Unfair

"Rachel?" Rachel looked up to see her little sister Jordan standing in the doorway. Tears were slipping across her pale face and Rachel's heart instantly tugged at the sight. "Can I come in?" "Yeah," Rachel responded instantly. She sat up and pushed her math book off her bed to make room. Her sister came and sat next to her. "Where's Sara?"

"Sleeping."
Rachel nodded, "She could sleep through a tornado." She tried joking and Jordan gave a weak smile. Rachel inwardly frowned, cracking jokes was never her strongest point. But she would get better, she vowed silently.

Shouting, upset voices carried from downstairs.
"If you're mother thinks for one second-"
"Why do you always have to bring her into this?!"
"Don't interrupt me!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, seriously her parents were so juvenile. But looking down, she saw Jordan's worried face. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Hey what's wrong?"

Jordan looked at her with large, dark, innocent eyes, "You mean you don't know? Mommy and daddy are fighting...."

Rachel snorted, "Like that's anything knew."

Jordan's eye's squeezed shut as she fought back sobs, "But this time it's different. They sound like they mean it."

"What do you know?" Rachel asked rather harshly, for an nine year old anyways."They always sound like they mean it...."

But then her expression turn soft.

"It's okay Jordan," she said gently, "They always fight over dumb things." A hush fell over then as another string of insults floated into their ears.

"You're so domineering! If you think you know so much more than me, then why don't you take care of everything yourself!"
"Well I certainly could! And I could do it without your incessant whining and immature antics! The children need a father, not another kid to goof off with! I swear, you're like a fourth child!"

Rachel felt a lump in her throat, but she spoke anyways, "And then they make up and everything is fine."

"I can't take it anymore! I'm going out!"
"And where exactly is 'out'?!"
The sound of the front door opening could be heard.
"Answer my question!!!"
A silence followed.
Then their mother spoke relatively calmly, instead of shouting, "If you leave right now, don't you dare to ever, EVER come back!"

Rachel's eyes grew wide. She didn't dare look at Jordan.

"I will come back Niomi. They are my kids too!"
"I know that! But you and I are through!"
The front door slammed shut.

"Daddy!" Jordan's small hands covered her face and she sobbed loudly. Rachel just sat and watched her sister in suspended silence. She tried to move to at least hug her or something, but it was as if she was frozen. Looking down at her seven year old sister, Rachel's heart burned with more than just sorrow, more than a girl who simply wanted her father back, and for him and her mother to love each other again. She was angry. No, not angry, furious. How dare her and her sisters have to feel this sadness. They had done nothing wrong. It was unfair, and Rachel absolutely hated it.