It Went Downhill

*Banks*

I turned toward the door, and Banks brushed his fingertips against mine. It was like we were in some kind of romance movie or something. My eyes gravitated towards him. I wanted to gaze into his blue eyes again, yet I kept forward and headed straight for the door.

The cool, brisk air of the night slid over my face and slight snow flurries came down from the deepened blue sky. A few seconds later, Piper came outside and parked her butt in the car. She wouldn't say a word to me.

When we got inside, Piper took no time to confront me. "God, after everything she told you, you go ahead and do that!" Her hands beat the steering wheel like it deserve it. I twisted my body in the seat so I could look at her in the eyes.

I tried to justify my actions. "She left me alone with him. I thought it was completely innocent... until it wasn't. And you said it was fine if I liked him."

"Not in front of her. He was touching you and holding your hand and-," she interjected.

"I- I know and I should've stopped him, but you know how he is. He made me feel so... I don't know. It was hard to push him away." And honestly, I didn't want to.

"Cece cried on your shoulder and talked to you about how much she liked him." Piper glared at me.

I sighed, "Yes, but you said to give him space and let him come back to her. Well, he came to me. I didn't force him, and he didn't talk about her or even look that way! Celia even said that he flirts with everyone! I wasn't trying to," my words fizzled out into a grunt.

Piper stopped at a stop sign, "I didn't tell Celia this, but I know, for a fact, that he isn't into her like that. I know he doesn't like her. Celia knows that in the back of her mind too. But still, she's not ready to see him move on, especially with someone she considers a friend, Daya."

A honk from the car behind us made me jump in my seat and Piper started driving again. "I thought you wanted to take a break from dudes." Piper was speaking very calmly towards me even though I could tell she was still fired up.

"I need to, but he just snuck up on me. I still don't know what I'm going to do about Jay. I'll tell Banks that I need time alone. I'll tell Jay and Brian. I might as well write it on my forehead and save my breath." I threw myself against the back of the seat.

We pulled up to my house and I traded the drama I walked away from for the family emergency that was happening at home.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Tell Celia I'm genuinely sorry. She's not going to listen to me." I said to Piper through the window.

"I will. Good luck, Day." She saluted me before speeding off into the night.

I walked into my house expecting the walls to crumble into debris and for the house to implode. But not a hair was out of place.

"Mom," everything seemed so still and silent like it was someone else's house.

There were no unanticipated cars in the yard and everything was in the same place as when I left. The bottom half of the house was turned off, completely dead. I left my coat at the door and headed upstairs to where the source of the emergency must have been. When I walked into my mom's room I saw her softly crying on the bed with Dennis rubbing her shoulder.

"Oh God," I ran over to my mother with tears already in my eyes just from looking at her. "What happened," I stroked my fingers over her blonde hair.

"I asked Mom how the meeting with the lawyers went. She started telling me about alimony issues, child custody, and marital assets, among other things." Dennis was more solemn than how I left him.

My mom's sobs became more extravagant with every word he spoke. "I... was so... overwhelmed," my mom barely choked out.

"I'm... fine babies." She tried to sit up but failed tremendously.

"You don't have to be fine, Mom." I wanted to take all her hurt away, to protect her.

Seeing her try to be strong for us while she was being torn apart destroyed me. Can't we be happy for ten minutes without the world falling apart? I held my mom's head as I contained tears of my own.

Then, a different sound of sniffles flowed into my ears. I looked over at Dennis and saw wet streaks across his shriveled face. The three of us lay down on the bed as our mother pushed tears out of herself like she was wringing out a wet towel.

After thirty minutes, my mom fell asleep, but Denny and I were left wide awake. He lifted his head. I followed his motion before he signaled for me to go into the hall with him.

"This is really happening isn't it?" Denny asked as he bear hugged me. I dug my nails into his shoulder and clutched onto him for dear life. I wanted to cry. It felt like that's what I should've been doing but I wasn't.

Dennis chin dug into my head. "This is real, Day. We can't stop this. It's happening."

"Was Dad there or did the lawyer say something," I murmured into his chest. I couldn't let go for fear that my legs were going to go weak under me.

"I don't know. She started off so one note and then everything went downhill so quickly. I'm not even sure she wants a divorce really."

Denny stopped hugging me, put both of his hands on my shoulders, and looked at me right in my eyes. "Or Dad is trying to make this divorce as difficult as he can for her."

I stomped my feet and said, "What if it could be both? That's insane, isn't it? She told me that she still loves the guy. What... what's going to happen?"

Denny sighed, "Daya, I want to protect you from this, but I don't know how. So, go clean yourself up, cry it out, and try to get some sleep. I'll stay with Mom tonight."

"We both will. God Dennis, I thought someone was dying or he was back here. Why did you text me that?" I remembered the ominous text he sent me and felt anger.

He sighed, leaned back against the wall, and watched me with judging eyes. "She asked for you. That woman in there," he poked the wall behind him. "All she wants is to make sure you're safe. And you don't think her having an emotional breakdown was important enough for me to text you? Well, I'm sorry it was inconvenient for you to leave your little friends over something like this," he scowled.

"Dennis, please, you know that's not what I meant. I just thought," he put his finger over his mouth.

He interjected, "It doesn't matter what you thought now. I heard you, blaring sirens could be going off and I'd still hear what you said loud and clear."

We watched each other in silence for a beat before I hung my head low. Then, he walked back into the room with a shake of his head. He left the door cracked for me so that meant something.

A deep breath escaped me and I ran into my room away from everything. My thoughts were too much to bear and my head was killing me. I threw myself on my bed and screamed into my pillow like a mad person. Screams, yells, and sobs all unloaded into my pillow.

"Too much. I can't. I can't," I wailed out into the ether.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket again. It was going off the whole time I was in bed with Denny and Mom, but I wouldn't dare touch it. With tears on my face, I picked up my phone.

Banks texted, 'Daya, are you alright,' when I first got home. I opened my phone to see all the messages. He put a picture of the bottom part of his chin as his contact photo. It made me smile a little even though I didn't want to.

'Don't worry about Celia, she's fine.' - Banks

Of course, I knew that wasn't true, but he was trying to make me feel better.

'I know triple texting isn't cool, but are you okay? Why did you leave? I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable.' -Banks

His comments brought a small smile to my face that I couldn't shake.

I texted him back, 'Family emergency. I'll be fine. Thanks for caring.' That wasn't the first text I wrote, but it was the one I sent.

I also got a text from Jay saying, 'Please talk to me,' and I didn't reply. I put my phone on the charger and got ready to take a much-needed bath.

I had a steady streak of crying in the shower going, but I was determined to leave my sorrows under the showerhead. What Dennis had to say may have hurt me, but it seemed like I had to get used to people telling me off. The warm water hit my face and slowly patterned down my hair.

Success! I got out of the shower without any new tears crawling from my pupils. A small accomplishment was still an accomplishment, right?

Looking at myself in the mirror, I dried off my hair and realized that I'd never be able to look at myself the same. In the past, all I was doing was trying to make it. I was a ghost that floated through life and tried to avoid everything that could expose it.

But I was tired of letting life go through me. I needed to take control. It was my life and I wanted to write it. No longer would I let the words appear in front of me? It felt like so much snuck up on me. I had to be brave and I had to grow. What did I get myself into?

Reticently, I opened the door and walked back into the room that held so many family secrets and unseen arguments. Mom was sound asleep, but she didn't look peaceful.

She seemed restless like she was fighting in her sleep or fighting against her sleep. Dennis was fast asleep too, or maybe he was faking it. You never know with that guy. I got on the other side of my mom and somehow slid her arm over me without waking her. It was kind of late so I fell asleep soon after, but at least I knew that I wasn't alone.

*Day four is done. I'm really excited for you guys to read the rest of it. We're moving into a new phase of the story so be sure to tell me what you think.

Which one of the new characters is your favorite?

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