Immaturity

Jacob dragged himself from the school bus that had mercifully delivered him from his school, letting his feet scrape against the paved walkway leading to the front door of his house. His backpack seemed to carry the weight of the world, growing heavier and heavier under the strain of his own physical and mental fatigue as he entered his house.

"What the actual fuck, Aiden?!" a screech echoed throughout the house, causing Jacob to flinch as his heart skipped a beat. He turned apprehensively towards his kitchen to find a familiar, yet distressing sight. His parents were fighting, screaming, yelling like spoiled children fighting over a toy. Their glares seemed near murderous. Jacob instinctively turned towards his room, pacing quickly towards it as he opened his door, shutting it behind him. Despite the closed door, Jacob could still hear the bickering.

"You overspent on finances this month?!" Mary screamed at her husband.

"Don't look at me, bitch!" Aiden howled. "You spend the money that I rake in!"

"I bring home cash too, you bastard!"

"Then why the fuck are you blaming me for being careless?!"

"Because you overspent! I left you in charge of this month's money, and what did you do? You made us BROKE!"

"WE ARE NOT BROKE, BITCH! GET OFF MY DICK ABOUT IT!"

"WE'RE POOR! PENNILESS! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! NOW WE CAN'T FEED OUR CHILD!"

"DO NOT BRING JACOB INTO THIS!"

Jacob found the last comment he could stomach before making a quick retreat to his bed ironic. If they truly cared about taking care of him, they would stop traumatizing him. Jacob knew that in his heart of hearts. Nonetheless, he found the familiar sting of tears in his eyes appear as he began to cry, gripping his pillow and sobbing, mourning for his family's state.

_~~~~_

The argument had hushed. It seemed like it had taken an eternity, but it was finally over. Jacob wiped the sticky residue of tears long since fallen from his reddened eyes, taking a deep breath as he placed a careful hand around his bedroom doorknob. He knew the solution to his parent's problem over finances, and if he told them what they needed to do, they could stop arguing...right?

Jacob wasted no time, striding out of his room and making a steady path towards his mother, to whom Jacob thought would take his advice best, and who was sitting on the living room couch, flipping through channels absentmindedly on the television. Jacob swallowed hard before saying in a squeak,

"M...mom?"

Mary turned a disinterested eye towards her son. "Eh? What?" she replied.

"I...you know the fight you had with Dad?" Jacob inquired.

"They aren't fights! I already told you! They're...discussions!" Mary snapped, annoyance taking hold of her tone. 

Jacob dug his nails into his palm and bit his lip, suppressing the urge to correct his mother's misconception with the swell of anger that rose oh-so-quickly in his chest. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Alright..." Jacob proceeded with caution. "I know how to solve you two's...problem."

Mary gave an annoyed roll of the eyes. "Enlighten me." her tone dripped with sarcasm.

"I-if...if you two...if you two would both, um...would keep up with the money you earn...th-that is, if you would share it! Th-then! You wouldn't have to worry...about someone...overspending?"

Mary hesitated for a moment, lost in thought. She then shut off the television and glared at her son, sending chills down Jacob's spine.

"Listen here, Jacob." Mary's tone was sharp with the blades of anger that cut Jacob so deep many times before. "You don't tell me what to do. I am the parent and you are the child. You don't get a say in our livelihood. You leave that up to us and stay out of our business. We don't need your input just because you want to have your way all the time. We'll be fine. As long as that bastard stops overspending..."

The livid fire that tore through Jacob's being threatened to escape. How dare she, he thought, how dare she act as if this isn't his business when their sickening yelling drove him mad every single day? How dare they be so careless? How dare they be so neglectful? How dare they not listen to him when he's trying to fix the problems that they're too naive to see? And most of all, how dare that bitch say that she is the parent and he is the child? He was more adult than the two of them combined! In a wave of heat that washed over him, Jacob opened his mouth, unleashing the fire.

"Don't you dare tell me that!" Jacob bellowed with strength he didn't know he had. Mary repelled with shock painting her countenance. "It is my business when you make it loud enough to hear! It is my business when I go to my room in tears every single time the two of you have your fights! They are fights, not discussions! You're so naive and high off your own fumes that you won't bother for the sake of the child you're fucking traumatizing! You need to listen to me before I fucking kill myself over your goddamned idiocy-- no, your lunacy!"

Jacob, blinded by rage, threw himself forward, gripping the arm of the couch, positioning himself mere inches from his mother's face as he grabbed the collar of her shirt.

"Listen! Listen to me! Listen to me before you you doom us all!"

"Get off of me, you psychopath!" Mary screeched, shoving her son away, Jacob repelling at her force. The two stayed in a huff as their emotions receded. As Jacob returned from his outburst, he came to realize what he had just did. As the familiar weight of guilt weighed on his shoulders, tears welled in his once-lividly burning eyes. Mary sat up from her once repelled position, clearing her throat.

"Go to bed, Jacob." she said sternly.

"I...I...you..." Jacob quietly stammered.

"Now." she affirmed. 

Jacob was frozen with unreleased angst. Jacob shakily took two steps back, then ran back to his room. He slammed the door behind him and threw himself onto his bed, wailing harder than he had when all the madness started.