This story is in Sadie's Point of View about their father cheating. Jude doesn't know anything about her father's affair yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the Title (OTH)
My father and I never had the best relationship. We were okay with each other—so we talked about school and nonsense, but it never really seemed to go any deeper than that. It was nothing like his unspoken bond with Jude. It was a secret that only they could understand. And that relationship was music. It's something that I probably will never understand. You see, Jude and I, we seem like two very different people. At first glance you may think that I am bleach blonde, dumb, ditzy, and easy. And you may see Jude and assume that she is punk-ish, a loser, and has two dreadfully nerdy best friends. But honestly that's not the case. A glance can be incredibly misleading. We are actually very similar- even though ninety-nine per cent of the time we pretend that we detest each other. There are very few moments where we openly share the same pain, the same love, the same hate. And tonight- I'm sure we will have one of those extraordinary moments. Tonight- Jude is going to feel just like me. Deceived and betrayed.
I waited at the kitchen table for my baby sister. I expected her to be late- which was generally the case now-a-days. I hear the kitchen clock tick and I see the minutes slowly go by. The anxiety is settling in on me now and I tap my fingers apprehensively on the table top. A little past ten I heard a car door slam and the voice of my sister shouting a hastened goodbye to her friend, Jamie. The front door creaked open and soon enough she sauntered into the kitchen. We didn't even so much as acknowledge each others presence. So I took the first stab at polite conversation.
"Hey you," I said.
"Hey" I heard Jude reply with a somewhat tired response. I looked at her and saw a tired soul. She had bags under her eyes and looked exhausted.
"Working hard I see," I said trying to get somewhere with our dry conversation.
"Yup, Sades," she answered back. She was getting quite irritated now.
"So what's new?" I inquired. She finally cracked.
"A conversation with you- that's what's new!" she snapped. "You know everyday we go one not even recognizing each other and now on the day that I'm so damn tired you just have to be a real sister!"
"Relax Jude, sorry!" I said trying to stay calm. Working up my own Harrison temper wouldn't help the situation. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you Jude. Maybe you should sit down for this." I saw Jude groan. "Look, I know you're drained and the last thing you want is a lecture from me but- just hear me out." Jude sat next to me.
"Talk," Jude said in an exasperated tone. She clearly was overworked and stressed. I knew I shouldn't have impaled this upon her now but she couldn't not know. After all- he was her hero.
"Jude I know you may not want to hear this but- Dad's having an affair." I said quietly. I wasn't able to look her in the eye.
Pure shock. Dead silence. Flaring outburst.
"What?! No, Dad can't have an affair. Dad loves mom!" She screamed. Her eyes were ablaze and she was in a state of disbelief. I saw tears well in her eyes, threatening to fall.
"I know, I know- that's what I thought as well." I responded to her quietly. The room was dead silent. She was speechless. Sixteen years of unwavering trust and now this. The silence persisted. Words could not express the hurt of a cheating father. "Jude- I don't know what to tell mom. She doesn't know yet. We have to stay in this together. We can't have our family torn apart."
"I know Sadie. But we have to tell mom. She has to know." Jude whispered. She was aching with the torment of knowing that her superman was a clandestine.
"Jude, I know we haven't been so sisterly to each other- pretending we're not related, constantly arguing with each other, and all the other dumb crap we've pulled. But we're sisters. And we share pain, we share love, we share hate." We sat together in an embrace weeping, the sounds of our sniffles and sobs carrying throughout our house full of lies, hatred, and dishonesty. And maybe somewhere in there- there's hope- for me and my baby sister.
Polite conversation indeed.