IMPORTANT: I RESTRUCTURED ALL THE CHAPTERS SO THEY ARE ALL UPDATED AND EDITED SLIGHTLY, THERE IS NEW CONTENT AT THE END SO I DIDN'T LEAVE YA'LL HANGING, ENJOY IT! COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK.
The sun was beating down on her exposed skin in the bright yellow bikini she was adorning. Her body moved rhythmically to the music that blasted through the large portable speakers resting on the sand. An endless sea of college students drank mind numbing liquids from red cups. It was the end of the summer. The a third of the junior class had rented buses and thrown the biggest beach party of the summer. Once the school heard about it, people from all classes started pouring in, and before they knew it the beach was filled and the party was too big to be stopped. It was the essence of college, students having fun, living like they were invincible.
Allison Boland being one of them. She was in her third year of school at the University of Michigan, the top school in the state. Her parents were proud, and she was thankful that they supported her and funded her education. Her grades were impeccable and she was on the track to graduate with honors, double majoring in International Relations and Environmental Science. She was proud of herself for working hard the past two years, managing to delegate enough time for a school, a social life, and minimal amounts of sleep. But hey, she was young. All nighters were nothing, adderall helped.
Her hands her in the air and she was jumping to the music in a circle of her friends, when she felt an incessant vibration against her hip. She tried to ignore it, but the person was obviously not getting the message that she was busy. The song changed to something with less bass, she downed the rest of her drink and told her best friend Megan she was going to get another one.
As she walked away from the crowd, towards where the kegs sat underneath a potable shelter, she was greeted by a deep male voice. Her eyes found her one of her very first guy friends from her first year of college. He stood with a collection of his fraternity brothers and some random freshman girls clad in scandalous bikini's. Sure Allison's showed enough skin but at least it wasn't dental floss and three triangles.
She approached the makeshift shelter and stepped on to the tarp covered sand. Her eyes swept over the group and she nodded to the couple guys she recognized. "Hey Chase, thanks for getting these guys to stay sober and drive the busses back to campus." She heard a couple of the guys chuckle and smirked as she noticed Chase's eyes run over her barely clothed body. Only one small knot stopped her breasts from escaping the swimsuit top. She had inherited her mother's genes in that department and was quite happy with her full, perky C cups. She wore a high rise cheeky bikini bottom that showed off her toned legs and exposed the bottom half of her ass.
When his eyes finally met hers once again he threw her a crooked smile. "Hey, you practically threw this thing. All the logistical shit. Don't think any of these guys could've been that organized." He shot a look at his frat brothers who added their agreement.
She let out a small laugh. "Yeah I get that from my mom. She's raising five kids." Allison couldn't miss the way the three younger girls were glaring at the ease she interacted with guys they had to work up the courage to talk to, the way she captured their attention without even trying. They treated her like one of their brothers, which she pretty much had been. Practically all the guys that had been on her freshman floor had ended up rushing the same fraternity, and moved in to the large house the next year.
Allison, choosing not to go the sorority route, like most of her friends, wasn't stuck at events or bleeding thousands every year just to adorn greek letters. But they were her friends so she went to the dances, supported them, helped them throw kick ass parties. Basically got all the perks without having to spend hours doing community service on top of her rigorous course load. She spent a lot of time at the gym with the guys as well, they were mostly to thank for her experience with weight lifting. Allison had never been stick thin, always having thicker thighs and ass, while her waist curved in nicely, her abs were not visible along her flat stomach, and her chest had never lost any weight, still she had her mom's genes to thank for not carrying any weight in her face. The college dining hall food definitely didn't help, but she had toned her body immensely by the end of her freshman year. Her stomach had flattened, her legs and butt were toned perfectly from the hundreds of weighted squats she did every week, while they held their full shape. Her arms reacted the same, she loved that when she flexed her bicep was bigger than some of the freshman pledges that would be in the house, but still held its feminine shape.
"Well, enjoy all this." Chase gestured to the large dance area before moving to pump the key and filled up a new cup for her, noticing hers covered in sand. "Make sure you come back on my bus." She may have been buzzed, but was sober enough to catch that innuendo as he handed her the cup. They had always flirted over the years, but never got together. Timing and all, with him never staying single for more than a few weeks. But he had been free all summer, his last breakup really messing him up. She felt for him. Life was hard.
Allison suddenly felt a strong arm drop on her shoulders, the force made her stumble slightly and glare at the drunk guy that was hugging her from the side and had made her spill nearly half her beer. "There's our little alpha." She immediately recognized Nick's slurred words. He had been voted Vice President Alpha Delta Phi this year, and he was surely celebrating.
Her arms shot out to steady her friend, Nick and Chase had been roommates freshman year, they were definitely closer than her and Nick would ever be, all he ever did was try to get in her pants. It seemed to her like he had finally given up at the end of last semester, seemingly satisfied with all the strange he was getting heading the hottest frat on campus. "Geez Nick chill on the drinks." She laughed as she set her half empty cup on top of the keg.
She was more relieved when he pulled his chiseled arm off of her and greeted his brothers, while sloppily checking out the other girls who Allison could feel burning holes in to her. Okay these frat groupies need to back the fuck off. Chase came to lift nudge her slightly as he refilled her cup. "Sorry bout him, I tried cutting him off an hour ago, you know how he is though."
Allison laughed before she took a sip of her beer. "Oh I know, how the hell he'd get VP?" She lowered her voice and leaned in to him slightly while she glanced over at the group who were too caught up in their own conversations.
One of the girls in a red bikini, looking rather pleased that she had the frat's vp touching her, his arm wrapped around her back and his hand very blatantly on the other side of her ass. She shot a smug look at Allison who scrunched her nose in disgust. Man whore's all yours sister. "Everyone loves the assholes." There was a bit of distaste in his voice that made Allison turn back to him fully. Her mind flashed to the way Chase's last relationship ended.
"Wanna hit the bars when we get back? And you don't have to be responsible for sloppy drunk college assholes?" Her lips lifted slightly.
His smile widened impossibly further. "For sure Al." She nodded and remembered the reason she had moved away from the loud party in the first place, the phone call.
Allison excused herself and walked towards the park area of beach, away from the blasting music. She unzipped her waterproof hip pack that held her valuable she wouldn't trust sitting on a beach full of college students. Her white iPhone displayed several missed calls from her father. She sighed, and decided to call him back, in case it was an emergency.
He answered after two rings. "Allie." His voice was frantic, which made her worry.
"Hey dad, what's up, I can't really talk much right now." She held the phone to her ear and gazed around the beach at the hundreds of people that scattered near the great lake.
He let out a sigh. "Of course, you're probably studying." She had to stop herself from laughing outright. Its summer, what does Dad think I'm studying? She loved her father, but sometimes, Dean wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. "Have you talked to your mother recently?"
Worry set in to her bones. "Um, a couple days ago I think. Why did something happen? Is she okay?" Allison nervously brought the cup to her lips and took a sip.
"She's fine." His tone was short, clipped. Sounded so unlike the fun dad she had grown up loving and admiring.
"What's going on Dad?" She shifted her weight and looked down at the rubber sandals that wrapped around her feet.
She heard Dean sigh. "I messed up honey. I need her to forgive me, I love her. Please talk to her." The desperation in his voice was so out of the ordinary.
Her brows creased. "What did you do?" When he didn't answer she let out a breath. "I can't talk to her about anything if I don't know what I'm talking about." He still didn't say anything. Her mind started coming up with worse case scenario Her mother, Beth Boland, was the most understanding and caring individual she had ever known. It must have been really bad for her to shut him out. "Dad are you still there?"
"Yea." It hurt her deeply to hear the man who had raised her, sound so broken.
"Did you cheat on her?" She took his silence as an answer. "Oh come on dad. Really?"
Dean started rambling. "I made a mistake, a stupid, idiotic mistake. I would take it back if I could, I love your mother, all of you kids, you're my family." She didn't notice that tears were streaming down her face until they started drying. "I love you guys more than anything."
Allison scoffed. "Clearly not more than whoever you screwed." She hung up the phone. She couldn't believe that he could do that to her mom. They were always the perfect couple, the picture perfect family. Sure it put pressure on her, but her mom never made it feel like she didn't have a choice in whatever she did. Her dad was the perfect, most attentive father. He was her hero growing up.
She slid her phone back in her pocket and wiped the tears away from her eyes. She chugged her entire drink and walked towards the garbage at the edge of the park, near the parking lot.
Chase rejoined the group of his brothers and the random girls they had managed to attract after watching Allison walk away. Nick greeted his friend with a fist bump with the hand that wasn't occupied palming the freshman's ass. "Ya been pining after that bitch all summer bro. Don't be a pussy, go tap that."
Chase, who had enough of his drunk friend, pissed he referred to her as a bitch, rolled his eyes. "What's your deal today man? Pissed she won't spread her legs, that you've spent the last two years watching get toned in the gym, for you?"
Nick narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "Please. Boland can ice me out, but she want's this." He flexed his bicep.
The girl pulled in to his side ran her eyes over Nick before turning to Chase. "Wait, that was Allie Boland?" She turned her head towards where she could see Allison standing towards the parking lot, on her phone. "The pictures on UMM never show her face." Chase scrunched his nose at the stick thin blonde girl. He figured she would be the kind of girl shallow enough to follow the junior class drama through that the anonymous blog. There was a gossip blog on campus, called UMM, yeah real cool title. It had been a nucience since she had started school. No one knew who ran the blog, but everyone sent in tips. It was a monster and had started its fair share of rumors.
Nick let out a deep laugh. "Cause every pic is of her with her tongue down someone's throat."
Allison did not want to immediately join her hyped up college friends after the phone call with her father. Walking away from the grassed area, she moved towards where the silver busses they had rented were parked. She pulled open the door to the bus Chase had driven and left it open to air out the heated bus. There were random towels, bags, food scattered throughout the bus. It was hot in there, and that was saying something compared to the summer heat.
The heat was nothing compared to the pain she felt of her father turning out to be something she absolutely despised, a cheater. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the cheaply clothes coach seats and dropped her head in to her hands. This can not be happening. Poor mom.
Her phone started to sound once again and the FaceTime screen popped up. It was her eldest younger sister. She adjusted her phone so they wouldn't see her clothing, or rather lack thereof. She was met with the faces of her siblings Kenny and Jane, the older ones. But she could distinctly hear the other two laughing and playing in the background.
"Hey guys." She forced a smile.
"Allie!" They squealed. The younger ones ran around to try and fit in to the camera. They pushed at each other for a couple moments before settling in.
"How's it going?" She tried to keep her voice even.
"Whoah, are you on a bus?" Jane asked excitedly, moving closer to the phone to get a better look. "Are you on a field trip?"
She glanced behind her and looked at the row of seats."Kind of." She decided not to elaborate. "I have to get back pretty soon, What's up?"
They all looked at each other in silence. It unnerved her, they had grown so much in the two years while she was away at school. "Why can't Daddy come home?" Kenny finally asked.
"What?" Why didn't he mention she kicked him out? She understood why Beth did it, hell she was surprised her mother had enough balls to toss him out of the house.
Jane nodded her head frantically. "He's in a motel. It's small but we get snacks from the machine." Allison frowned, not realizing it had gotten that bad. "When is he coming home?"
"I don't know Janey." She tried to comfort her the most she could being in another city.
"Awwie, you come back?" Emma's voice floated through my phone. It brought tears to her eyes once again.
"I'm at school guys." She tried to keep it simple.
"But we have school here." Kenny argued and she laughed slightly at his innocent, yet very accurate, argument.
"Maybe I'll come visit soon." She talked to them about school and their friends to try and get their little minds off of very adult matters. After about twenty minutes her call had ended. She dropped her head in to her hands and let the sobs she was holding in overtake her.
The guilt she felt, not being there for her family. Not being there when her mother had just been cheated on by a man she gave over twenty years to. She had rough rebellious teenage years that drove a bit of a wedge between them, but once she had gotten her shit together, got into college and actually started to grow up, she was closer to her mother. They had become more like friends the older she got. She felt guilty for being so caught up in her life at school not to notice that her family, who was only a short drive away, was falling apart.
The bus door opened, but she was to wrapped in her thoughts to notice. Chase sat down on the seat across from her. "Allie? Are you okay?" She glanced up at him and nodded her head, wiping the tears away from her face. "Megan came up with a bunch of people looking for you. I saw ya come this way."
She gave him a small smile. "I'm good, just some family stuff."
He nodded. "She said something about needing her partner for beer pong." She laughed and decided to try to enjoy the rest of the party.
"Well who am I to try a say no to a determined drunk Megan." She stood and adjusted her two peace slightly.
Chase followed her out of the bus. "You sure your okay Allie?"
When they both touched the ground, his hand reached her arm gently. She forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, let's just get back." She pushed all thoughts of her family out of her head, which was easier said than done, and tried to party.
The next morning, Allison was walking across campus in one of chase's frat shirts, tucked in to the short jean shorts, the cloudless sky provided no protection against the beating sun, at least she had sunglasses. Her naturally wavy hair was thrown up in to messy bun as soon as she had looked in a mirror. Her Calvin Klein half backpack was hanging off one of her shoulder as she slowly moved through the streets surrounding campus, towards her housing building, her bikini tucked safely inside.
After about a ten minute walk and affectively ignoring anyone that could make her walk even longer, she swiped into her building and pulled her phone out of her pocket, hitting her mother's contact. She answered after a couple rings, it was about ten am so she figured Beth would answer.
"Hi honey!" Her voice was cheery but had a bit of an edge to it. "Have your started classes yet?"
She sighed, knowing her mother would try to hide the issues that they were having. "Nah, not yet. I still have another week." She paused, not wanting to upset her mother, but needing to know if everything was okay back at home. "How're things going?"
There was a long pause on the line. "Good, good, the kids start school tomorrow. " She frowned, as her mom continued ranting about trivial things.
Eventually she had to cut Beth off. "Were you going to mention Dad moving out?"
Beth took a sharp intake of breath. "Did he tell you?"
"No, Kenny asked me when our dad was coming home. Mom, what's going on?" She really wanted her mother to trust her enough to explain what was happening. She knew from her father, but she didn't want to make her mother feel any worse than she already was.
She heard her sigh deeply. "We are just having some problems, it's temporary." Beth's voice was strained and caused all the worry from the previous day to surface.
"So um, I was thinking, maybe I move home and commute for the semester, you must have your hands full with the rugrats running around. With Dad gone..."
"No, no Allie, you don't have to do that." Wow. She would have thought her mother would have been ecstatic to have her back home, judging by how hesitant she was to send her off to school anyway, and the constant phone calls and texts she got. "You are having such a fun time out in Ann Arbor."
"I know, but it will keep me focused on school, and I miss my siblings, my family." Beth stayed silent not able to argue. "Plus it'll save some money. I don't know how many grants I'll end up with next year, they get more competitive. I have a three day weekend and the commute is nothing." She didn't realize how much she missed home, she loved her life at social life, but she was getting close to graduation, and cooling it with the partying may be a good idea.
"You have really thought this through, haven't you hunny." She nodded her head before she remembered her mother couldn't see her and affirmed Beth's statement. "Okay, I'll make sure your room is all set." She heard some commotion in the background. "Call me later with details and if you need anything. I love you."
"Love you too." Allison responded before hanging up. She looked around the single dorm she managed to score for the summer. She would need to go to the housing office and start packing, if she wanted to get her money back for the semester housing. She brewed a cup of coffee from the Keurig rested on top of the mini-fridge and made a mental list of all the things she would need to get through hungover all day.
Allison was speeding down the highway, towards the suburbs of Detroit, where she had grown up. After deliberating, she decided to move home to help out her mother, be around her family. And after spending the entire summer partying, she figured living away from campus and the constant influence of parties and boys would help her keep her grades up as the course load became more advanced.
Her carload of personal belongings was packed to the brim. She pulled up in front of her childhood home. Her mom's minivan was parked in the driveway and she frowned when she noticed the lack of her father's car. She had hoped that they would have been able to work this out before things got worse, but her father was still kicked out of the house and from what she had heard from the kids, things had been frantic, they would go between school and sitters and dad's motel, apparently Beth had been distant and distracted from her family recently.
She took a deep breath and moved her head along with the music. She could handle a semester at home, a year at most. Plus school was only a thirty minute drive away, so she wouldn't be far. She threw her purse over her shoulder and unhooked her phone from the charger. Pulling the keys out of the ignition, she opened the door and made her way in to my childhood home.
The memories flooded back to her, the calm quiet of the mostly empty house was out of the norm. She was glad to have left early enough in the day that she'd have time to get settled before she'd would be forced to watch endless animated movies and play copious amounts of video and board games with her much younger siblings. She always wished she had sibling closer to her in age.
Beth had gotten knocked up with her while their parents were dating in college. Her mother had dropped out to take care of her while Dean finished his business degree. She had always felt a sort of guilt, the thought of being the thing that held her mother back from a career, from something more fulfilling. But Beth had always sworn to her that she wouldn't change a thing, that Allison was the best thing that ever happened to her.
"Mom?" She called out as she walked through the entryway and sitting room. Approaching the kitchen, her mother came in to sight.
"We're in here honey." Beth was cutting up a variety of fruits and mixing them together in to a salad. A smile spread across Allison's face as she saw her aunt sitting at the kitchen island. She realized right then really how much she wished her family. Allison wished she had visited more, but had been too caught up in her own life.
Beth crossed the room in record time the moment she laid eyes on her eldest daughter and enveloped her in a hug. "Welcome home honey." She spoke softly as Allison hugged her back, sensing that there was something much more behind that emotion in her voice.
They pulled apart and she looked at her mother. She looked tired, like really tired. Allison had seen Beth tackle fundraisers and birthday parties and carpooling, the laundry, the cooking, without breaking a sweat. Something really must be going on.
Allison moved towards her aunt. "Hey Antie Ann." She smiled widely and nudged her.
Annie narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. "You know I hate it when you call me that, bitch." She slapped her playfully before pulling Allison in to a hug. "Oh my god you look so hot, I mean you were always hot, but hella hotter now. College did ya good kid." She pulled away and rolled her eyes at the compliment.
Allison loved her aunt, she was the stereotypical version of a cool aunt. She's the one Allison first told about losing her virginity. Helped her through her first hangover after freshman homecoming, and held her hair back when she mixed too many substances one summer night after graduation. "Ooh and your legal now. Hell yes! Beth pour her up a drink. You have to tell me all about that lovely college life that I see on insta, ugh I need to relive my 20's vicariously through you." Allison laughed at this.
"Lay off her Annie. It's eleven am." Beth looked at her sister. "Don't you have work?"
"Nope!" She leaned back in her chair and opened a can of soda. "Free until Saddie's done with school."
Allison missed her younger too. She was everything, the perfect human. "How is she?" She questioned.
"She's good, getting too big too fast." Annie pouted. "Ugh, these punk as kids have been picking on her."
Allison frowned. Of course they are. She was different, and people couldn't look past that and see the amazing person she was. "She's tough Annie. And she has tons of people that love and accept her."
Beth was moving around the kitchen finishing cutting fruit and cleaning everything up. "How was the drive?"
She shrugged. "It was good, hit a little bit of traffic, but it wasn't so bad." She nodded and continued. She could tell that something was on Beth's mind. Her mother was never this quiet. She was always chatting up a storm about what the kids were doing or some PTA thing she was working on. Allison looked towards her aunt. "Hey Annie, can you help me bring some of my stuff in?"
She let out a long sigh of laziness. Any physical activity wasn't really her forte. "I guess." Annie took a long sip of soda before throwing herself out of the chair dramatically and heading towards the front door. Allison threw her a smile at her mom who was also amused by her sister's antics.
Once we were outside, I immediately started grilling her. "Alright, no bullshit, what the fuck is going on around here?"
She stopped dead in her tracks on the front lawn and turned around. Her mouth was slightly gapped in surprise. "What do you mean?" She was finally able to say after a moment.
Allison rolled my eyes and moved past her. "Oh come on, I know dad cheated on her." She heard Annie let out a distinct sigh of relief which confused her even more. What did she think I was talking about?
She finally caught up to Allison at the car as she pulled the trunk open. "Um yeah." Annie stuttered out as Allison handed her a duffle and one of her suitcases. "I guess his secretary."
Allison scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Well that's cliché." They managed to get everything up to her room in about five trips. She had a lot of clothes.
They talked about random things as they got a good workout in for the day. Allison caught her up on everything she had been up to at school, no filter needed. And she learned that Gregg and his new wife Nancy were suing Annie for custody of Saddie.
When they were finally done, Annie collapsed on the couch. "You owe me big time girl. Next time I move, you bet your ass is going to be there." She laughed but otherwise agreed, before going in to the kitchen and getting us both some water.
Beth was starting out the kitchen window in to the back yard, lost in thought. Allison walked up to her and put her hand on her mother's arm. "Mom, are you okay?"
She blinked and seemed to gather her thoughts. She rested a hand on top of Allison's and gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course."
Of course she saw through the bullshit. "Come on mom, you and dad, this all must be hard, how are you feeling?" To most people it might have been strange trying to comfort your mother, but to Allison it wasn't. Growing up, her mom was her hero. Dad was always at work and until my younger siblings came along, it was just her and Beth most of the time, for almost ten years. Allison was normally the one helping around the house as well, tag teaming her younger siblings with her mom when things got hectic, which it did when you had five kids in the house.
She was pretty sure that's why she rebelled so much in high school. Allison didn't want all that responsibility, she wanted to be a kid, and do grown up things. But that was usually what every teenagers wanted. Beth looked at her daughter with so much emotion in her eyes. "Everything will be okay honey."
"Are you going to divorce him?" Allison asked, honestly thinking she should.
She looked lost in though at her question. "I don't know." She could tell the answer was honest and Allison nodded before bringing water to my dehydrated aunt.
Annie sat up and took the glass from my hand. "I wanted soda." She complained before taking a long sip.
"Soda kills you." Allison shrugged. Annie laughed at this, whether she believed her or not, she wasn't sure, but at least Annie was entertained.
Allison spent the next few hours unpacking all my bags and boxes, looking through all the photos and memories from high school and college. It was about four in the afternoon when she heard an array of young voices calling her name from downstairs. Their footfalls could be heard coming up the stairs towards her room. She decided to get up from where she was sat at my desk and met them in one of their rooms, before they destroyed her recently organized bedroom.
Allison spent the night playing with the kids. Dinner was a bit tense to say the least. The kids kept things light like usual, but there was still underlying tension. Dean had talked to her about school and pretended like his marriage wasn't falling apart. It was more for the kids benefit, but Allison, she could see through the bullshit.