Kid in a Locker (REWRITING)

19. The Fundamentals of Caring

"Where are we going this time?" I burst into the house, startling my parents on my couch. Romul and Peter follow in behind me, rushing in so that I don't blow up completely on our parents.

"Excuse me?" Dad sits down his book and places it on his lap, giving us his full attention. His face makes him seem like he's unaware of the bomb Mom just dropped on us. This was impossible, since if one of them knew they both did.

"Where are we moving to this time?" I repeat, coming to stand in front of them. My brothers glance at each other around me. They both wanted to know the answer as much as I wanted to, but didn't want to interrupt me.

Mom sighs. "Italy."

"Italy?" I gasp, my jaw dropping. Because of Mom and Dad's job, we had always been traveling to various places. We never knew once that Italy was even an option for our parents. Sure, we knew there were many based there, but we didn't think we would actually go there.

We had never learned Italian. Ever. We knew nothing about Italy. It would be a great experience to live there, even if we didn't go to school off base.

I felt conflicted to know that to experience this wonderful country, I would have to leave behind someone I cared about again.

"Oh, honey, I know you just got a boyfriend again." Mom gets up from her chair to comfort me. I hold up a hand to stop her.

"No." I grunt. "This time is different. I was prepared to leave Germany because of what happened to Ben and Hanna. Y'all knew I would be willing to leave after the two people I cared most about were dead."

"Ophelia, that is not what happened." Mom remarks firmly, her voice astonished.

"Isn't it?"

"No, it isn't." Dad states.

I throw my hands up. "Whatever. Why can't y'all just stay in one place? Why can't we live like normal people?"

"Ophelia..." Dad warns. "You know why we don't."

"I know!" I scream, adrenaline and caffeine running through my veins. I know. I've always known. What they did was a necessity, so that people like Troy could ruin his own life freely. They did it for people like Nick so that he could play hockey wuthout fearing retribution. I knew why they did everything they did. I wasn't angry at them. I was angry because I didn't want to leave here, and although it was extremely unfair, I was taking it out on them. "It's all because of your job. Everything has to do with your job! Why can't you think about us at least once?"

"Feefee, they did." Peter's quiet voice chimes from beside me. I look over at him, bewildered.

"What?"

"Our last move. It was for us."

"No it wasn't." I say. "They moved because there was a shortage of surgeon here. What to you-"

"They left Germany because of you!" Romul shouts.

"Because I asked them to." Peter looks back at Romul and then at our parents. His face shows honest truth as his eyes lock on my own. They were so much like my own. I could always tell when he was lying mainly by them. This time he wasn't.

"Wait, why?"

"I could see how bad that town was messing with you. Ben and Hanna died, and it seemed like a piece of you died with them. I couldn't stand to see you like that."

"And none of you told me?" I plea.

"We didn't know how."

"It wasn't your place to dictate my life like that!"