The Book Is Always Better| #Wattys2015

Sixteen~Fangirls are bridesmaids

"If you can't figure out where you stand with someone, it might be time to stop standing and start walking."

-Kushandwizdom
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I guess this shouldn't surprise most people.

Seeing your mom and dad kiss is probably not an amazing thing that happens once every blue moon, but if you were me, it's a bit out of the ordinary since they haven't see each other in seven years.

"Am I interrupting something?" I say. They finally pull away, my mom is blushing.

"Sorry, I guess I didn't hear you come inside." She giggled.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? I mean this guy hasn't talked to us in seven damn years!"

"Erica, language." My dad said sternly.

"No, you don't get to talk to me like that."

"Erica, he's your father."

"Doesn't act like one! Mom, he left us. You can't just let him back in! Not that easily. He doesn't deserve that! Maybe he should actually talk to us first and apologize before he goes sticking his tongue down your throat."

"Erica, we did talk. He apologized for leaving. He's changed now. He has a beautiful wife and more children-"

I could not believe what I was hearing. "What?" I raised my voice. "Ok, first of all, he is kissing you! He has a wife and he is kissing you! Secondly, he was so quick to move onto another family with no warning like he was sick of us-"

"Erica, that's not true." He stood up. "I love all of you so much you can't believe. I left for a reason, to keep you safe from me. I got counseling and started to get my life on track again. I was so afraid to come back to you then because I was ashamed you would shut me out. I decided to start fresh, I met Vivica and everything changed. I changed."

I crossed my arms. "I don't suppose you have an excuse for kissing mom, then. For cheating on this amazing Vivica who changed you-"

"They're getting divorced." Mom interjected.

I scoffed. "Going from one family to another. Great. Good for you." I mocked.

"Erica, sit down." I didn't do what he said. "Ok, don't. I want to tell you that I'm finally ready to come back to you. I finally feel worthy of you. I'm not going to leave again."

"I don't care how you feel, you aren't worthy." I spat before storming upstairs.

I flopped face first onto my bed, my anger was no match for my exhaustion.

***

"Erica," I heard my mom coo. "I don't know if you're awake or not, but I want to talk to you if you are. Grunt once if you still don't want to talk to me. Grunt twice if you'll wake up in five minutes and talk."

I groaned and sat up, opening my eyelids which were glued shut. "What do you want?" It was four now, I slept through a good chunk of the day.

"I know this whole thing with your dad is overwhelming, but can you please (italics) try to invite him back into the family? I really think he has changed-"

"That's because you're in love with him, mom, you will believe anything he says."

She pressed her lips together and looked down at her hands. "Three days. If you think he hasn't changed, then I will kick him out." I could tell that was extremely hard for her to say. "I'm taking Luke for ice cream then we are going to pick up Blair from the airport. Do you want to come with us? Your dad has to work some things out with Vivica so it will be just the three of us, alright?" She held my hands.