Family Feuds

Chapter 2

Soon, it was nearing sunset, and Jade knew she ought to be heading back home. But before she did, she decided to record a SplashFace video. She sat down on a park bench, pulled out her phone, and started recording.

"Hey, guys, it's Jade. No, it's not an art post or an acting post. I just...I just got some really shocking news. Until today I thought I was an only child. But it turns out I have a younger sister named Valerie. She's from my mom's new marriage, which I didn't know anything about either. I just have no idea why my parents decided to hide that from me all this time. Not that I was close to my mom or anything, but it's just shocking, you know?" She sighed, feeling a sense of hopelessness. "Well, anyways, I'll see you next Wednesday where I'll be posting new art."

Once Jade finished recording, she felt her eyes brim with tears. She wiped them away quickly. The last thing that she wanted was to be spotted crying. With a sigh, she decided to finally head home.

That night, as she went to bed, she checked the view count on her SplashFace video. To her surprise, it had gone viral. She had stepped out of her comfort zone to share a bit of herself, something more personal than her art, acting, and singing. It made her feel good inside, knowing that there were so many people who felt for her. She gazed at the comments and saw how some of the commenters even had similar experiences.

Jade updated her status on TheSlap which read: "Just so happens that I have a half-sister. Who would have known? - MOOD = Neutral".

Jade got ready to go to bed for the night. She laid down, but couldn't sleep; she was still thinking about Valerie, and her mind was racing. She decided to call her mother and confront her.

"How could you not tell me about her?" Jade asked.

"I thought about telling you sooner, but..." Irene said.

"Did it ever occur to you that having a half-sister would've been worth knowing earlier? When we were younger, or maybe even back when she was born?" Jade asked.

Irene sighed, "You probably don't remember this, but I went on a few business trips not long after you were born."

"I don't," Jade said, "but Dad did tell me you were gone a lot when I was little."

"I didn't want to be," Irene assured her. "I didn't want to start traveling for work again while you were so small, but my boss insisted on it, and I couldn't afford to lose the job." She sighed. "Your dad hated it, and so did I. We fought about it, a lot. I wish everything had turned out differently."

"Well, it didn't," Jade replied crossly. "And you still haven't explained anything."

Irene took a deep breath. "You're right. Okay," she began. "Well, on one of those trips, I went to Denver. Your father and I had had a huge argument the day before the trip. I worked all day and went out to a restaurant for dinner by myself. I was still upset, and I guess it showed. A waiter came over to chitchat with me, to try to make me feel better. We ended up talking, and he was nice, and ...well, one thing led to another. I didn't intend for it to happen, it just...did." Irene recalled.

"So, that's how this all started?! You dumped Dad over some server you met in Colorado?!" Jade asked with her mouth agape.

"It was a little more complicated than that, but...ultimately, yes. Your dad and I did get divorced, and I moved to Denver and married Drew, and we had Valerie. The divorce was uncontested. I didn't fight your father for custody; I allowed you to stay with him, as long as I could come visit you and spend time with you. I thought it would be better for you in the long run," Irene explained. "I felt guilty about what had happened; I worried that maybe I wasn't able to be a good mother to you."

"I remember the times you came to visit when I was little, maybe three or four," Jade mentioned, thinking back. "You did visit me for a while, I remember. And then you just...didn't anymore.".

"Yes..." Irene said sadly. "I'm so sorry about that, baby. But after I had Valerie it got harder to travel. And your Dad and I decided not to tell you about Drew and Valerie; we thought we'd tell you later when you were old enough to understand. And then...it just never seemed like the right time," Irene admitted

"Wait, hold up...old enough to understand?!" Jade asked, angrily. "Did you ever stop and think that I probably would've enjoyed her company?"

"I see now that it was a bad idea," Irene admitted. "And we should have told you sooner. And I should have kept visiting. I did try to keep in touch by phone, while you were growing up," she pointed out.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you weren't very active in my life on account of the distance. You never once brought up Drew or Valerie during those calls. Not once! And those calls were our only communication," Jade fired back.