Gabriel and Daniel rode to school in silence. The streets were quiet and the morning was still half-asleep, the kind of quiet where you could hear a pin drop, the kind that let your thoughts run wild if you weren't careful. The bike rolled over cracks in the concrete and potholes as a breeze cut past their faces, carrying the faint smell of car oil, wet pavement, and trash waiting on the curb.
Gabriel kept pedaling without thinking. His mind was elsewhere, his body on autopilot. The same thoughts replayed again and again. Most mornings, Jai-Lee would be waiting for him by the school gate. They always walked in together, talked a little, and laughed at how stupid Gabriel's jokes were.
But today...
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, thumb swiping the screen downward, and there it was: a new message from Jai-Lee. He didn't even need to open it, the message was short and straight to the point.
Don't wait for me. I'll see you inside.
No emoji. No reason. Just that and a full stop.
He found himself staring at it for a second as his heart started to beat faster. He let out a gentle sigh before locking his phone and sliding it back into his pocket. Daniel leaned over, his hand raised to tap his brother on the shoulder, but he pulled back at the last second. He didn't want to be the potential punching bag for whatever that was that had his brother looking glum. Gabriel focused on the roads, but now he was cycling fast, weaving in and out of things like a madman as he tried to get to school as fast as he could.
Daniel gripped onto Gabriel tighter then cleared his throat. "Gabe?"
"Yes, Daniel. What, now?" Gabriel's tone came out harsher than he meant it to.
Daniel flinched but didn't push it. Gabriel had been like this a lot lately, carrying too much, saying too little, and being forced to be the man of the house before his time. It wasn't that he hated being an older brother, but it felt like a job he never applied for.
Their parents treated him like Daniel's personal bodyguard, and Gabriel was sick of it. If Daniel went to the shop, Gabriel had to go. Basketball practice? Gabriel had to watch it. It was like being half-son, half-parent, and the part that got left behind was the one that actually wanted to live his own life.
That weight had been sitting on him for years, pressing down on his shoulders like a quiet reminder that nothing was really his. It wasn't anger, just something that built up over time. A slow kind of frustration that waited for a bad day to show its face.
Daniel took a deep breath and finally spoke again. "Do you think Mom's right? You think Dad's actually coming back when he finishes this project?"
Gabriel let out a short, humorless laugh. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"I mean… yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Daniel said. "Just give it to me straight."
Gabriel looked to the sky then sighed. "Alright, remember you… asked for the truth?"
"I know, Gabe. I think I can handle it now. I'm old enough."
"Well, little bro, he's always been like this. You were just too young to remember back then."
Daniel stayed quiet, deep in thought, waiting for his brother to finish.
"Every time he starts something new, it's the same story," Gabriel said. "Big promises, bigger excuses. He keeps saying it's just temporary, says he'll be around after it's done, but that 'after'? It never comes. He finishes one thing, jumps straight into another like we don't exist. New goal, new deadline, same lies. And Mom… she keeps believing him."
Gabriel shook his head then continued. "She keeps saying it's almost over. But it never really is."
Daniel's heart sank in his chest, his shoulders collapsing and his grip around his brother's waist loosening a little. "He had a big project before this one?"
"Yeah," Gabriel said. "You'd be too young to remember but I do, I'll never forget. He was obsessed, like he is with this one, and barely came home too. One night I stayed up waiting for him. Thought maybe we'd hang out or something. He came in, dead tired, dropped on the couch. Ten minutes later, his phone rang. Work. He just got up and left, shouting back that he'd make it up to me. If I had a dollar for every time he said that, I wouldn't need to go to school."
Gabriel's hands tightened on the handlebars of his bike. His spoke quieter but the pain in his voice was evident. "He promised me a trip once. Said when the project was done, we'd go somewhere fun. I believed him. Printed out pictures, circled dates. Then the project failed, and when I brought it up, he said, 'Next year.' Next year was eight years ago."
Gabriel closed his eyes for a second then exhaled slowly. "He's not too tired for work. He's just too tired for us."
Daniel's face fell. "But he promised to take me to the laser derby on my birthday."
Gabriel glanced back at Daniel but he couldn't look him in the eyes, he knew exactly what his brother was going through, it was just history on repeat, so he looked down at his jacket then back forward and focused on the road ahead. That word—promised, hit different when you'd heard it too many times before growing up as a kid.
He didn't want to crush him, but he also didn't want him growing up believing the same lie that caused him so much anger and pain as a teenager.
"Maybe he will," Gabriel said. "Maybe he won't. Just… don't hold your breath, bro."
Daniel looked down at his sneakers, the ones he asked his dad to go with him to get. The ones he promised him, but instead he left the money on the kitchen counter and asked his mom to go in his place. They were just another reminder of the man he wanted to be his father but constantly let him down. "Yeah, I hear you, bro," Daniel replied through disgruntled teeth.
"But listen… if he doesn't come through for you," Gabriel said, his voice softer now, "we'll go anyway. Just me and you. I promise."
A small smile returned to the corner of Daniel's mouth. "Thanks, bro. That means a lot."
The pair continued to ride forward and a few minutes later they passed a row of shuttered shops and the school came into view: Jesovalt High, a gray concrete block with blue trim and banners flapping in the wind. The parking lot was already packed. Kids were coming off the school buses and out of their parents' cars, while others stood in groups near the entrance, laughing too loud, enjoying life with their friends.
Gabriel rolled up to the bike rack and kicked the stand down. Daniel hopped off, adjusting his backpack straps. He looked smaller somehow, like something had been taken from him, not just hope, but something deeper.
Gabriel watched him for a moment, then reached out and messed up his hair. "Hey man, do you know how long it took me to comb this bad boy out? Now you've just messed it up!" he said.
Gabriel stood there smiling at his brother. "I know, bro. I know. But remember, if Dad flakes again, we're still going," Gabriel said with a crooked grin. "Now fix that ugly mug and comb out that hair," Gabriel continued, as he hunched over holding his stomach laughing.
Daniel reached into his coat and pulled out his black Afro comb. "Alright. I'll hold you to it," he said as he began to comb out his hair and headed inside.
Gabriel stayed by the bike rack, watching the doors swing shut behind him. He already knew how it'd go, another birthday, another broken promise, another lie covered by their mom with cake, fake smiles, and a card bought by her that he'd sign, otherwise he'd forget entirely.