The new girl and the twins

My mom had always been gone a lot and absent, considering she had to keep two jobs to support our household and my fathers drinking problem, but in the last few months things had gotten worse. She only came home long enough to shower and change, and the last two weeks she’s been packing overnight bags and only coming home once every few days to get new outfits, not even showering at home anymore. My father spends his nights at the bar until being thrown out and sometimes making it home to the porch before passing out, mind you I said sometimes. I’ve been taking care of the house and trying to care for my brother, I thought things were going okay until he got a note sent home from school, he’s been misbehaving and not doing homework, his grades had slipped and they wanted a parent teacher meeting, within the week or he’d be suspended until one was set up. I yelled at him in tears, how could you let this get this out of hand? I’m sixteen and been forced to take on so much extra responsibility and you can’t even be responsible for your self and your school work? Do you know what will happen if you get suspended? One of our parents will have to go to the school and if they don’t then cps will take up both away from mom, dad, and more importantly each other. I don’t know how I’m going to fix this one Aiden. He just stared at the ground teary eyed with out saying a word. I hadn’t seen my mom in 6 days but as I turned the corner on our walk home I saw a fancy car in the driveway and a familiar face placing boxes in the trunk. Mom! I yelled as I took off running she could fix what Aiden had messed up easily. But as I got up to the car I saw it was full of boxes. “Mom what’s going on? Are we leaving?” “ Your not going anywhere, I’m leaving I can’t be in this house or around your father anymore. I have a boyfriend who treats me right and I’m going to make a good life with him.” “But mom we need you. You can’t just leave your kids behind?” “He doesn’t want kids, so I’m sorry but he’s rich and I’ll send money and come visit once I have my house set up, maybe you’ll even be able to come visit me, you just can’t stay there.” I felt my brain spiraling with questions, I wanted to cry, and be angry. I didn’t understand how she could just up and leave her husband and two children, okay I take that back her husband was understandable he was barely a husband, but her kids?! What had we done to deserve this? My brother didn’t speak a word when she tried to tell him goodbye, he pushed her away and ran into the house, she yelled how he’d miss her once she was gone. “Then don’t go! We can’t do this on our own!” I cried at her feeling hurt and broken “ please don’t start this Holly the arrangements are made, and I sent your grandmother a letter, I tried to call but she hates me so obviously no answer. I’ll keep in touch I promise. I’m so proud of you honey. I love you and your brother more than you could ever know” she kissed my forehead and got into the car. As she backed out of the driveway I felt sick and dizzy. I drug myself inside and laid on the couch. I didn’t move from there for weeks other than to eat and use the bathroom, and also check the mail. Every time I did it was just a disappointment, bills or letters from the school or homework being left on the porch. People had come to the house a few times a week but I didn’t have the energy or the guts to answer the door. It had been almost three weeks exactly since my mom packed up and left, and probably longer than that since I had seen my dad. My brother had been skipping school too but he ran the streets at night with other boys, I didn’t even want to think of what kind of trouble he could be getting himself into. It was easy to ignore for the most part though, until I got a call from the police station. I threw on some clean sweats and headed to pick him up. As I walked I saw Clair, Clair used to be my best friend until her dad moved back and she magically had money and became popular. She made new friends and got a boyfriend and pretty much ditched me unless she wanted to complain to someone how hard her life was, which was the last thing I wanted to listen to today. But she walked up to me and stopped me in the street, “ where have you been hiding? My life is falling apart and your just skipping school and running the streets? My dad cheated on my mom and my boyfriend left me, and the popular girls are nice but they don’t understand what it’s like to have your life just suck!” She whined I tried to bite my tongue and explain I had to go but she kept going and somehow called ME SELFISH!? “Listen Clair, I don’t have time to listen to you cry about the minor inconveniences in your life because mine has actually fallen apart, not that you’ve taken time to actually ask or notice. But my mom left almost a month ago I don’t even know when the last time my dad came home was, we have an eviction notice at the house and I’m headed to pick up my almost 13 year old brother from the police station. I’m sorry your bf left but I don’t have time or patience to hear about it right now! She just looked at me all wide eyed and teary “I’m sorry, I… I had no idea” “ because you never ask.” I said angrily as I kept walking. The surprise at the police station was worse than the interaction with my used to be best friend. Things COULD NOT GET WORSE. My grandmother stood in front of the desk and tried to hug me but I managed to back away in time to avoid it. “ what the hell are you doing here?” “Language young lady, I got your moms letter I’m here to pick you kids up, you’ll be coming to stay with me for awhile.” “No I won’t. I’m perfectly fine with dad. You can’t just show up and take us away from our home and our lives. Are you serious?” Officer Powell looked at me kinda sad and said “with how much school you and Aiden missed and all the trouble he’s gotten into it’s either you go with mrs Shaffer or we will have to contact cps.” I’m sorry Holly but it’s what’s best here” “How would you know what’s best. It’s almost summer and I’ll be a junior next year, I don’t want to move away start over, with some old lady I don’t even know.” Please Henry don’t do this.” “It’s out of my hands, I’m sorry” he said walking out to his patrol car. My grandmother took us home that night and stayed with us. I locked myself in my room and cried my self to sleep harder than I had the whole month. I repeat things COULD NOT GET WORSE.