figured it out."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

"I know.. I mean, I just didn't want to make a huge deal of it for your sake.." Asher replied quietly. He nodded, "I would feel the same way if I found out my dad had done the same thing to my sister, that's terrible."