photograph // darren espanto

chapter eighteen - storytime

~Darren's POV~

I expected something completely different. I thought Amelia and Lei were just having some small fight about school or something like that.

"Guys, don't worry about it. I'm not gonna be a hero of the family and try to get them back together or anything like that. I'm not sad or mad about it, i'm just...okay. Shit happens" Lei shrugs. "My parents got a divorce and it's final"

"Your parents got divorced again?!" I heard a voice from the door. We all turned our heads and saw JK leaning on the wall, eat a bag of chips.

"Oh, right. JK was my ride here" Amelia says flatly.

"Wait...what do you mean 'again'?" I asked. Lei hit forehead with her palm and groaned.

"Oops" JK muttered as he sat down next to all of us.

"The thing that surprises me is that you didn't show up to school for a few days or answer my texts, and then when you finally go back into the world, the first thing you do is go to this guy's house" Amelia explains as she motions to me. "I had to find out by people from school"

"People from school? How would they even know?" Lei asked, Amelia then shrugged. "And it's cause you'd question me and everything, and if I just go to Darren's place it'd just be nothing"

Did she just call our hangout nothing?

"Could you at least tell us why they got a divorce then?" Amelia asked as she sat down next to Lei. Lei sighed then tilted her head towards the ceiling. She immediately stood up then bit on her thumbnail as she paced around.

"Cause my dad is stupid cheater and my mom is a stupid bitch for knowing it and staying with him all this time!" Lei blurted out as she threw her arms out.

I felt bad for Lei.

I always saw her as this weird, crazy, fun girl. But seeing her go through problems like this is just something I couldn't stand.

" 'Lei i'm sorry for you', 'Lei I hope you feel better', 'Lei I wish there was something I could do' " Lei mocked. "You guys don't need to say all that"

We stayed quiet, cause we all knew that that was exactly what we would say. Lei sat back down on the couch then let out an exasperated sigh.

"Now about that 'again' thing that someone had to say" Lei said as she glared at JK, causing him to awkwardly laugh.

I started to listen intently.

"Alright, story time bitches" Lei says as she runs her fingers through her hair. She paused then looked towards JK. I glanced at JK, who looked like he was in some sort of gaze while looking at Lei.

"Can you like, stop looking at my shirt tits?" Lei said in a tone like he should've known. JK didn't blink, until Amelia slapped his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, sorry" JK said as he cleared his throat. I glare at him then he shrugs and smirks. Well the fake t shirt boobs were something to look at.

"Basically, the dad I have now, or used to have, is not my biological father, he's my step-dad. My real dad left my mom before I was born" Lei confessed.

"My parents were crazy. My birth dad was a drug dealer and my mom was an alcoholic. Basically, he screwed her then left when my mom got pregnant. My mom tried to 'sober up' for me, which she did. Few years later, she met my really nice step dad, my brother Nick was born, and we ended up traveling the world. Then we lalala we lived happily ever until someone decided to have affairs" She went on.