Aftermath

[-x-Green-Angel-x-]

So.................

This is another of those half-baked plot lines I mentioned in my Kylie&Luke thread. And by half-baked, I mean: "I've got no idea what the hell I'm doing with this one." xD

I figure I'll tackle the many hardships of divorce, teenager-dom (wth did I just say?), and life in general. It'll have a lot of depression, some eating disorder, a side of pedafiles (sp?)... But, since this is from one character's point of view, it will mostly come back to her parents' divorce, since it's her dilemma and, therefore, the heart of the story.

I know. It sounds like Hell On Earth, doesn't it? But trust me. It's better than it sounds. Y'know why? Because I'm throwing in my famous Romance!^^ Yes! That's right! This angsty, young adult Fic is also a romance.

The sad part? It's still going to be a side project over the summer. Therefore, there will not be many updates and I might only work on it when I get writers block on something else.

This will also need a lot of editing. Like, right now, the Prologue is major crap. I've rewritten in twice, I think, and it still sucks. But I'll post it anyway because there's a bit of vital background info that you need if you're interested in reading this.

-Edit-

Okay, so it doesn't suck as much as I thought. But it could still use some editing. Or just a total rewrite... Maybe I'll try a couple different approaches...

[-x-Green-Angel-x-]

Prologue

Divorce.

It is defined by the dictionary as the dissolving of a marriage or the separation of spouses.

That’s what the dictionary says.

I find that definition to be lacking.

Divorce means many things. Losing someone you love. Depression. Changes in character. Uncontrollable emotions. Blame.

But one definition cannot fit all circumstances. Every situation is unique. In my parents’ divorce, several things happened.

My father moved out.

My mother went into a deep depression.

My sister became extremely detached and removed herself from the world.

I blamed myself.

My sister blamed herself. And me. But mostly our mother.

My mother was prescribed numerous medications that made her not quite herself.

My father fought my mother for custody. His bank account and lawyer-friends nearly won the fight.

My mother decided, without consulting me or my sister, that we needed a fresh start. We were moving.

I said goodbye to my lifelong friends, my family. But not my father.

We packed our things and moved them to a new house far, far away from where I called home.

And this is where I begin my story. In a new home, with a new life, but an eternal heartache.

[-x-Green-Angel-x-]

Chapter 1

My first day at a new school. Splendid.

I took a deep breath as I ran my brush through my hair, letting it our in a sigh.

If I were home, I’d be excited for the first day of school. I’d be reunited with my friends, laughing, joking, telling tales of our summer adventures.

But no such luck. I was stuck here, in Rona, starting my junior year at a new high school, where I would more than likely be shunned for being the new student.

“Fantastic,” I muttered, grabbing my new bag and car keys. “Fan-frickin’-tastic.”

I stormed down the stairs, making sure that my displeasure was known by all. I despised the idea of starting a new life because my mother didn’t want to be made uncomfortable by living in the same city as my father.

I should have foreseen it. (I should have anticipated the entire divorce, in fact.) It was clear as crystal from the beginning of the separation that she wanted to be as far from him as possible, taking alternate routes to work, shopping at an out-of-the-way grocery store. But there was no stopping her. Not even my grandmother, my mother’s mother, could sway her decision.

“Where’s The Creature?” I demanded, throwing my bag to the floor and slipping on my shoes. ‘The Creature’ was my nickname for my sister, Olivia, Liv for short.
She came around the corner, her expression sullen.

“There she is!” I said brightly, hoping this might make the experience a bit easier for her. “And my, don’t we look especially nice today!”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed as she folded her arms across her chest. She spun on her heel and walked back into the kitchen.

“Well!” I said, taken slightly aback. I jingled the car keys loudly. “You’d better hurry, else we be late and suffer the wrath of Principal Hairy-Neck-Mole!”

I waited a moment, listening. My eyebrows knit together in concern. Olivia always laughed at my jokes, not matter how corny or cliché. I shook my head in confusion, turning to enter the living room.

“Rae?” My mother sat on the couch, watching the muted local news station.

“Yeah, Mom?” I dropped into the arm chair, stealing a bite of her toast.

“Take care of your sister. I don’t want her getting bullied or --”

I rolled my eyes.

“Mom, I have to take care of myself before I can take care of Liv. Besides, it’s not like she’s going to be mugged my some senior for her lunch money.” My mother opened her mouth to reply, but it was Olivia’s voice we heard.

“I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” Everything about Olivia was suddenly hard, angry. She despised being babied.

“Go wait in the car,” I said, tossing her the keys. My mother waited until we heard the front door close to speak.

“Just… look out for her, okay? This will be harder for her, Rae. She’s not like you. She… gets hurt easily.”

A thousand thoughts suddenly raced through my head, all responses to what my mother had just said.

She wasn’t hurt so easily until the divorce! She was unbelievably resilient!

Of course it’s harder for her! She isolated herself the moment the divorce was finalized!

How can you sit there and put us through another personal hell that you’re the cause of?! You worry about us everyday, but you wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t dragged us away from everything and everyone we loved!

But I kept myself in check. I gave a terse “sure,” stood, and walked away.

~-~-~-~-~

Olivia sat in the passenger seat of my car, the windows down, the stereo blaring one of my CD’s. I crossed my arms across my chest, raised an eyebrow, and gave her a questioning look when I opened my door.

“What?” she growled. “It’s not like I tried to drive. I just started the engine.”

I didn’t say anything when I sat down, I left the volume of the music where it was, and I was silent for the ten minute drive to school. I was still angry with my mother. Olivia picked up on my mood and was quiet as well, staring out her window at the houses and various buildings that passed outside.

We arrived early, as requested by Principal Hairy-Neck-Mole. The parking lot was nearly deserted as I pulled into a space that was farther away from the entrance. I wasn’t sure of parking arrangements, if there were any.

I turned the key in the ignition, cutting off the engine and the deafening music, enveloping us in the early morning silence. A bird chirruped in the nearby shrubbery.

“Liv, I know you don’t want to be here, and trust me, I’m no happy camper, either, but we have to make the best of it.” I kept my eyes trained on the steering wheel, where my hands were positioned at two and ten o’clock.

“Do you think you can do that?” I asked, turning my head slightly to look at her. She was staring blankly out the windshield.

“If not for yourself, than for mom. And if not for mom, do it for me, Liv.” This received no response, either. I sighed.

“Alright. Let’s get going,” I said, releasing my seatbelt from the clasp. “Don’t want to make the Principal’s hairy neck-mole dance a jig because he yells at us.”

Impassive. Not even the corner of her mouth twitched. Nothing to hint at her emotions. If it wouldn’t have been for the rise and fall of her chest, I’d have thought she were dead.

((To Be Continued...))