Secrets Unknown

Chapter 1

I hear my parents fighting again in their room down the hall, just like every night.

"You don't know my feelings, Robert!" yells mom. 

"Why should I care!? You've wrecked my life so far!" yells dad. 

Yep. Always fighting. I'm 16 years old. My name is Riley Grace. We live in Orlando, Florida. I've got to say, it's pretty nice living down here.. I just wish I lived with a better family. I have a brother, Wesley. He's 17. We have to "get along" with the situation we're in with our parents. Sometimes I'd like to just get away. But, unfortunately, today is another school day.

I open up the door and walk into the school doors... People are everywhere..talking with their friends, running to class, or making out. High school disgusts me now and days. I'm on my way to my locker when I get shoved out of nowhere.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" a male voice said.

I grimace and look up into the eyes of the Quarterback player on the football team, Jared Lather. I roll my eyes. He's such a sports jerk, he thinks he can get anything and everything he wants. 

"It's no problem." I say as I stand up.

"You sure? Because you took quite a hit. Think you can handle it?" says Jared. 

I look at him. He's about 6 foot. I'm only 5"6". 

"Positive." 

I push past him, walking down to my locker, not bothering to look back, even though I can feel his eyes on me the entire time. I get to my locker and open it up, to find my textbooks. I start pulling them out one by one..when all of a sudden, hands wrap around my eyes. I jump into my locker, startled, and then turn around to see my best friend, Peyton, smiling.

"Guess who!" says Peyton.

I smile and roll my eyes and then turn back to my locker. "You can't scare me like that, haha. I nearly peed my pants!" I say to her. 

"Oh my gosh! That would've been totally humiliating but funny!" she exclaims. 

"Yeah, funny in your point of view. Mine? Not so much." 

Peyton laughed and shook her head. The bell rang. I grabbed my books and my backpack. I slammed my locker door shut.

"So, how's the home show going?" Peyton asks.

She's referring to my parents fighting, I've known her long enough to share it with her. I shake my head and reply, "I don't know anymore. I don't know why they won't get a freaking divorce! It would be better off that way, and Wesley and I would just be..better off."

She looks confused, "But, what about not having parents?" 

I shrug, "We'd have each other. Simple as that." 

Peyton nodded, but I can tell she doesn't quite understand. Her parents are happy all the time. I, honestly, envy that. Wesley and I's parents were happy at one time in their life...then our little sister, Brianna, died at age 4 by getting ran over by dad. Mom blames him for driving over her, and then dad blames mom for not watching her like she said she was going to. Wesley and I lost our little sister to mom and dad fighting with each other, while he was pulling out of the driveway. How could they be so careless!? I can feel tears coming as I think about it. So, I'm trying to think positive things. I look up to see Wesley coming my way. He shakes his head at me, and I'm instantly on alert. 

"What's going on?" I ask. 

He shakes his head and lets out a sigh, "We have to go home." 

I'm very confused at this point. "Go home? Why? We're supposed to be studying for finals at 2 o'clock." 

He nods, "I know... I already talked to the teachers about that, and we get to take them on Monday." 

Peyton, being the nosy person she is, shakes her head, and butts into the conversation. "Why?" 

Wesley glances at her, and then remains his all undivided attention on me. "Dad called us home, Rye. He said we better get there, and better make it fast. He sounded really angry on the phone, and said something about us needing to make a choice." 

I shook my head, not realizing what our dad meant by that. "A choice?" 

Wesley shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't want to be smacked or something if we don't make it home. Let's go." 

I nodded, not wanting to get a massive result of a smack either.. I loop my arm through my brothers and then turn to Peyton. "I'll see you, Monday. Okay?" 

Peyton nodded, concern is swimming through her eyes. "I love you, Riley."

I just look back at her, confused as to why she was making it sound like I was leaving her, and then we were out of the school doors. I turned around facing the direction of the car, with my arm still looped around Wesley's. 

"It's going to be okay, I'll protect us in any way I can. They won't hurt me, and I especially won't let them hurt you." Wesley assured me.

I'm scared to death at this point, and we climb into Wesley's truck. We sit in silence the entire drive home. Not knowing what's going to happen or what we'll get ourselves into when we get home.