From Yours Truly, Edie

Chapter Eight: Sorry For Not Liking You

March 2000

Edie tried getting along with Derrick, Leslie's now boyfriend, she really did. She tried giving him a chance like Bill had suggested. But she could t force herself to like him. They just didn't get along with each other. She didn't want to be at home on weekends, because he would be there, so she spent a lot of time at Jordan's. Derrick made the decision that Melanie and Edie would visit Hank once a month. He now made the decisions for Leslie, which didn't feel right to Edie.

Who died and put him in charge, Edie wanted to know.

She had to hide her letters from Bill, as Derrick thought he had the right to look through her things and found the contents of her memory box. According to him it was inappropriate for Edie to be sending and receiving letters from a boy two years older than her, and he made her throw them in the trash. She'd waited until he was asleep before digging them out, and now kept them in a shoebox at the back of Jordan's closet.

"I really hate him, Jordan." Edie shook her head once they'd finished their homework in Mayor Halliday's study. "He's making me stay in the sin house for all of March Break. Mel says it's because she heard Mom telling him that I never spend time with her anymore. Well, maybe I would want to spend time with her if she kicked him out!"

"I thought you were gonna go to your Dad's for March Break. Wow, that is really not fair!"

"What's not fair?" Connor, one of Jordan's older brothers, said as he walked in and sat down on an armchair.

"My Mom's boyfriend isn't letting me go to my Dad's over March Break like I'm supposed to. I hate him and he hates me and I wish he would fall off a bridge and die." Edie sighed.

"Derrick Mason, right?"

"Yeah." Edie nodded. "Why?"

"His youngest brother's in my math class. The whole family is bad news. Derrick isn't a good person; I've heard things about him."

"Like what?" Jordan asked, turning her head and focusing her eyes on Edie.

"Things that little girls aren't supposed to know." Connor smiled. "Your mom called and said she needed you to go home, so Albert is gonna drive you."

"That's... That's great..." Edie stuffed her notebook into her book bag, trying her hardest not to cry, and mentally kicked herself when she felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, it'll be okay!" Jordan hugged her.

"Yeah right. I'm not allowed to even call my Dad and if he calls we aren't allowed to talk to him." Edie choked out.

"I'll be right back." Connor said and left the room to get his mother. When thy returned, Edie was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. It took roughly twenty minutes to calms her down enough to talk.

"Can you tell me what's going on, sweetie?" Mrs Halliday asked, rubbing Edie's back.

"I don't want to live with my Mom anymore." Edie whispered, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Derrick won't let me see my Dad. And he says bad things about him and tells me and Mel that Dad doesn't love us and that's why we can't see him except for once a month."

"Oh my. Con, bring the phone over. I'm calling Edie's mother."

"You won't have to, because I'm pretty sure she just pulled into the driveway." Connor said from where he stood by the window. "She's getting out... And so is her lovely boyfriend."

"Alright. Tell Albert not to let the man in. Now!" Mrs Halliday shooed her son out of the room. Edie told Mrs Halliday all about how Derrick was changing and taking control of her family, and her life, and was about to explain something when her mother walked in.

"Edie, stop right now." We need to go." Leslie looked around the room anxiously.

"You'd best take a seat, Leslie. This could take a while." Said Mrs Halliday.

-/-

With the help of the Halliday's lawyers, Hank and Leslie were able to come up with a solid custody agreement. Edie would love with Hank while Melanie would continue living with Leslie until she was eight and could make the decision on which parent she wanted to live with. Edie would spend every other weekend with Leslie, and the same with Hank and Melanie. They worked it out in a way that would allow Melanie and Edie to be together every weekend. And if Derrick tried to interfere, all Edie had to do was tell Mrs Halliday.

Hank finally had enough money saved for a new apartment, which Edie helped him pick out. The landlord was an old friend of Hank's and had a son, who was a year older than Edie but lived in a different town.

"After the spelling test, I want you to work on your penpal letters. They need to be finished by 2:30 so I can have them mailed today after school." Mrs Dobson instructed the class and asked a girl named Miranda to hand out the spelling test. "I hope you all have studied last night."

"Yeah more like two years ago." Edie muttered. All the spelling tests were too easy for her, as well as the reading assignments. The only subject she seemed to have trouble with was math, as all the numbers appeared backwards to her.

"Is everyone ready?" Mrs Dobson asked, and proceeded to call out the twenty words on that weeks spelling list. "After you've double checked your words, pass the sheet up to the front of the class, and start finishing your letters."

Edie didn't feel she needed to check for mistakes, and handed the page to the girl sitting in front of her. She took out a Sailor Moon memo pad, a pencil, Bill's last letter, and began to write.

-/So I've been sick for the past week (thank you nephew for giving me your lovely cold, greatly appreciated), and have barely left my room. There is really nothing else to do but sleep and write and that's what I've been doing. I'm still sick it's been more than five days and imma just cry it's grosssssss.....
This Derrick character is great isn't he. Ugh I don't like him all that much tbh. Can't wait until he's gone.
The next couple chapters will probably be just letters, like the past three or four (lost count, sue me) have been.
Meh. Lemme know what you think. Comment. Vote. Do what you will. I'll love you forevarrererrrr!!! <3