Ten-year-old Justin and his twelve-year-old brother Phil glanced at each other as they heard the front door slam harder than they'd ever heard it slam before. Without a word, they ran from their places in front of the bedroom door to the window sill. Justin pressed his nose to the cold glass, peering out just in time to see his father's car roar down the street. Once the car was completely out of sight, he stole a glance at his brother, but Phil was only staring blankly out the window.
"Get in bed," Justin whispered, giving Phil's shoulder a slight push. "I think I hear Mom on the steps."
Phil nodded, and both brothers ran to their beds and climbed inside, pulling the blankets up to their chins. Just as Justin closed his eyes, he heard the hinges on the bedroom door squeak softly. After Mom's footsteps padded across the floor, he felt her hand on his cheek, and he couldn't help but open his eyes. There was something there in her sad blue eyes... something was different this time.
"Were you watching at the window?" she whispered, and Justin nodded. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise." Mom leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead before moving over to Phil and giving him a kiss, too. "It's late," she told them both. "Sleep in tomorrow. I won't make you go to school."
Justin saw Phil's eyes fly open from across the room. "Why?" his brother wanted to know.
Mom smiled sadly. "If you want to go to school, then I'll wake you up," she told him. "Otherwise, you don't have to go."
"I'll stay home," Phil decided, staring at her with a confused expression on his face.
"Good. I'm making a big breakfast tomorrow morning for all of you. Good night, boys. I love you."
Justin watched wordlessly as she left the room and closed the door behind herself.
"Something's wrong," Phil said quietly after awhile. "I don't think Dad's coming back."
"Of course he's coming back," Justin disagreed. "He always comes back. They fight, he leaves, and then he comes back. Of course he's coming back."
"Then why is Mom acting all weird? Why is she letting us stay home from school tomorrow?"
Justin glared over at Phil through the darkness. "Maybe she feels bad that the yelling woke us up."
"The yelling always wakes us up," Phil pointed out. "And we've never gotten to stay home from school before."
"You were talking too loud," Justin said through clenched teeth. "She didn't know we were awake those other times."
"It was you who was talking! Don't blame me for your mistakes!"
"YOU were talking, Phil! Not me!"
"I'm not listening to you when I know I'm right."
Justin saw him pull the covers up over his shoulders and snuggle down into his pillow. With a sigh, Justin followed suit. "Dad will be back," he mumbled just loud enough so Phil would hear him. "You'll see."
At six o'clock the next morning, Justin was walking back from the bathroom, when he stopped in front of his little brother's door. Kyle was only three-years-old, and he didn't even know about Dad leaving yet. Slowly, he pushed the door open and tiptoed to Kyle's toddler bed. The little boy was sleeping soundly, all wrapped up in soft blankets. Justin sat down on the floor next to his bed and peered at him from over the little railing.
"Daddy left last night, Kyle," he whispered. "And Phil doesn't think he'll come back." Justin sighed when Kyle didn't even flinch at his words. "He'll come back," he went on. "What would we do without a daddy?"
Kyle's little eyes fluttered open and he gazed widely up at his big brother. "Justin, why do you cry?" he asked, pressing his index finger to the tear on Justin's cheek.
Justin sniffed. He hadn't even realized he'd been crying. "Daddy left," he told Kyle.
Kyle sat up, studying Justin's expression intently. "Where?" he wanted to know.
"I don't know," Justin shrugged. "We saw him leave last night."
"Daddy's at Grandma's?"
"No," Justin shook his head. He didn't want to upset his little brother but there was just something about Kyle that set him at ease. He could tell Kyle almost anything. "I don't know where he went."
"Stop crying!" Kyle demanded, and then held his arms out. "Hug, Justin?"
Justin gave his brother a teary smile and then lifted him over the railing and into his arms. Kyle's little arms went as far as they could around Justin's neck.
"Stop crying," he said again.
"I will," Justin promised. "And I swear that I'll never leave. I'll never be like Dad. I'm gonna be here always. Even if Dad never comes back, I'll always bee your brother."
"I love you, Justin," Kyle's baby voice said before he relaxed in Justin's arms and promptly fell back asleep. Justin put him back in his bed, covering him up and tucking him in.
"I love you, too, Kyle," he whispered as he brushed a few blond curls from his brother's forehead. "I'll see you later." Justin stood up and left. If he couldn't even convince himself that Dad was coming back, how was he going to convince Phil and Nicki?
Family: Timberlake
Non-Nsync Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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