After After After

After the Divorce

Why does everyone say love is a drug? It's not. If any activity is close to being a drug without actually being a drug, it's running. Running was the best way for me to get away from everything. Like the third day of summer when I walked downstairs in my over sized sweatshirt after just waking up, and then saw my parents sitting at the dining table. They opened  their mouths to speak. 

"I am going on a run." I announced. My little brother Toby ran down the stairs and made his was to the kitchen. 

"What's for breakfast?" He smiled and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Toby looked over to me and burrowed his eyebrows. "Waver? Are you okay?" 

I plastered a fake smile on my face. "Of course, Tob." I walked over to him and messed up his blonde curly hair. We were carbon copies of my mother, the only thing we inherited from our father was his forest green eyes. I started pulling my own blonde curls into a pony tail. "I am just going out on a run with Katrina." I looked over at my parents and shook my head to them. They couldn't make me stay there and listen to what I already knew. 

"Can't Kat wait, Waverly." My father asked, his arms crossing. 

"No," I grabbed a few grapes and passed my father on the way to my room to change. "But you can." I whispered to him. 

I ran up the stairs of our beach house and turned into my room. I shut the door quietly and slid down to the warm hardwood floor. My breathing hitched as I thought of dealing with two house and of trying to explain to Toby why his parents don't talk anymore. I stood on my shaky legs and quickly changed into running clothes,then went to the bathroom in my room to insure my long thick hair would stay in it's pony tail. 

I shoved my feet into my running shoes and grabbed my phone and earbuds. As I left my room I heard my parents talking to Toby. 

"Tobias, we just want to talk to you for a second." My father said. 

"Why aren't we waiting for Waver?" He noticed me on the stairs now. His big green eyes wondering why I was leaving him. 

"I am just going for a  run and then I will be back." I smiled at him quickly before going out of the door and breathing in the sea-salt air. 

I turned my music to the highest volume possible and ran. I walked down the long set of stairs that gave way to the long beach that we lived on. 

I ran down the side of the beach five times, because I couldn't go back. Because I wouldn't go back. Because I was a coward and I didn't want the speculation I had held for months to become a reality. 

Soon enough my legs burned to much and my lungs felt like they had solidified. I plopped on to the beach letting the ocean flow over my legs. I threw my phone up next to a rock higher up on the beach. I closed my eyes, maybe I fell asleep who knows. I just remember crying when I reopened my eyes and saw Toby. 

"Waver?" He said sitting next to me as I cried into my knees. 

"I'm sorry, Tob." I said through sniffles. "I knew, I knew for a while. I should have told you, I just feel like I have to protect you." 

"Waver, I don't want to live in Texas." 

"What!" I looked up from my knees and over at Toby. "I only knew that mom and dad were going to split up. Why are we moving to Texas! What about the beach house or our friends or school?" I asked, and then shook my head  realizing that an eight year old boy couldn't possible understand what was happening. "Nevermind, come on Toby let's go talk to mom and dad together." I pulled him up and weaved my fingers through his. 

"Waverly?" He never called me this, only my parents did. I looked down, concerned about my little brother. "We won't split up." 

I laughed, and kneeled down next to him. "I will never, ever leave you. You'll get into too much trouble if I do." 

He smiled and let out a happy laugh that gave light into the sudden darkness of my life. "Yeah right, You were the one who ran out of the house after  mom and dad just said that they wanted to talk to us." 

I stood up and started walking up the stairs. "We will see about that, Troublemaker." I heard him let out a frustrated breath behind me and then ran to catch up to me. 

Toby was right about us moving to Texas. Our parents put up some bull crap about how our father wasn't in the right frame of mind to raise us and he didn't have enough money to buy us a new house. Honestly, I blocked out the entire conversation, until the very end. 

"Waverly, honey?" I looked up from the floor. everything was simpler on the floor. We looked like a family from the floor, a little kid with star wars slippers, sand crusted bare runners feet. and matching black adult slippers. "Waverly? I know you don't want to feel like I am pulling you away from home, but we signed the divorce papers and your father and I think it is best that we all leave right away." 

"Are you crazy!" I stood up, pushing my chair so far over that it fell. "I can't move to Texas right now! What about Kat? I can't join a new school in the middle high school! Dad, are you on something!" I was screaming, and I heard the pitter patter of Toby's feet. "Crap. Now, I have scared him." 

My dad spoke for the first time. "Honey, I-I don't want to leave your mother-" 

"Don't make me the enemy, Logan!" I jumped at my mother's voice which was harsh and stern. "Waverly, pack your things now! We are leaving as soon as possible!" 

"Mom, please." I begged. 

"Waverly! I swear to god, go upstairs and help your brother back his things." 

"Mom, we have nothing to put out things in." I whimpered, tears now spilling down my face. 

"You can only take one bag, I don't have room for all of your shit!" She was yelling, Toby would be able to hear. I can't have him living with her. 

"Mother! Toby can hear you!" I hissed at her looking to my father. "What did you do to screw her over so much that made her almost as bad as you!" The last word came out like a dagger, and i turned and ran quickly upstairs and had Toby pick all his favorite things. 

In the end half of my suitcase was filled with his own things. I took some clothes, and other than that my camera, and computer. Both bags were packed my the time my parents stopped fighting. I was looking at my wall of bookshelves when my dad walked in. 

"Hi, Honey." He said and gave me a sideways hug. 

"What happened between you two." I said sniffling back my tears. "I saw her take her ring off months ago. But nothing ever happened, you were always so happy." 

"Somethings take time." Was all he said before kissing my head. "I will get you a bag for some of your books. I love you, Waverly. I know this is gonna be hard but I believe in you."   

I didn't respond. Bad things happen in threes:

1) Her ring was gone.

2) They got a divorce. 

3) Texas. 

Bad things happen in threes.