DISCLAIMER: .?

Beck drove me home that night. I walked up to the front door, but hesitated. I really don't want to go in... I decided to walk around back and come in the back door. I arrived at the back door, and heard something. Screaming. Lydia and Mom fighting? Finally, things may be back to normal. I walked in quietly, and instantly knew something was wrong. Instead of the usual: "I'm getting the tattoo!" "No, you're not!" "You can't tell me what to do!" They sounded more serious. Their voices were cold and shrill. I ran to the sound, finding them in the kitchen. I hid, listening to every word.

"I'm leaving!" Lydia shouted.

"No," Mom said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "No, you're not."

"I'm old enough now! Why wouldn't I?" Lydia asked.

"Think about Jade!" She scolded her. "You remember how we felt when Cameron left."

My hand flew up to my mouth. She's leaving? Lydia threatened to leave before, but she was never serious. Not serious enough for Mom to talk about... Cameron.

Cameron was my older brother. After Dad left, so did he. I sometimes wished he hadn't gone. But other times, I wished I had gone with him.

"This house is not a home!" Lydia shouted. "We don't act like a family! We never have! Ever since Dad left, we've been strangers to each other!" The mention of Dad and Cameron was enough to bring tears to my mother's eyes.

"You're not going anywhere, Lydia West." Mom muttered.

"Haven't you noticed?" Lydia breathed hard. "Jade's never around here anymore! Have you never wondered why?" Lydia got in her mother's face. "Well, maybe you'll get a clue! Leaving us alone every day, then acting distant and judgmental doesn't help us as a family! And I'm done pretending we're a family!" Lydia stomped toward the stairs. Without turning around, she muttered, "I'll be gone tomorrow."

Tears were in my eyes. I hate Lydia! Why do I want her to stay? Lydia walked to the stairs, turned her head and saw me. Tears glistened in her eyes, her jaw set. Without a word, she turned her head, and walked upstairs.

Mom looked after her, like a lost little girl. Before my heart could burst, I ran out the back door and to a huge tree outside. I fell under it and thought about the past few days. I wish I could go back, I wished on every star in the sky, even though that's a sissy thing to do. I wish everything was the same as it was before.

. . . . .

A few agonizing months later, Cat was sent home until her next round of Chemotherapy. She was reacting better than expected: No hair loss (yet), only minor fatigue, and mild nausea. She wasn't as giggly as usual, and she was MORE high-strung and sensitive. She couldn't go to school, so every day, I brought some work home to help her with.

Everything was actually going okay. Lydia was gone, but she would still IM me, asking about Mom and myself. Cat and I talked every evening, so I easily avoided my sorrowed mother. Maybe things won't be so bad...

Of course not. Because one Friday afternoon, disaster struck. My dad called me.

"Jade. It's your father. I know I've been pretty scarce in you girls' lives so far, but I'd like to – change that, as of now." I immediately hung up. I didn't know how to react. How could my dad think that he could step out of our lives for 10 years, then jump right back in?

"Who was it?" Mom asked. I shook my head. "Was it Lydia?" I shook my head again.

"It was Dad." My heart skipped a beat as I did something I hadn't done in a long time. I started to feel. Feeling was something I'd closed myself up to my whole life. I was so confused and flustered by my father's unexpected call, that I flung the phone to the ground and ran out the door. I ran away, to the only place I could call home. Cat's house.

. . . . .

Cat was in a tank top and pajama shorts, sitting alone on her couch, when I walked in. She had popcorn in her hands. Her hair was in a braid to the side. Her broken bones were mostly mended, and most of the stitches were taken out. Our eyes met, and she knew something was wrong.

I ran to the couch and threw myself onto the spot next to her. Without warning, I did something I'd never done before. I plopped my head into her lap and cried. She didn't seem surprised, like maybe she knew I would break down like this. She held my head and let me sit there like a crying fool. We sat there for a few minutes. She stroked my hair and let me sob.

Finally, I sat up and looked her in the eyes, my mascara running down my cheeks. Without saying anything, Cat handed me the popcorn, got up, picked out our favorite movie, Monsters, Inc., and stuck it in the DVD player. We both had loved that movie since we were little. Cat, because she loved Mike Wazowski, and me, because I got to see little girls scream in terror.

I grabbed some sodas from the refrigerator, sour nummy worms, our favorite candy, and sat next to Cat again. We watched the movie, laughing occasionally. I never once thought about my Dad. Not until I did something weird. I felt again.

When the movie was over, she let me borrow a t-shirt and some of her biggest pajama pants (I'm at least 2 sizes bigger than her). We got out some sleeping bags and laid them out in the living room. Mrs. Bullock, her foster mom, came out of her room and wished us good night. After she'd acknowledged me, of course. Cat loved having fun, and keeping my mind off my problems at home. But tonight, I decided to tell her about my family. She was honest about hers, I decided.

When I finished talking about Cameron, Dad, and everything that had happened the past years, Cat was in tears. "I had no idea, Jade!" Cat sniffed. "You can come over here whenever you need to! Tina's cool with having visitors." I guessed Tina was Mrs. Bullock.

"Thanks," I smiled at my best friend in the whole world. Sure, she can get on my nerves. But who doesn't? And even then, my tired, diseased Cat Valentine could make me feel better.

I just love their friendship, don't you? I know the whole "Dad" thing was kind of abrupt, but the last chapters were VERY tragic, and I wanted to fit some happiness in there. Her dad will come up again, later on. Please review! I'll update after 6 reviews.

P.S. Special thanks to: LizGilliesFanForever, Kikudog6, and Coffee Writer Girl for all the support!