Boring, 1997-1998

A Family Matter

"Sorry!" Sherry smirked as she knocked Luke's pawn back to start. Ken snickered, and the boy raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, you're laughing now, buddy. You think she's gonna show you mercy next time she draws a Sorry Card?"
"No one is safe from Ms. O'Neil," Emaline entered the room and took a seat on Kate's lap, wrapping an arm around her neck.
"Emaline! Glad you join us for game night." Ken smiled.
"Of course, Mr. Messner. I still have some Chem homework, but it can wait." She glanced at the board, "Oh my God, Kate. They are kicking your ass."
"She's not too hard to beat, to be honest," Luke said, drawing a card, "She's too nice to actually try."
"Stop it..." She whined as Emaline laughed and kissed her temple.
Everything was perfect. The teens were happy and comfortable, and the adults finally had their family.

But perfection isn't sustainable.

Everyone slightly jumped when the kitchen phone began to abrasively ring. Ken left the room to answer the call, but came back with his hand over the receiver. "Em, it's for you."
She rose to her feet and felt Kate's hands linger on her waist. From Ken's tone, everyone knew something was wrong. She approached him and took the call.
"Hello?"
"Emaline," A low voice answered, "How are you?"
She froze at the sound of the man, and couldn't speak.
"Emaline? Are you there?"
"Yeah, I am. Spare me the formalities, would you? Don't pretend to give a shit about me, you and mom have been gone for months without a single call. What do you want?"
"You failed to mention that Maddie killed herself. Don't you think that's something her parents would want to know?"
"Yeah, and how the hell was I supposed to contact you? You're probably halfway around the world as we speak!"
"Actually, we're not. We arrived in Boring last night to plan the funeral," Emaline's blood ran cold as she listened silently, "...We returned to a house that was a complete wreck. Haven't I warned you about the consequences of parties?"
"Frankly, I didn't think that would be a big deal considering you haven't been home in forever. Besides, you own what? Like seven, eight houses? What's this one to you?"
"It's where we raised you and your sister, Emaline."
"Raised us?" She snorted, "Really? Because I could've sworn that a nanny raised us."
"I don't want to have this conversation with you right now. We need to meet to discuss the details of the service. Do you have school tomorrow? Or have you already graduated?"
"Jesus, you don't even know how old I am," She forced a laugh and smiled, "Yeah. I'm free after school tomorrow. May I bring a..." She stopped herself before saying the wrong thing, "friend?"
"Emaline, this is a family matter."
"Yeah. She's been more of a family to me than you ever have. I'm bringing her." She placed the phone back on the hook and ran upstairs to Kate's room.

The family listened to her footsteps climb the stairs, and Ken turned to his daughter.
"That's your cue, honey."
"No. I know my Emaline; she needs to be alone right now. I'll go up in, like, half an hour."
"Can we keep playing, at least?" Luke offered.
"So you can keep losing?" Sherry teased.
"Hey, that's not fair. Kate's doing way worse than me." They all laughed at her expense and the girl narrowed her eyes, "Fine. You guys asked for it; Competitive Kate has entered the game."

...

"Are you sure you don't need more blankets?" Tyler offered awkwardly.
"Nah, I'm fine," Oliver said from the floor, "I'll be back in my parents house by tomorrow. Thanks for letting me stay the night, buddy." Oliver rolled onto his side, facing away from the bed, and Tyler shifted onto his back, staring at the ceiling.
"Oliver?"
"Yeah?"
"Why do you hate gay people so much?"
"I don't know," he sighed, "my parents always taught me it was wrong. It's supposed to be a man and a woman, you know? It just doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't have to make sense. It doesn't concern you."
"Yeah, but what if little kids see homos and decide to become gay?"
"I don't think it works that way."
The boys were quiet for a moment before Oliver quietly said, "I was jealous. I mean, it certainly help that she's seeing a girl, but damn. She's in love," he laughed to cover his pain, "What we had? That was never love. We were a twisted version of cat and mouse; she just wanted my approval. And I liked it. I've turned into my dad, I'm an abusive piece of shit."
"I don't think you're an abusive piece of shit, Oliver. I think you need to have a healthy relationship with the right girl. She's an equal, not a sidekick, you know? And you gotta change your mindset about gays, bro. They're just people. All they want is love."
Oliver thought quietly before saying, "You're right. You're right about everything, Tyler. But I royally f*cked up. How can I make it better?"
Tyler swung his legs over he side of the bed and rose to his feet, "C'mon. We're going to the Messner's house."
"It's, like, 11pm."
"Show me you care, Oliver. I'll believe it when you do."

...

Kate sat on her bed, facing Emaline, "Okay. So brief me again? What do we say when they ask about Maddie's death?"
The blonde inhaled and played with the hem of her jeans, "She died at my house, but was pronounced dead at the hospital," She pursed her lips before running her hand through her hair, "I mean, it's not entirely a lie, right? She did OD at home... and she did die in the hospital..."
"So then what are we lying about-"
"We're not lying. We're withholding the truth. There's a difference," She was obviously uneasy, and kept avoiding Kate's eyes, "We're just not going to mention how the baby survived, and how I made the decision to take her off life support."
"Okay. I trust you. But I would like to go on record saying that I think you made the right choice."
"I don't expect you to understand, babe. This whole situation is just really shitty." She paused, and her tone changed dramatically, "I hate them! They're absent, like, 90% of the time, and that other 10%? They act entitled to be World's Best Parents, or whatever."
"If you don't mind my asking, what do your parents actually do?"
"Promise not to judge, okay?" Kate nodded, and she sighed, "My dad is the CEO of CBS. I don't know specifics, but I'd have to guess that his salary is around $60 million a year. He owns property all around the world, so Maddie and I were never really his priority."

1986
"Maddie? Wanna play Barbies with me?" I asked her.
"Later, Emmy. I'm trying to write a letter to mommy and daddy."
"Why?"
"I'm turning eleven next week. I want them to be home for my birthday."
"They didn't come home when I turned six," I said, tugging at her arm, "Just come play dolls with me."
She sighed and put down her pencil. Rising from the chair, she smiled, "Wanna piggyback ride?"
I squealed, jumped onto her back, and wrapped my legs around her. She took off running through the house.
I held onto her shoulders tightly, laughing as my hair flew behind me. She came to a stop in front of a huge mirror, and we stared at ourselves.
My blonde hair barely came past my shoulders, and my blue eyes blinked back at me. My tooth had fallen out last week, so I still had a gap in my smile. My cheeks were so rosy they almost matched the pink dress I was wearing. I looked to Maddie.
Her hair, darker than mine, stopped at her chest. Freckles were scattered across her nose and cheeks, and her green eyes sparkled joyfully. Most of her features were similar to mine, but when people said we look alike we both denied it.
She was still breathing heavily from running around, and I slid off her back. "Madeline! Emaline! What was all that noise?" Our nanny, Beatrice, came up the stairs, "It sounded like a stampede."
"Sorry, Bea. We were playing." Maddie mumbled.
"Well, play quietly, alright?" She rolled her eyes as she walked back downstairs.
I lead my sister into my room. I had dragged my huge dollhouse into the center of the room beforehand, and I sat on the ground, waiting for her to join me. She did, and we each picked up a doll. Mine was a little girl, that vaguely resembled me. Maddie's looked to be a preteen.
"Who is gonna play the mommy and daddy?" I asked.
We sat quietly for a moment, before I dropped my doll and hugged my sister. I began to cry into her chest. She held me, and I felt her teardrops hit my face as she let herself cry too. "I'm sorry they're not coming for your eleventh birthday, Maddie." I sniffed.
"You know what?" She put her hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes, "These dolls don't need parents. They're mature and brave, just like us," She wiped the tears from my face, "You're so strong, Emaline. Never let anyone see you cry. Promise me."
"What if it's someone I love? Like you?"
"That's okay, girlie," She pulled me onto her lap, "But you can never let mom and dad see you cry, okay? You gotta be tough."
"I will be. I promise."
"I swear, it's like a teenager is trapped in that little six-year-old head of yours. I love you, Emmy."
"I love you too, Maddie."