Coffee Shop

"Alright. I'm getting refreshments. Anyone wants something specific?" Laura asks.

Felix and Jaden head to skate, leaving Eric and I looking at Laura.

"Orange juice for me." Those were Eric's last words before he follows Felix and Jaden.

"How about you, Faye?" she asks.

"I'm coming with you," I answer, giving the park one last look.

As I reach the coffee can in the fridge, Laura pulls my hand to stop me. I look at her confused, and she sighs.

"What's wrong? Really?"

"What do you mean 'what's wrong'? what's wrong?" I reply.

"You. What's going on with you? Why are you drinking coffee now? You already had one cup today-" she states but I interrupt her.

"four." I correct involuntarily, then realize what I did, pressing my lips together and beating myself for speaking without thinking.

Shit. Now the mother lectures…

She looks at me all surprised and annoyed. "What?!"

"That was a mistake. It was only 2." I smile, but her face won't change expression.

"Don't lie to my face!" she holds herself to not shout. "Why the f-"

"Come on dude. It's not a big deal."

"Isn't it?!" she shouts, making me flinch and step back.

I roll my eyes and leave the store.

"Faye, come back here!" she screams.

Why is she starting to be annoying too? Why is everything becoming annoying and loud?

"I'm going to see you back at the park, Laura," I yell back.

I head to a different convenience store before leaving back to the park. My phone vibrates indicating I got a message. I check it to find my sister, Mirai, telling me that our parents yet again are fighting and my dad is leaving for a while.

God, I hate it when they do this. It leaves Mirai shaking with fear cause she's scared of dad actually leaving us under mom's care.

I really don't want to go back. Mom will keep nagging and will play the victim in all this yet wouldn't consider giving up on the argument. As she always says, you get whatever you want if you keep pressuring the topic and tear up.

Dad saw right through her dirty tricks years ago. He wouldn't give her what she wants because clearly, all she thinks about is herself and only herself. Sometimes I really question why mom took the decision of giving birth to us if she won't take care of us.

I call Kyle, our younger brother, and ask him to accompany Mirai until I come back. he innocently asks if dad's going to be okay and I assure him that I'll make sure he is.

"Faye," his voice's audibly shaking. I am starting to worry if the fight was this serious.

"Is mom a bad person?" he mutters. "Dad cried before he stormed out."

What? This bitch.

"No,"

I can't believe I am defending her. I wanna slander her name. I want to show her how much her children hate her because of her selfish and prideful self. But I made a promise. I'll keep lying to keep this family intact till the day I die… or at least I hope so.

"No Kyle. It's just a misunderstanding; the same reason why you, Mirai, and I fight. They'll reconcile and everything will be back to normal. Now go be a good boy and calm your sister down. I'll find dad and come back as soon as possible." Says me, internally laughing at myself, disappointed, from all the shit going on.

I drink the whole coffee can before throwing it in the direction of the skate park. It hits a guy passing by, but I pretend to not see him. I text Laura that I'll leave and ask her to tell everyone. I call dad to ask where he is.

And there he was, sitting in the coffee shop we use to go to when I use to fight with mom nonstop when I was younger. How the tables have turned.

I can see his distress fogging the view of his face. Being lost in his thoughts, as usual, he doesn't notice I am standing in front of him until I call him.

He looks at me and instantly smiles, as if he is programmed to cover up the shit he is going through from his kids with a wide smile.

"Dad. Don't smile. You look ugly." I blurt, pulling a chair to join him on the table.

Rude, wasn't I?

But it's true. The face he's putting, that wide smile with the sorrowful eyes, is ugly. He knows he can talk to me, but it burdens him that he always comes around to pour all his shit on me.

I keep trying to assure him that it doesn't really matter on my side; that all that matters is him feeling better, but I can't help him feeling like he's a burden.

"I am genuinely tired." He starts as he places his forehead on his hand, resting on the table. Contemplating whether he should talk or not, he sighs. "I'm sorry… I really can't take it anymore."

No. Don't say it.

Don't say it, dad.

Don't… please…

I try to hold my tears, persuading myself that I am just jumping to conclusions. But who am I kidding? I can see it on his face. He is tired, and mom isn't helping. Asking him to suck it up for our sake is just blatantly selfish. I can see dad trying every day to keep the house stable but it's always mom who has to act childish.

"Do you wanna have something? My treat." I crack a weak smile.

"Tea. Tea would be fine." He doesn't lift his head to look at me.

I call the waiter and order a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. I look at dad, waiting for him to talk.

"I'm filing the divorce papers tomorrow. I really can't take it anymore." He mutters sternly.

It hits me as a shock although I saw it coming.

My breath shortens. I try to control it as I pierce my palm with my nails.

Be strong.

Be strong.

Be strong.

"Can-" my voice cracks. I clear my throat once again before talking. "Can you tell me what happened at least?"

"She. She happened. I am sick and tired of her bullshit. She hit the last nerve by cursing your grandma. I am not possibly going to stay calm and understanding with her being this inconsiderate. At least respect the dead, for fuck's sake. I am not going to tell her what's right and what's wrong. She's 40." He rants, sighing and sipping on the tea. His bloodshot eyes grab my attention.

"I know you don't deserve this," he mutters. "Regardless, if nothing changed, please take care of your siblings. I can't possibly trust your mom to do that."

I nod, chugging my coffee. He stands up and kisses me on my forehead.

"I love you. I genuinely do." He remarks.

I know.

School's so loud.

"Faye!" Anne screams.

I click my tongue and look at her irritated.

"Why are you always zoned out?" she asks.

"No reason." I smile, clearly annoyed.

My attention drifts to the guy with longish ombre brown hair and fierce green eyes on the opposite side of the cafeteria.

I nudge Laura and point at the guy, whispering. "Does he look like the guy who is confident enough to do whatever he wants and own the place?"

"Not really, but his eyes say otherwise." She whispers back and looks at me. "Did you sleep yesterday?"

"Yeah. Why?"

That was a lie. I couldn't have possibly slept with the shit in home these days.

She hums skeptic and shakes her head.

"What did you get on the test?" Felix asks.

I slam my test in front of him. "Ima head first."

"Oh… perfect score…" Felix whispers to himself before I leave.

My eyes are fixated on the guy at the end of the cafeteria as I head out. My body forcefully turns to meet Laura's eyes.

"What the f-"

"No. you're telling me what's going on." She cuts me off.

"Nothing is going on, Laura." I raise a brow in confusion. "I just wanna do something. I am bored."

"Something as in? play around with a guy's heart? That what you wanna do?" she attacks.

"Oh, my god! How did you know?" I smile, excited. "Or gamble. Either of them." I add.

"God! Faye!"

"Laura!" I repeat, laughing. "I am going to the park."

"No. You are not. Not before telling me what is going on. Is it home?"

One thing I hate about Laura is that she can read me and predicts all that I might do when I am not okay. Being this exposed feels wrong even if it's only to her.

"Fa-"

"I'm good, Laura. You know I'm telling you if anything happens." Interrupting me, my phone vibrates. I check it to see Kyle calling.

"hey bro," I answer.

"Mirai is having a severe seizure and dad announced he is divorcing mom."

With his report hitting me like a train, for what felt like a whole hour, everything in front of me turned black. I couldn't really think clearly.

I leave school, excusing the school's principal, and head the hospital Kyle mentioned. I see Mirai laying on the bed with her consciousness lost.

I don't even have to ask about what led this to happen. I look at my parent, majorly disgusted by mom.

"She's going to be fine, Faye." Mom reassures.

I remain silent so I won't rage out on her.

Yeah right. How do you know mom?

I wanna scream to her face and tell her that all of this is her fault. I hate her. I hate her. I hate her.

Dad's already thinking that it's all his fault for announcing the divorce and I can tell how everything's gonna take place from here on out. He'll withdraw the papers because he cares about us more than anything. He'll tolerate the shit mom will throw at him just so we can be alright.

God. Can't she see she's the problem?

Thing is, when I tried talking to her before, all she did was blame herself and kept mentioning how of a bad mother she is. Yes. You are a bad mom, but of course, I can't tell her that. It's not a Netflix series where I can scream in her face all my feelings towards her then she'll have an instant character development. Dad already did that, and nothing changed. Then she questions why do we "not" give her the attention…

"Kyle. Get back to school. I'll take care of her." I demand.

"But I wanna be here when she wakes up." He argues anxiously.

"I'll call you when she wakes up so can come. Now don't worry and I get back to school." I turn to dad and mom, "You can go too. I am free, so I'll be alright if I took care of her alone."

"You're sure?" mom asks.

Seriously? How can she be this ruthless? She just wants to leave. She didn't even argue like how her son did. God.

"Yes, mom. You can go." I look at dad. "You too, dad."

After the room was empty, only filled by my sister's unconscious self and me, I take off my jacket, get out my razor and start sliding it across my inner arm. I control my breath as the pain intensifies every time I cut myself.

Tears uncontrollably start falling nonstop. I start laughing at my situation then head to the bathroom to clean my cuts and wipe my tears.

I look up at my reflection and smile, disgusted.

Damn. Been a while since I broke down. How pitiful.

"Da.. dad…?" Mirai's soft voice barely echoes across the room.

"Mirai," I call her, rushing out of the bathroom.

"Oh, Faye."

"Idiot. Why are you so sensitive?" I joke, but she looks down and starts to tear up. I click my tongue annoyed and lean in to hug her. "Damn you look ugly crying."

She chuckles silently. I smile.

"If you remain this emotional, we'll have to take down our grand plane of us running away." I threaten.