Chapter 84: Unexpected Gains (I)
Ethan sat on the staircase outside their apartment, a gaming handheld clasped between his palms, playing Hades. His deft fingers danced across the joysticks and triggers, comfortably clearing levels despite his attention being elsewhere.
His parents were fighting again. Thankfully, it wasn't his fault this time around.
It had only been a few minutes since they began, so he presumed the bickering would continue for at least another half an hour.
Still, he disliked hearing them shout at each other. For one thing, loud noises always made him queasy—so much so that he'd rather sit outside in the cold than hear their reasonings. It wasn't completely safe once they finished either, since nobody ever seems to win their argument.
But whenever they did finish, or rather came to a hiatus, they would completely stop talking to each other for days to come. Normally, Ethan would have preferred the silence over the constant bickering. The problem was that when they weren't speaking to each other, they used him as a go-between.
Ethan wasn't much of a talker to begin with, but he didn't mind delivering a few messages, even though they all lived under the same roof. His trouble began when they used him to bicker, especially when they shouted.
Today seemed a little different. After a few noises and stomping sounds, a complete stillness seemed to dawn over their apartment. For the first time that day, he failed on a level.
A minute later, his mother emerged from the door, a handbag slung over her shoulder, her palms busy wiping away her tears. She was about to storm off, only to stop when she found him sitting there.
"Ethan, I thought you had piano lessons..." She paused, stopping in front of him. Releasing a deep breath, she crouched down.