"TK and I used to be close, real close, y'know, like brothers, like proper brothers. We'd hang out together, watch movies, ride our bikes…just, standard brotherly stuff really. Our parents on the other hand, well, they seemed to be drifting further apart every day. It was nothing scandalous, no affair, no mistress they just…stopped liking each other. They still love each other, I know that, because there's a bond there right? But they just don't like each other anymore.
I didn't notice it at first, I suppose it's a slow process really, to go from loving someone unconditionally to hating every word that come out of their mouth. Sure, they would argue, but no more than any other couple do. But the arguments slowly got worse and more frequent, like every day almost. After a while I knew that they wouldn't last, I knew that they'd be getting a divorce. They tried to stay together for our sake but that didn't work, it couldn't work, not when there was that much animosity. So I remember the day that they told us, the day they sat us down and showed us the papers for the divorce I was hardly surprised. In fact, it came as something of a relief. No more shouting, swearing, hating. Everything would be calm again. Of course, I didn't actually want them to divorce! Not at all, I just knew that it was the best option we had, as a family. So when they sat us down and told us I didn't fight. I didn't try to stop them. I didn't cry or beg them or threaten to run away or anything, I just sort of…sat there.
TK was a different story. He was young at the time, eleven years old, just about to start at the new school. He didn't understand, he hadn't seen it coming like I had. I guess he just thought our parents were going through a rough patch or something – I don't know, but he was devastated. He was the exact opposite of me: bawling his eyes out, screaming, shouting…basically doing everything I wasn't. He fought for our parents and I just gave up on them. Looking back, maybe I was wrong…I don't know, how can I know? But as far as TK is concerned, I'm the reason our parents are divorced, I'm the reason he hardly ever sees his Dad, I'm the reason we live at the opposite ends of town. It's my fault because I didn't fight, I didn't try to stop them and I just let them walk out on each other. TK resents me for it and he's never forgiven me for it. It sounds childish of him I guess but at the same time who can blame him? His older brother just sat there and allowed his parents to file for divorce, he looked for someone to blame and found me - it's simple really.
In a way it was a good thing he started the new school, it gave him time to adjust and make new friends and just take his mind off things. Me? I guess I just carried on. People were sympathetic but I had convinced myself I had done the right thing – I just never dreamed that the person I would end up losing would be TK. I've tried to fix things with him, I've tried to make things better and go back to how we used to be but…well…I guess that's never going to happen…".