A/n: Hey guys! I'm starting a new story, which will update every Sunday. I hope you enjoy this one, because I know I'm enjoying writing it!
Disclaimer: I'd love to own Divergent, but sadly, my name's not Veronica.
Chapter One:
Mom and Dad are arguing again. Arguing over me. Blaming each other. Throwing things. Screaming.
Our dog, Bella, jumps up onto the bed, and licks my face I laugh, and pet her absently, my mind racing.
Why can't Mom and Dad just stop arguing? They argue over everything! Whether my social anxiety issues are either of their faults, which it's not. Whether Caleb's only B, which was in home economics, bewh his school still makes him take for some reason, was either of their faults. It wasn't; Caleb just sucks at home ec.
Anyway, as you can clearly see, our family is most definitely not perfcet. We all have problems, and there are a zillion of them. Mom and Dad argue once a day, or more. Caleb has trouble making friends. I a make friends, but they're never the right friends, and now, I can't even leave my home. Mom has Type 2 Diabetes, and Dad calls her fat, which she isn't. Dad isn't ever home, and Mom calls him a workaholic, which he is.
So, yeah, like I said, we're screwed up. All of us are. There's no hope for us.
"Get out!" Mom yells at the top of her lungs. "Just get the hell out!"
"Fine, Natalie! I will!" The door slams, and I hear Mom scream and throw something at it. I groan, and Bella curls into my side. I laugh, and pet her.
I wait for a good couple hours, before getting up, and headst to the kitchen. Bella pads down the hall behind me, and I laugh to myself.
I get out the eggs, chocolate chips, sugar, flour, and the rest of the ingredients, then turn on some music as I make the dough.
Within minutes, the delicious aroma of chocolate chip cookies fills the air. I laugh at the pleading look on Bella's face. I feed her a couple of dog treats, and go to Youtube, checking to see if the Dauntless channel has posted a new video. It hasn't. Damn!
I feed Bella another dog treat as Caleb strides into the kitchen, and drops his heavy backpack on the floor with a thud. "Those cookies done yet?"
"Well, hello to you, too."
"Why should I say hello to someone who's always here?" he asks, smirking to himself.
"To be polite. And no, they're not."
"Damn!" Caleb curses, striding out of the room.
"Caleb, watch that mouth." Mom calls out. I force myself to hide a smile; Caleb and I get in trouble for cursing a lot. Mainly by Dad, but Mom does it too, on bad days.
"Sorry!" Caleb yells, slamming his door behind him. I sigh, and remove the cookies from the oven. Mom enters the kitchen, looking tired, but relieved.
"Those look delicious, honey." she says, dropping a kiss to the top of my head, and grabbing a cookie, even though it's piping hot.
"Thanks." I say, smiling.
I started baking when I was ten, and it's really helped. It's been a source of escape, a way of getting away from all the bad. My family loves it, 'cause they get free food out of the deal.
Mom pulls up a bar stool across from me, and studies me carefully. "Sweetie, I have some news."
"Okay?" I say.
"Your dad and I have been having some... issues lately." I snort. Mom gives me a small, sad smile before continuing. "We've decided to get a divorce. Your dad is moving a couple blocks away. We're going to stay here. I've got custody over you, and your dad gets custody over Caleb. You'll see your Dad on Thursdays, and every other weekend. Caleb will see me on Tuesomedays, and the weekends where you aren't at Andrew's."
"Okay." I say, silently wondering how this will effect family dynamics. Caleb and I may not get along at all, but he's still my brother. He was in the earliest memory I have. He's the one I went to when I fell and broke my hand. Yeah, we've had disagreements, shouting matches and fights, but at the end of the day, I can't imagine not having those fights and disagreements and shouting matches.
Mom nods, and gets up. Caleb comes storming down the hall, and Mom tells him the arrangement. He grunts, which is Caleb slang for okay.
I take a cookie, smile at my work, and go to my room. I sit on the bed, and pull out my beat-up coppy of Little Women. I'm not a huge classics fan, that's Caleb's domain, but Simone told me to read it, so I'm giving it a try.
I mess around on my cell, trying to see if I can level up on this categories game I've become addicted to. It's not as much as an escape as baking or Dauntless vidios, but it's something, and the book is so boring.
I stay there until Caleb barges into my room, and throws himself omto the foot of the bed. He's not all that mature, but he is a guy, so...
"Caleb, you're supposed to knock before entering my room."
"Can you believe this?" he asks, ignoring me.
"Yeah, I kinda can. They've been arguing for years. It's about time they divorced."
"What do you mean?" Caleb demands. "You want this to happen? Do you not care about this family? Our family?"
"No, Caleb. I didn't want this to happen. And of course I care about our family." I feel my pulse quicken, and I take a deep breath. I hold it in for four, and breathe it out for six. "But, it's better than them arguing several time; a day, every day."
"Okay, true." Caleb conceeds, getting up. "Until this weekend, Sis."
"Yeah." Then, he does something that surprises me; he hugs me.
"Gonna miss you."
"Gonna miss you, too."
And just like that, our family splits into two. Now, you might think I was blind-sided by this, and wonder why I'm takble this so well. Well, the truth is that I wasn't.
Mom and Dad have been talking about a divorce for years, they just never got one. Mostly because they couldn't reach a custody agreement. And Dad and Caleb have this bond, I guess. They get each other, almost as well as Mom and I do. So, it just makes since that that's how it worked out. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.
I climb under the covers, and cry. Cry for the family of old times, the one I can never have back.
A/n: So, I hope you enjoyed this. I had so much fun writing out the plot points, and writing this chapter. So, review and let me know if you enjoy it. Review, and let me know. I'll see you guys next Sunday! Audios, amigos!
Bianca.
P.S.: I know I'm spelling audios wrong, but I don't know how to spell it. So, if someone would review and let me know, that would be great.
