Forever and Always (On Hold)

Chapter 1:

  Through my second-story bedroom window, I watch mom's navy Honda Civic back out of the drive way,  skid into forward, and speed away. This time, though, I don't think she is coming back...

                                                    *** twenty minutes earlier ***

      "You worthless piece of crap!" Mom spits in dad's face. "You were the biggest mistake that I ever made!" She's crying. Wet mascara creating little black rivers down her cheeks. Her eyes are red and swollen, and shes banging her head against the tan wall of our country style kitchen.

      This is how their fights always go. They get into a conversation about something, usually cars or bills, that turns into an argument, then into a fight, and finally into a full out war. Glasses smashing into cabinets, shattering on the floor. While I sit helpless, watching from the top of the steps, peering through the railing supports. Silently crying and hoping to God that they will stop before the neighbors call the police while I comfort my innocent little brother. Sometimes, if it gets bad enough, mom leaves. Only to come back a few days later and all is back to normal.

" Fine," Dad yells back. " If I was such a mistake, then why are you still here?" his face is red with fury. His fists bloody from punching the wall. He left a fist sized dent just above the stainless steel sink, and another in the matching fridge across the kitchen. He emptied the marble counters of anything glass and crushed it into a charred pile at his feet.

"Good point!" And with that, mom goes stomping past her white, self designed, castle-like staircase and to the front door. Fists squeezed so tight her knuckles are white. Her brown, wavy hair knotted from pulling it so much. And as if she cant help herself, right as she swings the door open, she points a shaky middle finger to my father.

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"Why?" I beg towards the sky. "Why, dear God, must i deal with this?"

    I'm sitting on the roof. I climbed out the window and crawled to my usual spot. Right next to the chimney where the roof workers ran out of new black shingles. Right where the warn red meets the new black.

"Do I really deserve this?" I lean my head back and stare at the moon. It's so beautiful. A perfect, glowing, white crescent. "Why?" I whisper once more.

                                             ***************************************

I wake with a jolting start. What the?m Where am I! Why can I see the blues sky and puffy white clouds instead of my lavender bedroom ceiling? I run my fingers along the sand-papery surface of which i lay. Sitting up, I see other houses and realize that i'm on the roof.

"Oh," i say to myself "I fell asleep on the roof!"

    I slide down the black shingles and look over the edge. Dads car is already gone. He must have left for "work" early. More like the bar...

Dad actually works as a auto repair shop down the road. He's one of their mechanics. Most of the time, though, i'm pretty sure he goes to the bar.

  I slip through my window and into the bathroom. looking in the mirror, I see that I have bags under my chocolate brown eyes, which are red, puffy, and bloodshot. My strawberry blond hair is clumped and knotted, and i'm wearing the same close as yesterday.

"ugggh." I peel of my clothes and slip into the shower, letting the steamy water run over my face. I don't even bother with shampoo.

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"Tyler!" I yell "Time to get up!" Tyler is my 3 year old little brother. He cries and screams when mom and dad fight. Poor kid. He doesn't deserve that kind of childhood...

I open his bedroom door to find him, butt up in the hair, face shoved on his pillow, drooling.

"Ty," I whisper, sneaking up to him until im right in his face. "Up!"

His eyes jolt open and he screams his childish yell. His blond little curls flying everywhere. Seeing it's me, he jumps up in attempt to tackle me, but i catch him mid air.

"Tickle war!" I laugh

"NOOOOO!!!" Tyler rushes out the door and bolts down the stairs. Well that sure got him up. I smile to myself.

                                                                     *********************

Tyler and I go shopping.

"Tyler, can you think of anything else we need?"

"CANDY!!!" He smirks.

"Oh, of coarse. Go pick one."

   He giggles and runs to the candy rack. Oh, little brothers. Tyler comes back with two fat little fist-fulls of lolly-pops.

"Ty! I said one!" i smile at him. His little grin widens.

"Nuh uh, you said one dousand." Here we go again.

"One." I say.

"dousand."

Tyler still can't say thousand.

"Tyler its one or none." he frowns and trudges off to the candy rack.He plops down on the dirty blue tiled floor and spreads the candy before him. One by one, he sets the candy back on the rack, carefully deciding which one he wants most. Then he comes skipping back with the biggest lolly-pop of them all.

"One." He agrees.

                                                                *******************************

Once we have all of our groceries, we head to the check-out. Tyler skips to the nearest line and shouts "I found one!!"  as loud as he can. Yep he sure found one alright.

"Good job," I whisper shyly after one look at the cashier.