An Email & A Bottle of Vodka
Siobhan sighed before taking her last large gulp, making sure to savor the last bit she would get for the night, the burn of the alcohol burning its way down her throat and reflecting the fire that was burning inside of her bones. There was a scoff about the state of her liver, her eyes flickering away as she tried to hide the real emotions she was feeling. “It”s not him it’s wasting for,” she murmured lowly, a dark edge creeping into it. Everything was for him, everything. But not the reason she drank away her pain. No, that was reserved for someone else, and they already were wasted away, never to be returned or healed. Sio grabbed another handful of fries and placed one by one into her mouth.
There was a huff of laughter, small and barely existing but existing all the same, over the twins and the deeds they got up to. “We could make it a competition, save the money for more important things. Lottie would manage at least three bottles, and she would get all the ones that she knows Mariah hates.” Her words softened as she discussed the others, as they held a place in her heart right next to Cypher now, buried deep and claws latched onto her in their own way. She wasn’t getting away from them anytime soon even if she desired to.
Despite his attempt at making her smile, the mention of her father just made her stiffen and scowl, eyes darting back to the bottle in hopelessness, knowing that she wouldn’t be getting anymore even if she begged. It was hypocritical of her, going against everything she preached to Mariah about not using alcohol as a crutch. Siobhan looked over at Cypher, admiring how the sun added red hues to his dark skin, her mind running over what she was to say about what her father requested. “He says that this idea of mine to run away won’t work forever and that I should come home.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair as her eyes hardened again, the walls slipping up to force away her emotions that were as unwanted as mosquitoes. “Said Danielle would be disappointed in me and my actions.”
Sio gritted her teeth and shook her head, taking a deep, sharp breath through her nose. “Like he didn’t use that card on me ever since her death.”
Cypher bit back the remark that came to mind when she declared it wasn’t her father she was wasting her liver for. He already knew she was talking about her mother, drunken confessions in the past confirming the fact. Instead he stole a fry from her pile, munching on it as she took her time to collect her thoughts. The small laugh was enough to let him know that she wasn’t fully down the rabbit hole of sadness, if only for a moment. Something so miniscule could seem impossible to work with, but Cypher has had practice.
“A competition? Thayer would have no chance and you know it. Lottie would bat her eyes and have Thayer and the clerk robbing for her,” Cypher stated, only mentioning the obvious. It was an interesting dynamic that joined the group when the twins first got on the bus. He was weary at first, for maybe thirty seconds, before just going with it. No harm was being done to him or Siobhan, and the twins had a charm about them. The whole group had a charm about them. He was surprised at the lack of surprise his parents had when he phoned home a few weeks ago to explain what they were up to. Something about the spirit of the 70s living on in their bus made him hang up quicker than usual.
Humming in disagreement, Cypher paused his mouth to let his brain collect his words carefully. Cypher was no stranger to the argument that they couldn’t run forever. He dealt with it himself from time to time when the night hit and everyone else was asleep. It was a nice fantasy to think about them all staying together until the end of days, but it was just a fantasy. What she needed now though wasn’t the cold hard truth, but reassurance, so that was what Cypher tried to offer her.
“That was a low blow, and a false one at that. I mean, look at your life, you’re surrounded by people who love you, and if my mother taught me anything – mom’s just want their children to be happy and loved…” He paused, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “And you my dear Siobhan, are loved.” He made sure to punctuate the fact by placing his hands on either side of her face and kissing her lips. Pulling back, he mentioned, “Although your dad is right, she would be disappointed in the fact that you are not happy right now, but it’s his actions that would disappoint her the most.”

















