The Chemistry of Us

Chapter 8: Cracks in the Foundation

Evelyn sat on her bed, staring at the wall as the sounds of muffled arguing echoed through the house. It was becoming a routine now. Her parents had been at it again for over an hour, their voices growing louder, angrier, as they hurled accusations and frustration at one another. Money—always money. Evelyn knew they were struggling, and the stress of it all had turned their home into a battleground.

She tried to drown out the noise by focusing on the homework spread across her bed—math problems, an essay due next week, and some reading for English. But it was no use. Each raised voice from downstairs pulled her out of her thoughts, making it impossible to concentrate.

"Evelyn! Could you come down here for a minute?" her mother's voice called, more of a command than a request.

Evelyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm the knot of tension that had formed in her stomach. She had tried so hard to stay out of their fights, to not get dragged into the middle of it all, but her parents were making it harder and harder to ignore. Slowly, she got up from her bed and made her way downstairs, each step feeling heavier than the last.

When she reached the kitchen, her parents were standing on opposite sides of the room. Her mom was by the sink, arms crossed and eyes blazing with frustration, while her dad stood near the fridge, looking exhausted, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah?" Evelyn asked, already bracing herself for whatever was coming.

"We need to talk about your college applications," her mom said, her tone clipped. "Have you started filling them out yet?"

Evelyn blinked, surprised. Of all the things they could be upset about, this wasn't what she'd expected. "I've started on a few, yeah."

"Well, you need to be serious about this," her mom snapped. "We can't afford to send you anywhere expensive, so you'll need to apply to schools that give good scholarships. And you need to make sure your grades stay high."

Evelyn felt a rush of irritation rise up in her chest. She knew her parents were stressed about money, but it wasn't like she hadn't been working hard. Her grades were solid, and she was doing her best to keep them that way. "I know, Mom. I'm working on it."

Her father sighed, stepping in. "It's just... we're trying to plan, Evelyn. We need to know what your options are, what schools you're looking at."

"I told you, I'm working on it," Evelyn repeated, trying to keep her voice calm. "It's not like I'm slacking off."

Her mother's face softened slightly, but her frustration was still evident. "We're not saying you are. We just need to be prepared. With Sam already in college, we don't have a lot of room for mistakes."

Sam. Evelyn's older brother. He was a year ahead of her, already away at college, which was one of the reasons the tension at home had gotten so much worse. Money was tighter than ever, and her parents were feeling the strain of paying for two kids' futures. Evelyn hated that she was part of the stress, part of the reason her parents were fighting all the time.

"I get it," Evelyn said, her voice quieter now. "I'll make sure to apply to schools that offer good financial aid. I promise."

Her dad gave her a tired smile. "We're not trying to pressure you, kiddo. We just want you to have the best shot."

Evelyn nodded, though inside, she felt like the weight of her family's problems was pressing down on her more than ever. She wished they would understand that she was already carrying so much pressure—school, friendships, figuring out her future—and now the added stress of their constant arguments was wearing her down.