Lazy Summer Days

A/N: Ok, sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was trying to decide how I wanted to go about the rest of the story. There will be more chapters after this, and I hope this one flows okay! Enjoy! (BTW, this is in Tabby's POV now!)

SATURDAY, JULY 24TH, 2019

To us kids, lazy summer days meant Mom making peanut butter sandwiches, and inviting friends to come over and swim in the pool. We would laugh, and eat, and have the best time of our lives, just hanging around with family and friends. Now? Now that phrase has a whole new meaning. All Mom does is mope around, sighing, and drinking beers. She doesn't eat, she doesn't sleep, and Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Joey, Uncle Ross, and Aunt Rachel all take turns coming over each day to make sure we had plenty of food, and to take care of Mom. The old bright, funny, and upbeat Mom had been replaced by a sad, and lonely woman; just an empty shell.

About a half hour after their fight, Allie and I were huddled close together on our front porch. We had waited for Mom to go inside, and then we numbly made our way to the porch. We had been there ever since. I kept repeating to myself that it would all be over soon, and this was just a dumb fight. I hoped and prayed that Dad would come back, and I knew for sure Allie thought the same thing.

Landon came outside and sat next to Allie. He smiled, and tugged on her hand. She glanced at me for a brief moment, and then we both followed him inside, up the stairs, and into his room. He had drawn a family portrait. Dad holding hands with Mom, and us four kids holding hands on either side of them. There, in that picture, all I saw was our broken future.

"Tabitha! Allison! Landon!" Mom shouted. Her voice was thick with emotion, and I knew she was going to tell us. Landon smiled again, and headed downstairs. I told Allie to go down there and tell her I was in the bathroom and I would be right out.

"I have a phone call to make…" I said quietly. She nodded, and followed Landon downstairs. I hurriedly picked up the phone, and dialed the familiar number.

"Aunt Rachel? Hi, it's Tabby. I know, you always think I'm Allie… Yeah… Hey, um, I really need to talk to you… It's about Mom and Dad…" And so I explained.

I could hear the strain in her voice as she replied, "Tabby, honey, Chandler and Monica have fights all the time. They make sure you kids don't see them. It's probably nothing that you heard. Your dad would never, ever leave your mom."

"I cannot believe you don't believe me! Aunt Rachel, I thought you would understand! You are my mom's best friend! You need to come over! Mom is a mess, I saw her. She is getting Danny now, and then she will tell us that our dad is gone! Please come over!" I was frantic now. Tears tried escaping my eyes, but I held them back.

"Okay, Allie. I will come, but I know it's nothing to worry about. Now, if your mom called you, go down there. I will be there in about five minutes, okay? I love you."

I sighed. "I love you too." Then I hung up, and forced my legs down the stairs.

Mom paced in front of the couch, and tried very hard not to look any one of us in the eye. She kept muttering to herself, and both Landon and Danny looked scared. Allie and I knew what was coming, but seeing as though Aunt Rachel didn't believe me, I figured no one would. That would be mine and Allie's little secret.

"Daniel… Allison… Tabitha… Landon… Words can't describe my fear of telling you this. Just a half hour ago, something… big, happened. I can't… I don't want to believe it, but if I don't tell you now, you will just end up asking questions later. Tabby, Allie, I'm so sorry about ruining your birthday. I know you have had a great day, and I feel like killing myself for saying this, but… Your father and I have gotten into a rather huge fight… He left. I… I don't know when he will be back, but for the moment… he's gone. But, no matter what happens, we are all still a family, and I love your father so, so much…" Then, as she spoke those final words, all of her barriers came crashing down with such a force, she sunk into the nearest chair. Landon's face was hard to read, but Danny's held hatred, and pain and agony.

"You mean, he… he left us? Left you? How could he do that?" Danny said just above a whisper. He now wore an incredulous look on his handsome face, and without another word, stomped up the stairs, and slammed his door. Landon let only a single tear go, and went up to his room as well. It was just Allie, me, and Mom left.

"Girls… you are taking this well… I'm so sorry…" she cried some more, so I went to comfort her.

"Mom, we are here for you, okay? We can live without Dad. You brought in more income anyway. He walked out on us, and there's nothing left to say about it. We just need to move on with our lives…" Suddenly, a shock of rage swept through Allie, I could feel it, and she leaped up from her chair.

"How can you say that? Tabitha Grace Bing, how dare you say that? He is our father! He helped create us! How can you just give up on him like that! He will come back! I know it! We love him, and I know you do too." Mom's face was ghostly pale.

I scoffed, and stood up to face her. "Allie, why are you sticking up for him? Yes, I loved him, but he broke Mom's heart! She is one of my closest friends on this entire planet, and I… I hate him. She doesn't deserve this!"

"Well you know what? Dad has always been my best friend! While Mom was off favoring you and Danny, Dad listened to my problems! Dad understands Landon like I do! We are close! Maybe if Mom hadn't accused him of cheating on her, all of this wouldn't have happened!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Then, she froze. We both did. I could tell she was mentally kicking herself for letting her anger take control of her again, because of the way her eyes were squeezed shut. She opened them, and stared at Mom, and tried apologizing. Nothing came out. Mom looked afraid, and horrified, and utterly traumatized. She stared at her through glassy eyes, and then spoke in a firm tone.

"I never favor any of my children. I love you all the same. Maybe it wouldn't have seemed like it if you had actually let me get to know you." Then, she slowly walked out of the living room, leaving me frowning in Allie's direction.

"She's right you know. And you know what? I love you, Allie… but I don't think I have ever been more disappointed in you than I am right now. You should be ashamed of yourself." And with that, I left her alone to sob and cry alone on the couch, wishing her dad was there. She always went to Dad when we fought.

Now, about two weeks later, Allie and I hardly speak. She hates Mom, and I hate Dad. Right now I am sitting alone in my room, wondering about Dad. Yeah, I hate him, but what is he doing? Where is he? Does he miss us? And most of all: does he miss me? Thoughts like that had been swimming in my head for the past hour now, and I have written down what happened afterwards in my diary. I don't know where Allie is right now, but I really miss her.

LATER

After I stopped writing in my diary, I went downstairs to check on Mom. It was 9:00 at night, and she would most likely be up watching television. Sure enough, when I got down there I saw Allie and Danny in a heated conversation in the kitchen, Landon was on the chair opposite Mom just reading. Mom was lying on the couch, like I predicted, watching television.

"Mom, don't you want to go to bed now?" I asked quietly. I gingerly sat down next to her, and the sight almost brought me to tears. She was lying there, half asleep, with an empty beer bottle in her hand. Four others were on the coffee table, and one on the floor. Her hair was greasy, and she had deep bags under her eyes. Tear stains streaked her cheeks, and her skin was sickly pale.

"No honeyy. I'm okayy. Just a lil lonnggerr…" she was asleep. I turned the television off, and covered her up with a blanket. Carefully, I picked up all the beer bottles, and threw them away in the kitchen trash can. Just as I was about to go get Landon and put him in bed, Danny stopped me.

"Look, sis. Allie here has a crazy idea, and I want you to know that you don't have to do it. Don't let her use her… ways, on you. It's risky, but I guess if you agree to it, me and Landon and the rest of the Gremlins will go along with it too." Gremlins… wow, he sure hadn't used that phrase in a long time. Us kids, Danny, Allie, Landon, Emma, Vanessa, and Matt and I were called that by Uncle Joey when we were younger. We always used to pull pranks on the adults, harmless ones of course, and Uncle Joey would call out, "The Gremlins strike again!" and "hunt" us down along with all the other adults. Danny had a certain gleam in his eye, and I knew that whatever Allie's idea was, it was going to get us in a LOT of trouble. But on the other hand, his mischievous smile told me he wanted to do it, and everyone knows Danny always gets his way.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME IF YOU LIKE IT! Sorry I left it at a cliffhanger, and sorry it is short, but next chapter is where it all plans out, I promise! So review if you want another chapter!