Folklore

Difficult Families

James POV
Families are difficult. I just didn't really realize how difficult they were until I had met both Betty and August.

August has a mother who is nice enough, but she just doesn't really seem like the maternal type, though I guess I don't know too much about her seeing as August didn't have much to say about her other than the fact that she knew nothing about her either. She also has a little brother. Sam, Augusts little brother, was very loud and liked to cause trouble. He reminded me of Teddy in that way.

Teddy was Betty's half brother but she had always been just as close with him. I guess I should explain a bit.

When Betty's dad left her mom went sort of crazy for a little bit. She had a lot of one night stands I guess. Anyway one of them got her pregnant, said he would stay so she kept the baby, but by the time she went into labor he had fled the state.

Afterwards she got herself together for Betty and Teddy. I think a lot of kids would have resented their mothers for that but Betty never did, she always understood.

And on the days that her mom was having a bad time she would take care of Teddy for her. As far as I knew she never had a problem with this. I had once asked her if she sometimes wished her mom was different but she had told me that everyone was just trying their best and that parents couldn't be expected to be perfect. I think she knew deep down how her mom felt, betrayed by someone she loved and trusted greatly and so she couldn't hold her hurt against her.

Betty and August didn't have much in common but there was one thing that they shared. And that was the fact that they both had shitty fathers.

Betty's dad had left her when she was 8. Augustine's father was still physically there but was extremely emotionally distant.

Which was why I hated both of those assholes. And it's also why I now sat in my room. I had been grounded for a week.

So, August invited me and my parents over for dinner. I didn't really want them to come because they might suspect that me and August were more than friends.

But of course she insisted.

When we got there the dinner had been going okay. Well that was until Augusts dad had started getting mad at her for not buying a certain dressing for the salad. Everyone had insisted that it was fine but he wouldn't stop saying rude things to her. It was totally uncalled for and I stand by that.

Really it was only a matter of time before I said something rude to him. I mean really the guy was a dick.

He finally stopped after I had told him that he was an asshole and to go fuck himself.

Let's just say that that hadn't gone over so well. My parents had dragged me out of there and once we got back to our house had yelled at me and grounded me.

I didn't regret any of it.

I just wished that my room had an easier escape route.

Right now I'm attempting to climb onto the tree out side of my bedroom window so I can meet August. I knew she had felt guilty about the whole situation but I needed her to know that none of it was her fault.

But. Climbing onto a flimsy tree that looks like it could snap at any moment was proving to be more difficult than I expected.

I put my foot onto what seemed like a more stable branch. As I slowly made my way onto the tree I began to wobble. Fuck this. Why didn't I just get a ladder when they had me go get something from the shed as a punishment? It was a shitty punishment because it took less than two minutes but it could have been useful if I had used my brain and propped the ladder up. Fucking stupid, is what I am.

I slowly began to regain my balance and make my way down three more branches. By the time I was on the third branch I figured that I was close enough to the ground to be able to jump.

So I did.

And fuck did I miscalculate that.

As I landed my ankle twisted and a curse fell from my mouth. One of the branches had snapped on the way down because I hit the fucking thing. And now my converse were ruined. Well they were sort of already ruined but it was the principal of it.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" A small voice whisper shouts at me.

Who the fuck else is out here right now?

Red hair appeared over my face as she bent down to look at me. August. Thank god.
"Are you gonna answer me or what?" She looked a little annoyed.
"I twisted my ankle." I say like an idiot.
"Yeah I can see that dipshit. But you still didn't answer my question." She's states, rolling her eyes.
"I was coming to check on you." I answer truthfully.
"Oh." Her eyes soften and her pink lips form a small smile. "Okay. Well. Do you maybe want some help getting up?" She asks softly.
"Nah I was just gonna stay here all night." I say sarcastically.
"Fine, asshole, suit yourself." She says as she begins to walk away.
"Wait!" I laugh "I was just kidding. I need your help!"
She sticks up her middle finger as she continues walking away from me. I cackle at that and try to get up.

This fucking hurts.

Eventually I'm able to get up. I begin limping heading towards what appears to be Augustine's silhouette leaning against her car. As I finally reach her she asks the question I figured she would have asked had I made it to her window rather than falling out of mine.

"Wanna go for a drive?" She asks with a small smirk.
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Is it possible to love two girls at once?

This is the question I ask myself as I sneak out of August's window so I can go and call Betty. It's getting harder to deny the fact that I'm doing something wrong.

But Augustine makes me feel alive. She makes me feel free and like I can talk to her about what I really want. I never really feel comfortable with her but that's what I love about her. Yeah, love. I've come to accept that I love Augustine Chapell. I love her from the top of my head all the way down to my white sneakers.

But.

But, I also love Betty. I can talk to Betty about anything and everything. She always understands no matter what. I feel comfortable with her. I feel like she'll never judge me even when everyone else will. She brings out every part of me, the good and the bad, and loves them no matter how ugly. I love Betty Isenhower. I love her more than anyones ever loved anything. I've known this for a very long time, yet I still did what I did.

I can't explain why I did it. All I know is that it's getting harder. And I know that when the truth breaks free three hearts will be shattered, like glass falling and breaking into a million little pieces with no one left to pick them up.