Hearts of trouble (under development)

The family tree Assignment with a unspoken truth

The classroom buzzed with the usual chatter of students as the teacher, Mrs. Gibbons, handed out the next assignment. The topic was one that everyone had tackled at some point in school: the family tree project. The task seemed simple enough to most of the class-just charting out family members, writing a few details about each one, and drawing connections. It was a familiar exercise for many, but for Abigail, Jack, and even Eric, it felt more complicated than it should have.

As Abigail sat at her desk, looking at the assignment sheet in front of her, she felt the weight of the task pressing down on her. Her eyes traced over the words on the paper: "Create a family tree of at least three generations. Be sure to include important details about your family members and how they're related."

Abigail sighed and leaned back in her chair, glancing around the classroom. It was easy for most of the students to talk about their family histories-their parents, their siblings, their grandparents. But for her, and for Jack, the task felt like a minefield. Family wasn't a simple concept for them.

For her, the relationships were complicated. Her father was absent most of the time, and her mother, Andrea, had a toxic influence on her upbringing. Jack had his own issues, with his biological mother's history and his father's strained relationship with Shawn. The idea of mapping out their family trees felt like drawing a map of a battlefield-too many crisscrossing paths, too much chaos.

Beside her, Eric was already working away, clearly unaffected by the complexity of the assignment. He was putting the finishing touches on his chart with a big, confident grin, scribbling down names and relationships with ease.

"Wow, you're making this look easy," Abigail said, trying to hide the frustration in her voice as she looked over at Eric.

Eric didn't even look up as he continued to write. "Yeah, I've got it down. Family's easy. You just write down the names of the people who actually show up for you. That's it."

Abigail shot him a sidelong glance. Eric's family tree was simple. His parents, his siblings-his connection to his family was straightforward, even if it wasn't perfect. But for Abigail, there were pieces missing. Gaps in the branches. It wasn't just about names-it was about people who had left, or people who never showed up to begin with.

"I wish it were that simple," Abigail said quietly, leaning forward and resting her head on her hand. "It's not that easy for some of us."

Eric paused his writing and finally glanced up at her. "You've got a point there," he said, his tone softening. "But, hey, at least we know who we are. We're all connected somehow, even if it's not perfect."

Abigail didn't respond right away. She knew Eric was trying to be reassuring, but she felt a knot in her stomach. Her mother, Andrea, was practically a ghost in her life. There was no real connection there-just cold, distant memories of a woman who never truly cared. And then there was Jack. She could barely recall her father's name, let alone the other people in her family.

Jack, sitting a few desks away from them, was also visibly struggling. His face was furrowed, his pencil tapping against the desk as he stared blankly at his paper. He had always felt torn between two families-his biological one and the one he had found with Shawn. Figuring out which side of the family to chart, who to include, and who to leave out, was more of an emotional burden than he ever cared to admit.

"What are you going to do about your family tree?" Abigail asked him, leaning over to catch his attention.

Jack looked at her and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll just fill it in with what I know. I don't even know where to start."

"Start with the people who matter," Eric suggested, half-joking. "And forget the rest."

Jack let out a bitter laugh, his eyes scanning the paper in front of him. "If it were that simple, I'd have it done already."