17 Oct 2013

Monday, September 4th

I've not really had much time to write this for over a month, I spent the rest of the summer break outside with either Lottie and Justin, or Emily and Travis, or all of them, or a mix of a few of them. I slept over at Lottie's a few times, or she slept over mine. I stayed at Emily's a couple of times, but because my Daddy was still staying there then there was only room if Amelia was out. Daddy moves at the weekend.

School started back up today. I didn't want to get up, I'd got used to sleeping in. I sat next to Emily on the bus, because we both get on at the same stop. Lottie was already on the bus, but she was sat next to Holly, a girl who lives near her and is in our class, Justin didn't get the bus, and I wondered if he was coming in to school at all, but he told me later that he walked in because he can see the school from his front porch. I guess that makes sense really.

We have a seating plan now. A boy-girl one. Emily and Travis are sitting together, I guess nobody told the teacher that they're boyfriend and girlfriend, and usually the one to do that is Dahlia, but obviously they're best friends. Justin has to sit next to Dahlia. She kept talking to him all morning, and he'd keep looking back at me with this desperate 'help me' look on his face. I know it's mean, but I couldn't help but laugh.

I hate where I'm sat. I'm second from the back, Whitney, the loudest girl in the class is behind me, next to Jared, who used to bully me when we first started school, and I'm next to Whitney's twin brother Gavin. Whitney and Gavin kept arguing with each other, and Whitney kept asking me questions and telling me to 'tell him' whenever Gavin was winning the argument. Jared seemed to enjoy their arguments, and kept grinning at me whenever I'd turn around to tell them to be quiet. The teacher didn't seem to notice any of this. I don't know how I'll learn anything this year. We start high-school next year! I hoped to get good grades to look good when we started, but I don't see that happening now.

At lunch break, I met up with Justin and Lottie, and Emily, Travis and Dahlia soon found us too. I don't even remember what we were talking about, but Jared came out of nowhere and started saying all this weird stuff to me about my parents. Like he thought he knew something. He's never even met them, and none of us like him because he does nothing but wander around teasing people. I just ignored him, and we all did the same, except Justin.

I looked around when I heard him practically growling under his breath like a dog, and he was glaring at Jared. I asked him what was up, but apparently Jared had seen his expression and was laughing at him now.
"Sorry, am I offending you?" He laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not after your girlfriend." I think we were all a bit surprised by the girlfriend comment. I mean, yeah, I've hung around with Justin more than the others, but that's mainly just because neither of us had any summer clubs like the others did.

But anyway, we didn't really have time to think about it or defend ourselves, because before I knew it Justin had pounced on Jared and had him on the ground. That was when I remembered how strong Justin was. He carried me almost all the way across town before, even though he's skinny as ever. He was just punching him, and I could hear Emily and Lottie gasping while Dahlia was laughing about it and cheering him on. Travis looked a bit like he was in shock, and it was obvious then that none of them were going to be any help.

So I went in there and started pulling Justin back. Jared spat on the ground before laughing and saying "And your girlfriend saves the day." Justin looked like he was about to say something back, so I pulled harder on his arm.
"Justin! Leave it!" I shouted at him, I was suprised by how angry I sounded. He seemed to calm a little, and for a split-second I wondered if what I said had some how calmed him down.

"Come with me, young man." That was when I realised a teacher had come over. He took Justin and Jared off to the principals office. None of us had a lot to say after that, and there wasn't long left of lunch anyway. On the way back to class, Emily told me to stop worrying, and I was surprised when Justin wasn't already in the classroom when we sat down.

Whitney spent most of the afternoon asking me about the fight. Jared hadn't come back into class either. Gavin kept telling Whitney to shut up, but I didn't need him to. I was ignoring her anyway. A note was passed back to me about half past two, it said 'Come round mine after school? From Dahlia x' Dahlia?! Dahlia invited me to her house after school. I thought back over the day and she'd been really nice to me all day. Infact, every time I'd seen her over the summer she wasn't too unbearable. I looked up and she was looking at me, so I nodded my head yes. She smiled before turning back to her work. Then it sunk in. Dahlia 'Teachers Pet' Jones had invited me to her house.

I didn't see Justin after school, either. I had guessed he must've been sent home before that, but I still kind of hoped he'd be there. Being sent home from school for fighting on your first day isn't a good start, and I don't know what his Mum would say. Probably nothing, she doesn't seem like the type to shout much, and from what Justin has said, she doesn't really care much what he does.

Emily lent me her phone on the bus, as mine is still secret, and I told my mum that I was going to Dahlias. She seemed as surprised as I was, but fine about it. Emily came back with us too. Dahlia's mum seemed nice, we didn't see much of her. She was playing with Dahlia's half-brother, Brandon. He's really cute!

We sat in the garden in the sun, and talked about nothing much. Until Dahlia suddenly changed the subject.
"I know what you're going through, April." I had no idea what she was on about. Literally none. I looked at her a bit blank for a while before she carried on. "With your parents. Mine split up when I was six, my dad cheated on my mum." I was a bit surprised that she knew why they'd split. I mean, I had my theories, but my parents won't tell me anything. I wonder if that's partly because of the amount of time that's passed? I didn't say anything, and she carried on. "Did they tell you or did you work it out for yourself?"
"What?" I asked, confused again.

"About the affair. My dad told me after it happened, to you, I mean. My mum told me about my dad cheating when I was ten and I asked."
"What affair?" I sort of knew. I worked out something like that had happened by the things they were shouting that night, but I didn't want to believe it. I looked at Emily and she was staring at Dahlia with a 'shut up' look on her face. Dahlia looked almost embarrassed. "And why did your dad tell you? How did he know?" She was biting her lip now. I wanted to cry. That's why her dad was all pally with me at the beach earlier in the summer. It seemed so obvious, but I didn't know. How could I have known? I don't even know. I stood up, ready to walk off. I just wanted to be alone, but Dahlia stood quickly as I did, and Emily wasn't far behind.

"April, wait. I'm sorry-" She started, but I didn't let her finish.
"Shut up. Just shut up, Dahlia! You never know when to stop talking and when to mind your own business." I shouted. I didn't really know what to say after that, and I do feel bad for shouting because none of this is her fault. It's my mums fault, and her dads fault. Grown ups always mess things up.
"Excuse me, April, but it is my business!" She replied angrily. She raised her voice a little, but not too much. "If my dad and your mum get married-"
"Our parents won't get married, and we won't be sisters." I knew that's what she was going to say. I didn't want to hear anymore, and ran round the side of her house and down the road.

I turned to look back at the house. I couldn't work out what just happened, but most of all, why I didn't seem to care. Why don't I care that my mother is sleeping with Dahlia's father? Why don't I care that that's the reason my daddy is moving to Bridgeport in four days? It just doesn't matter anymore for some reason.

I wondered what to do. There was no way I was going home, I can't look at my mum the same ever again. So, I headed to my second home, Lottie's house. Lottie lives on completely the other end of town to Dahlia, but if you cut through the fields it doesn't take too long.

Justin was at the park. Maybe I knew he would be. Maybe that's why I cut through the park rather than walk down the pathway around it. He was just sitting on the bench, staring at the ground and swinging his legs, and I made him jump when I stood infront of him and spoke.
"What happened?" I demanded. I was still angry about the fight, and the argument with Dahlia. He looked up at me and stopped kicking his legs.
"I got suspended." He said it like it didn't bother him at all. Well, maybe it doesn't bother me either. Maybe I don't care if he fails school. It's his own stupid fault for fighting.
"How long?"
"Three days. Including today. I'm back Thursday."
"What did your mum say?" He just shrugged and went back to swinging his legs and looking at the ground. I knew he didn't want to talk about whatever happened between him and his mum, so we just stayed silent for a while. "My mum's having sex with Dahlia's dad." My voice broke as I finally admitted it to myself.

His eyes almost fell out of his head as he looked up at me. My stupid bottom lip started to wobble like it does when I try not to cry, and he jumped up and pulled me into a hug.
"I'm sorry." He said. I'll never understand that saying. Why should he be sorry? He didn't do anything. "Did she tell you?" He asked, pulling away. I shook my head no.
"Dahlia did. I just came from her house."
"Well, I wouldn't trust a word that comes out of that girls mouth." He frowned, I shrugged, and we fell silent again for a few minutes.

"I'm going to see if I can spend the night at Lottie's." I spoke up finally. "I don't want to see my mum right now." He nodded his head, agreeing with my idea.
"Do you want me to walk with you?" He offered.
"No thank you. I want to be alone for a bit." He nodded again, and we said our goodbyes before I headed to Lotties.

When I told Lotties mum about what Dahlia said, she hugged me and said she'd talk to my mum. They've set me up in the spare room so we can all sleep in a bed, and get some sleep. Usually when I stay over and it's not a school night, I either top-and-tail with Lottie, or sleep on the floor in her room, but they wanted us to sleep properly.



I'm baaaaack!
Wow. Sorry for the wait. :| Basically, I wrote the chapter literally months ago, as in, this could have been ready two weeks after the last one if I'd just got on with it. Then I realised I had to make almost every pose, then I procrastinated for about a month, because it's what I do best, then I finished all the poses and went to double-check I had all I needed, and ended up re-writing half of it, and needing different poses to the ones I'd made... And then, to top it all off, I finally went to shoot about 2 weeks ago, and my game suddenly decided it hated me, so I spent the last two weeks fixing that (still a WIP, btw), then shot for this, then of course, procrastinated for another few days on fixing the pics and dropping them in... And now here we are. Finally. :p
So, sorry, hopefully I'll give myself a kick up the backside and get the next one out in two weeks or so! When we get to three weeks, you may all start poking me with long sticks. I need it sometimes...

12 comments:

  1. welcome back! Aww and wow!!! I knew April's mom had cheated but I didn't know with who. I guess her mom didn't think she would find out, but really your daughter goes to school with the little girl, she had to know at some point there would be talk. :( Can't wait to see how she explains this when April goes home.

    and awww Justin. You got suspended, defending April. That poor kid. I feel so bad for him. :(

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    1. Thank you! :)
      Yeah, nobody knew until now. Her mum kept that one quiet for obvious reasons.
      I don't think her mum expected anyone to find out. That's how affairs work, really. She definately didn't expect Dahlia to find out! I guess she wasn't expecting him to tell his twelve-year-old kid...
      And yes, I can't wait to see how she explains it either :| I did have the next chapter written, but then I changed this one and the revelation about her mum wasn't originally in it, so I now have to do a whole new chapter for the next one...

      Poor Justin, nothing seems to go right for him, does it? And April doesn't even appreciate it! haha!

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  2. Yay, I'm glad to see you back!
    Wow, poor April, what a shock! She has so much to deal with, and so youmg. And Justin too. I feel bad for him too, he's all messed up about how to deal with things, because of his messed up life. =(

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    1. Thank you! :)
      Yeah, April has had a lot all at once here, really. Spread over a few months, but she's got a lot on her plate. Justin may not be that helpful. We've seen this chapter that he isn't the best at handling situations, and April has a lot of situations and not a lot of role models...

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  3. Yeesh. Time for mommy to learn some discretion. However, I think you've mentioned before the town is fairly small, so even if her Sugar Daddy's little girl didn't go to school with April surely she would have found out eventually. However, Dahlia seems to think this is more than just an affair and will lead to a much closer relationship between the two girls.

    Poor Justin. He was just trying to stop the idiot bully from bullying his bestie. I know there are better ways to deal with it, but still. AT least he was trying to do something nice. Will he return to school at the end of his suspension or will he just steer clear?

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    1. My thinking is, Annabelle (Aprils mum) didnt expect her partner to tell his twelve year old daughter... because who would?! That and if they're serious and still... uhm... 'together', then she was probably waiting for April to be in a better place before introducing them. But, yes, the town is pretty tiny, and she may have found out, but her mum probably hoped to get there first.
      Dahlia is a little hard to understand right now. Before Aprils parents split, she and April never got along, and now she seems happy at the idea of being sisters? I'm not sure what I'd think in Aprils situation.

      Yes! Poor Justin :( He seems to attract problems. And yes, he was *trying*. Yes, he'll return to school. If he doesn't he risks the school phoning social services, and this time they might actually do something about his living situation!

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  4. Hmmm, that's a pretty nasty business we have here, and to be told in such a way :-(. Well, at least April seems to have taken it fairly well, but now her mum has some serious explanations to do.

    Aww, and poor Justin, being suspended for defending her :-(. He's too cute <3.

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    1. Yeah, what a way to find out! She has taken it well, but she's not spoken to her mum yet. She most definately has some explaining to do!

      He is cute, if a little messed up. Poor kid. He was trying to do a good thing!

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  5. The school seating arrangement will make it hard for her to work. Maybe she can learn to tune it out. I knew Justin would come to her defense :) That little brat Jared needs another knock-down. I bet he likes her. Isn't that what little boys do to girls they like? Tease and tease. Or he's just a mean kid. I am sure there will be more of his escapades later.... Dahlia is a little busy body. I don't know, maybe she was excited to think she would have her as a sister? Justin is too old for his years. Suspension won't do him good later on. He'll be labeled. :(

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    1. Oh, definately! Hopefully she'll either learn to tune it out, or the other three will shut up (maybe they were just excitable as it was the first day back to school?), or the teacher will notice and move everyone around again.
      Of course Justin came to her rescue! Even if she didn't need rescuing ;)
      Yeah, you might be right about Jared ;) That is what they say! Of course we'll see him again, it's a small class and he sits right behind her.
      Dahlia is a little hard to read right now. She could be a busy body, she could be excited, she could have just been being a bitch and trying to hurt April. We just don't know right now.
      Yes, Justin has grown up way too quickly, and I fear he may struggle to fit in at school :( He will be labeled most likely, but he already has a couple of friends which will help things. Lets cross our fingers things start to look up for him!

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  6. Wowee. Small town drama. Of course, this kind of drama can exist anywhere. But yeah.
    Who really knows how Dahlia was meaning for that little conversation to go. I'm naturally suspicious that she was out to just be a bitch since she might be mad her dad is sleeping with April's mum. Nothing good here at all. I'd like to be optimistic that Dahlia was just trying to be nice and was desperate to talk about her own feelings with someone, then thought that April would be just the right person with whom to do that.
    I too was wondering if Jared has a thing for April. :)
    In a way, I'm glad that Justin beat the crap out of that little snot. He should've kicked him when he was down too. grrrrrrrr.
    Great to have an update. Hate that it took me so long to finally read it, but life is really hectic for me right now. Hopefully now that marching band season is, for the most part, over, I can get back into a better schedule.
    :)

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    1. Haha, yeah! Weird that we call it 'small-town drama'! I guess because everyone knows everyone so... well, everyone knows.

      Yeah, we (and April) don't really know Dahlia well enough at this stage to know where she was going with that. Maybe she genuinely thought April knew, as it seems like it may have been town gossip, but maybe she did just want to be a bitch.

      Hehe, we'll learn more about Jared over the years, I'm sure :)

      Hmmm... It was sweet of Justin to stick up for April, even though April didn't want him too, but he maybe should have waited until after school at least. He's not in a good position to begin with, but he's made it even worse.

      Hey, it's fine! You read it sooner than I published it! Haha. I'm kinda all over the place myself, had some game issues, and just last weekend my dad gave me his old PC so now I'm trying to set up and transfer all my sims stuff in the hope the game will run better on that :D, so... Don't feel back! Life gets in the way.
      And sorry I took so long to reply to your comment! hah!

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Thank you for reading! Now let me know what you think. Any tips on what I could improve on? Anything you particularly liked? Or maybe you just want to comment, I'll read it and reply whatever you write :)