Nobody Knows...

Life was going pretty good for me and my 2 brothers, but ever since my parents divorced, our lives have turned for the worst. My sister left for college a few years ago, lucky for her shes out of this hell hole we call home. My mom says if it wasn't for God we wouldn't be here, but I'm not so sure I want to be here. As a teenage girl my life is supposed to be filled with ..... well .... I don't really know. All I know is that I'm not an ordinary teen.

" Valerie! Get down here now, and explain why the dishes aren't washed!" mom said from the opposite side of the house. "I always have to do everything around here, I'm not raising royalty." she mumbles under her breath. I roll my eyes and hurry down the stairs, Mike, my 14 year old brother, gives me a worried look. Mike is a tall and very attractive boy, his curly black hair always looks messy and unkempt, but it brings more attention to his big brown eyes. There is a large gash across his left eye brow, the other scars cant be seen under his clothes. He has a few tattoos that he tries to hide from mom, but sooner or later she'll find out. "I'm sorry mom, I was finishing my homework." I said trying to hide my fear. Mom is a very intimidating woman, she looks tired and warn out. Her short dark brown hair falls carelessly over her shoulders "You should try to help out more. You're 16, act like it. I don't have time to case after three kids and work overtime. Don't let me catch this house looking messy again, or there will be serious consequences." nodding, I go to the kitchen.

She must have been really tired to let me off so easy. I thought about her words as I stared into the half empty sink. 'there will be serious consequences' the last person that gave me any 'serious' consequences was dad, but he left 5 years ago. I used to think it was my fault, that if I did better in school he would have stayed. After a few visits with him on weekends I realized it was mom's fault. If she had loved him more and listened, he would have stayed. My brothers and I completely turned on her when we found out. He was our world and now we can't see him because of her. For years I was wondering who to believe, now my choice is clear.

After finishing the dishes, I went straight to my room to complete my studies. To my surprise Nick, the youngest of the family, was going through my dresser.  "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" quickly jumping to face me he slowly replies "I.. I was just .. um.. looking for .. a few ... dollars so I could go hang out with my friends." Nick is 13 years old, his scruffy appearance and stocky build makes him a target at our school, Core Academy. " Nick you should be studying like me, your grades are slipping and teachers keep calling about your behavior." I shoot him a worried look. " Why do you care, its not like anyone wants me to do good. At least you and Mike have good looks. You both will do fine in the world, I on the other hand might not do so well." He looks angry, the best thing I can do is not say a word. Nick has anger issues and we cant afford to pay for a shrink. Even if we had the money, i doubt he would want to go. He's independent and thinks he knows himself better then anyone else does. One day when the real world hits him he'll understand. " Yea, I thought you had nothing to say." he said as he stomped out the room.

Soon after Nick left I felt calm enough to finish my studies. I kept staring at my book as if waiting for it to study its self. As the sound of nothingness filled the room and engulfed my ear drums, I started to doze off, Until the annoying ring of my phone brought a sharp sting to my ears. Quickly picking up the phone whithout bothering to check the ID "Hello?" I say with a groggy voice. "Hey Princess" says a familular voice on the other end. "Daddy?!" "Yea, how have you been?"