Meeting Ophelia (Now on Radish)

Chapter 2

My mother's name was Fran Claudia Sheffield, maiden name that is. Her first married name was Fran Claudia Bello, when she was married to my father. Then she had an affair and not only broke my father's heart, but my heart too. Now her name is Fran Claudia Starks, because she married my step-father Steven Starks. My father's name is David Peter Bello and he is my best friend. I have four siblings, two biological and two half siblings. My biological siblings are Valentine Joseph Bello, my twin brother, and Viola Rosaline Bello, my older sister. My mother is obsessed with Shakespear literature and it amazed me when Steven got her to name their children, Georgiana Marie and Noah Lukas Starks.

I hate my mother with a burning passion. She's the reason for my depression, my cuts, everything that is, and quote, wrong with me. I looked up to her all my life because I though what she and my dad had was real love. Then everything went crashing down and I got stuck with the witch because my father couldn't support two children on top of child support. I cut because of my mother, that's why I have to go through all this crap. I have to do three days a week of grief counseling and a manditory once a week of talking to the guidance counselor. Not only that, a social worker comes by once a month to check up on me as well. My mother no longer cares about my well being, Viola hasn't talked to me since the divorce, my little siblings are to young to understand what's going on. The only people that care ar Steven, Dad and Val (Valentine's nickname). Oh! And the few friends I actually had before all this shit happened.

My best friend, well one of them, is Carol Vance. She and I have been friends since kindergarten when she kicked sand in my face and I tackled her to the ground and we spent a day in time out together. Our other three friends are Magenta Adams, Valentina Sinclair, and Tomas Valencia. We made friends with them through out the years. My other best friend is Nikko Ball, I met him at grief counseling when I had first started. We both thought, and still do, that all of this was a bunch of bull shit. After a few sessions, we swapped numbers and became really close friends. And eventually friends with benefits. We both knew that our relationship was what it was, we were fuck buddies. We no longer believed in love because we were hurt by the people that we loved. My mother hurt me and his older sister hurt him. We knew that neither of us would develope feelings for each other because we knew that we needed each other to exist. We healed each other.

So, as I am telling you this, I am sitting at the table I met Coffee Shop Boy at yesterday, sipping a cup of Mocha and texting my friend Nikko.

"So, Coffee Shop Girl, did you get me anything?" His voice was deep and resounding. I liked how my heart skipped a beat when I heard it. It made me feel... alive.

"Nope. You never asked for anything on your show yesterday." I said, looking up at him. Nikko can wait for another half hour. "You gonna sit?"

"Not until you answer me one question, Fee." Mystery boy said, and I nodded. "Have you cut in the past twenty four hours?"

"No." I said, reaching for my sleeves. "I could show you if you'd like."

"No, I trust you, Fee." He said, sitting in the chair opposite me. "What's your full name?"

"Ophelia." I said. "No, first, middle and last." He said.

"Ophelia Octavia Bello. You may know Val, my brother." I said, running a hand through my dark hair.

"Wait, Wait, Wait. Valentine Bello is your brother?" The boy asked. "Yes, we're twins." I replied.

"Can you please tell me your name?" I asked, leaning across the table.

"Bram Stoker Stomes." He said. "And yes, I am named after the man who wrote Dracula but no relation."

"Funny, all but two of my siblings and I are named after Shakespeare characters and yet, no relation to him either." I remarked, taking a swig of my coffee.

"Really?" Bram asked.

"Yep. My older sister is named Viola Rosalind, Val's full name is Valentine Joseph, even though there is no character named Joseph, I think. And my name, Ophelia from Hamlet and Octavia from Caesar." I said. "My half siblings somehow got normal names."

"Half siblings?" He asked, taking my hand like he did yesterday.

"Yes." I replied. "My mother had an affair when I was in seventh grade. She's currently married to the man she cheated on my father with and has two children; Georgiana and Noah." It's been five years since I found out and the ache in my chest never goes away, the need to cut after I relive those horrible five years never go away. The divorce wasn't finalized until the beginning of my Sophomore year. I am now a Junior. At first, after I caught my mother and Steven in my parent's bed, she and my father went to couples therapy. But she was still seeing Steven. She said that she just didn't love my father anymore. This was the woman who told me that love never dies, that you are meant for one person your whole life.

I started cutting in eight grade, when my father moved out and it was just Viola, Valentine and I. Steven had moved in because he had knocked my mother up with Noah. He's now four years old. The cutting helped relieve the pain from my broken heart, but only temporarily. I would use a razor against my wrists, my ankles, my lower back, my inner thigh. Sometimes on my hips and even the backs of my knees. The summer before nineth grade is when the social worker started coming around. She was the first to see my scars. My mother was too preoccupied with Noah. I envied my little brother, but only for a week because I realized if my mother was deemed unfit to take care of my, I would go with my father.

As the divorce went on, I grew close to Val and Steven (Just a bit) and Dad. At the final hearing, Viola and I were under the custody of my mother. Viola was seventeen and a senior in high school. The next year she would go to California for college and never look back. That's just how she was. Val was given to father. My parents had partial custody over the three of us.

The thing about my family is this, only Steve, Dad, Val and little Noah care about me. Noah doesn't understand what's going on with me, but he's scared that his big sister will leave him. Every weekend I go and stay with Val and Dad to get away from all the bull shit that my mother is feeding me. During the week, Steven is very good at making me somewhat happy. He'll cook one of my favorite meals once a week, take me out to dinner on random occasions, just us two. He'll stay up late and watch Reality TV with me on a school night. He's the only adult in that house that cares about me.

My mother and Viola could give two shits about me at this point in time. I can't tell about baby Georgiana because she's six months old and still an innocent. My mother could care less about her misfit child and more about her reputation. Viola... Viola just stopped caring when she went off to college. She hasn't come home for the holidays, I get an occasional text from her, no calls, no emails, not even a face time.

"Ophelia?" Bram called. I hummed in response. "Are you okay? It looks like you are going to break the mug."

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking." I mumbled. "Thinking about what?" He asked.

"My screwed up family." I said, glancing at my phone. Shit, I was going to be late for group. "Um, Bram, I have to go. I'll text you later." Wait, should I do that? Are we even friends.

"Quick question. Are we friends?" I asked.

"Yes." He said, standing up with me. "And I have a feeling that soon, we'll be really close, maybe more that friends." I smiled and nodded, even though on the inside I rolled my eyes. I didn't believe in love, or any type of relationship beyond a fuck buddy. I already had one of those.

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Hello lovelies!

I updated, yay! And I'm tired. I'm going to bed after this.

OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH! New male character. Nikko will be introduced later on. Do you think that Ophelia and Nikko will become a couple by the end of the book or will Bram and Ophelia be a couple? I already know the answer to this, but I want to hear what you guys think.

Please check out my maybe new story, Red and comment what you think about it.

Lots of Love,

DoctorWho