Challenges - Book Two of Unpredicted: An Adesa Fan Fic

Chapter Four: Fourteen

• Seven Years Later •
°Mason°
I sit at the table with a cake. My birthday cake. Adyson does as she does each year, and she counts the candles up.
"What?" Adyson says in confusion. "Thirteen?"
"That was last year..." I say as I look up at mom and dad. Mom is glaring at dad. She's clearly very angry... Adyson sees that they're angry, and she recounts to see if everything will be okay.
"Nope... There are thirteen..." She says.
"Did you think I was a year younger?" I say with a smile and a nervous laugh. Mom still looks angry.
"No." She says with an angry tone. "It's just that someone is completely out of it!"
"It's not my fault..." Dad says.
"Yes." Mom says. "It is your fault... Adam, if you weren't vlogging while buying birthday candles, there would be fourteen. But no! You just had to incorporate work into everything, and now your son has thirteen frikin candles on his fourteenth frikin birthday!"
Adyson and I just stare at them... Are they... Fighting?! Have they don't this before?!
"Alesa, this is my job, and this is how it's been forever!" Dad says slightly raising his voice at her.
"Adam, look at what you have now!" She says slightly louder than him. "Cut back on work!"
"Alesa, every time we fight like this, I tell you the same thing!" Dad says. That just answered my question. This has happened more than once. "My job is fun, and-"
"You're choosing fun over your kids?" Mom says sounding angrier than before.
"I never said that!" Dad yells.
"Guys..." I manage to squeak out. I can barely talk... I'm so shocked at this. Adyson is about to cry...
"I'm sorry guys." Dad says. "Your moms being irrational."
"So now I'm the one being irrational?!" Mom says angrily, once again. Right when I thought it was over.
"Would you stop it?!" Dad yells at her.
Oh no... This isn't good... At all.
°Adyson°
I wake up at four in the morning. I need a drink... It's been a week since mom and dad fought in front of Mason and I... They seem to be okay now, so maybe they've gotten better.
I walk out of my room to see the lights on downstairs and the sound of mom and dad fighting... Not again...
I slowly walk down the stairs, not even making a sound. I hurry behind a couch and I look at them.
"Alesa, I don't mean to do this!" Dad says. "This is my career!"
"But you have kids!" Mom says starting to seem angry.
"We need a source of income!" Dad yells at her. "Do you want to be broke?!"
"I bet if you asked Mason and Adyson a personal question about me they could answer it... But if I were to ask a personal question about you, they wouldn't know because you don't tell fans that stuff." Mom says.
"What are you saying with that?" Dad asks angrily.
"Your treating them like fans!" Mom yells at him. "Not your children!"
"Just be with your kids more often!" Mom yells at dad.
"Alesa, it took you fourteen goddamn years to come up with this?!" Dad yells.
"I've been telling you this whole time!" Mom yells. "You're just so stubborn!"
"Is it smart of you to want me to cut our only source of income?!" Dad yells at her.
"I'm not telling you to quit!" Mom yells back. "Just do it less!"
"It's what makes me happy!" Dad yells.
"And they don't?!" Mom yells. "You're really annoying me, Adam!"
I can feel my life falling apart through every word they say.
"I do this cause I love them!" Dad yells.
"You do this because you're really pathetic, Adam!" Mom yells. "Really pathetic! You're practically ignoring your kids cause of YouTube!"
"I want to practically ignore you..."  Dad mutters.
"What's you say to me?!" Mom says.
"Alesa..." Dad says. "I'm done with this."
"Done arguing?" Mom asks.
"No." Dad says. "Done with this relationship..."
My heart just got smashed into smithereens.
"Are you really doing this?" Mom says. "We have kids, you know? The ones you... Ignored..."
"I haven't ignored them!" Dad snaps at mom.
I'm in tears right now... I see Mason coming down the stairs, and I signal for him to come down to where I am. He listens, and silently walks to where I am. He holds me as I silently cry while watching mom and dad fight.
"Haven't ignored?!" Mom yells.  "You're breaking up with me without considering the kids!"
"We could put on an act for them..." Dad says. "Pretend we love each other."
"That's going to be hard, cause I'm done with you ignoring my kids."
"Our." Dad says.
"No." Mom says. "My. I'm the one who actually spends time with them."
"You know, I'm glad I broke up with you." Dad says angrily.
"Oh look, something we can agree on." Mom says angrily as she crosses her arms. They both turn around, clearly fighting back tears...
This hurts...
I sob.
Mason covers my mouth and freezes when mom and dad turn to see our heads peeking over the couch.
°Adam°
Adyson pushes Mason's hand of her mouth, and looks at me and Alesa. She's uncontrollably sobbing right now, and she looks like she can barely breath.
"Wh-What happ-happened?!" Adyson sobs. "Why can-can't you just- just lo-love each other?"
"That happened... Quick..." Mason's frozen. He looks shocked.
"How much did you see?" I ask them.
"I saw all of it!" Adyson sobs.
"I saw enough." Mason says. Adyson breaks out of Mason's thought grip, and she runs upstairs sobbing.
"I hate this!" She sobs. "I hate both of you!"
"Adyson!" Alesa yells out to her.
"My little baby girl..." I say as I'm about to cry... I see Mason who's still standing there shocked.
"I'm... Sorry..." I squeak our before a sob escapes me.
"We... We didn't want you guys to see..." Alesa says as she starts to cry to.
"What a disappointment." Mason says as he shed a single tear. "I thought you guys were perfect." He runs upstairs. "Ady, it's okay!" I hear him say.
"What do we do?" Alesa asks me.
"We could forgive each other?" I say.
"Not happening... I just can't stand you putting work over your children."
"Act?" I ask.
"That would be our best bet." She asks.
°Mason°
The next morning, me, Adyson, mom and dad sit at breakfast. It's really weird. Dad's being overly affectionate and mom isn't being affectionate.
Adyson sits there staring at dad awkwardly trying to cuddle mom. Mom just sits there... Emotionless... Stiff. Dad's trying to cuddle her, and be happy... But mom doesn't want to. Adyson stares at them.
She starts texting me.
"They're acting."
"Obviously."
"What do we do?"
"I don't know..."
"Mason, I want it all to go away."
"I know, Ady. Don't worry. We'll find a way to make the hurt go away."