A/N: I suggest listening to "Buy the Stars" by Marina and the Diamonds while reading this. Some of her music is really great with this kind of atmosphere.
It was another trying night of doing homework while listening to the sounds of yelling and slammed doors. Nikki wondered when it would all be over. Not her life, but her parents pretending things were okay – because obviously things weren't okay at all. She sighed as she released the grip on her pen. Taking a moment, she reached for her earbuds so that she could turn those yells and other noises into muffled–almost cancelled out–sounds.
This seemed to be the new normal in her home. Her parents would argue and all she would do was drown them out by blaring loud music to keep herself relatively sane. She hadn't told her friends about her parents' situation. She never spoke a word of this to Caitlin, Jen, Jude, Wyatt, Sydni, and even Jonesy and Jen, who knew more about rough parental situations than anyone in their group.
For now, it would remain a secret. Nikki didn't want anyone to throw a pity party for her or constantly ask if she was alright. She figured that she would be better off leaving the situation at home, which is where it needed to be for the time being. When she becomes ready for it to be known, that's when she would tell her friends. But for now, it would simply be swept under the rug where she believed it belonged.