Chandler Rose Warner woke up to the sound of her parent's arguing voices and groaned into her pillow.
'It's too early in the damn morning for this.' She thought.
She looked at her clock. Three a.m. It really was too early in the morning. She got up out the bed and went downstairs. Dr. Melinda Warner and Michael Warner didn't notice their daughter standing by the door way.
"You were with her again! Michael don't lie! I smell her on your shirt!" Melinda yelled.
"Whatever Melinda! You're always so fucking paranoid!" Michael yelled back.
"I'm paranoid. Tell me why I shouldn't be paranoid. You come in at twelve at night, you smell like perfume that I hate, I smell alcohol on your breath and you don't even talk to me anymore! Tell me really, why shouldn't I be paranoid?" Melinda asked.
"Melinda damn it! Cant I just go out with the guys and have fun without you being on my neck?" he screamed, his skin turning red.
"Why are you still yelling?" Melinda yelled back, her caramel skin turning just as red as his.
"Why are you both still yelling at three a.m.? Do you understand that there is a sleeping child in this house too? God I'm stressed out and I'm only sixteen! This is getting very annoying. My hair is turning gray Mom. Gray! Dad you need to quit coming in so late cuz I'm sure as hell that you don't need a fucking guy's night out every fucking night. Come your ass home, eat Mom's horrible cooking, complain about how bad it is, tease her about it with me, watch TV, and go to bed and keep me up with all's headboard hitting the wall. I'd rather hear that than you two arguing." Chandler yelled and walked back up the stairs grumbling.
She woke up the next morning and hopped in the shower. She got out and walked to her massive closet. She got out a red tank top and black capris pants with red stitching. She decided on red and black Jordan's for her shoes. She combed her long black loose curls and added her eyeliner and mascara.
She looked in the mirror and sighed. She was a perfect mixture of her mother and her father. Both of their skin tones Melinda's caramel and Michael's pale, Melinda's eye shape but Michael's dark gray color, Melinda's height, and body shape although her butt was just a tad bit more rounder than her mother's. There once was a time where her parents were happy, a time where they did all the things she'd yelled last night. Those were the fun things except the banging of the walls at night. Dad really put it on Mom. Now all she could do was hear the yelling, then the slamming of the front door, and then her mother's quiet sobs when she thought Chandler was asleep. When it got like this; which was getting close to happening every night now, Chandler would go to her mother's close friend's house. His name was Fin and he was detective at the Special Victims Unit. They worked on cases that involved things like rape, children, kidnappings, molestation and other things. Melinda didn't know she went over there, so she didn't know Fin knew all the business. But Fin was so easy to talk to it was just like he understood everything Chandler was going through. His house was a few blocks down the street and around the corner. He'd lived there all that time but Melinda never took Chandler over there; Chandler had to meet Fin at the NYPD family picnic last summer.
That's where she went last night. She still remembered the advice he gave her.
She walked up to the front door and knocked.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"It's me, Chandler."
He opened the door and let her inside. Max, his bulldog/boxer mix walked up and pawed at Chandler's feet. She slipped off her flip flops and Max took them away setting them on the shoe mat.
She bent down to play with him. "Good boy Maxi."
"Were they arguing again?" Fin asked.
"You already know the deal. Why else would I be here?"
"I finally spoke my mind about it." She said.
"And what was the reaction?"
"Well I sorta didn't get one. I said some things I shouldn't have said so you know I dipped as soon as possible. But I was tired and he decided to come home at three a.m. like a dumb ass and it pissed me off." She said.
"Did it make you feel better?"
"Slightly I'm thinking maybe if they figure out the arguing is affecting me too then they'll try to work it out. Quietly."
He laughed.
"Well thugnificent. You done went gangsta status on me, cussing out your parents? Yea that's straight up beast for real. But you know tell them how you really feel. Tonight you were just really angry so you said some stuff you ain't mean-."
She cut him off. "Oh no I meant it, just ain't mean to say it to them."
"Okay well say it how you meant to say it tonight. Just tell them Chandler. They have to listen. At least I know Melinda will." He said.
"Thanks Uncle Fin. I freaking love your advice. And hey, if they don't work out you could always get with my mom." She said with a knowing smile.
"What are you talking about?" he said his hazel eyes wide.
"You know what I mean. Bye Uncle Fin see you next time because we all know there'll be one." She said hopping on her bike and riding off.
She smiled and went downstairs. Everyone on the squad knew Fin had a thing for Melinda except Melinda herself even Chandler knew it. She knew it the first day she met him. Her mother was so oblivious though because she was so happily married. She found her mother at the table with her reading glasses on reading the newspaper. Her mom was too pretty. She was tall about five foot nine with a slender yet curvy build, she had a long face with a sharp nose, full lips, and pretty exotic brown eyes that sparkled every time she smiled. Her curly now brown hair pulled back away from her face.
"Hey Momma. Good morning." Chandler said.
"Hey Chandler." Melinda said.
"Where's Dad?"
"I don't know. But he left these." Melinda said holding up a stack of papers.
"Are those-? Please tell me those aren't divorce papers." Chandler said.
"They are." Melinda said looking up with tears in her eyes.
"Oh my god. I gotta go." Chandler said running out the house and going to the only person's house she knew could help her.