Locker 101

chapter 1

I woke up to my mom shouting. She was arguing with dad about selling the car yesterday. I wasn't very concerned as they fight nearly everyday and i got used to it. My brother ,Sam, was trying to calm them down when i heard a resounding bang.

I went downstairs to check if everything's alright when i saw my mom crying. I hurried to hug her and asked Sam what had happend. Apparently, the fight was very intense and mom couldn't handle it anymore that she asked for a divorce. Dad left the house immediately and he was very angry. I guess I can't blame him for that.

Somehow i didn't feel broken or sad about this whole situation . I didn't feel anything at all.

I tried to leave mom alone for the rest of the day. She definitely needed time to understand what has happened. Sam left the house trying to find dad but he couldn't get a hold of him .

"Did you check the diner at the end of the street?He always goes there when he's in a bad mood." I asked Sam with a worried look.

He nodded and said: " It was my first stop. I asked George if he had seen him but unfortunately he hadn't. He said that he would contact me if he caught a glance of him in the neighbourhood."

George is my father's best friend. He is also the owner of George Winters diner. He is very friendly and good looking for his age. I've always considered him as my own father since he was very kind to me. He treated me as one of his daughters and he had a great relationship with Sam as well. My dad , on the other hand, didn't spend alot of time with me. He's either busy at work or playing baseball with Sam.

It was nearly midnight and dad hadn't returned yet. Mom was feeling super guilty and anxious. I kept reminding her that it wasn't her fault and she couldn't control her anger.

Suddenly, the front door was unlocked. Dad entered the house and he was totally drunk and tired. Sam couldn't hold his nerves and he yelled. " WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? WE WERE VERY SCARED THAT SOMETHING BAD HAD HAPPEND TO YOU AND YOU WERE TOO BUSY GETTING DRUNK. "

He stopped to catch his breath and he carried on : " I thought you cared for us dad, but obviously you don't and never will."

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We were waiting for mom and dad as they were filling their divorce papers.

" What a great way to end our summer vacation." I told Sam with tears filling my eyes.

He hugged me to assure me that everything is going to be alright but i could sense that his heart was broken into a million pieces. He was definitely the sensitive type but he would cover his emotions with a happy mask. A mask that he would never take off in situations like this one.

'Why are guys afraid of showing their real feelings?' A question I wish i could get the answer to.

A few weeks later, i was packing and getting ready to move out with Sam and mom . She's found a job in a small town in LA as a nurse. Although her job in New Orleans, where we lived before, was pretty decent and rewarding, she insisted that she can't work in the same building as dad anymore.
However, i didn't care that much because all i wanted was to see her happy.

The flight was long and uncomfortable and i was exhausted when we arrived at the hotel. We couldn't afford a house yet so we had to stay in a hotel for a couple of months till we can rent an appartment or something. We also had to search for schools since the school year is about to start. Sam and i luckily were accepted in the same high school.

I was a freshman and he was a junior at The southern coast high school. I wasn't nervous since i'm very sociable and i can make friends easily, unlike Sam who doesn't like being around people anyway.