Hello Again, Mr Asshole

Chapter 8: What are friends for?

Victoria looked up from her Calculus assignment and glanced at the clock which told her that it was 3am on a Saturday morning. She could hear the arguments from the other side of her bedroom wall, once again.

It had come to a point where she wasn't even surprised anymore. This was a daily thing in the Hastings household. There used to be a few arguments every week and a few days of bliss, when everything felt alright. But now, the "bonus days", as Victoria and her siblings call it, were getting lesser and lesser.

Sometimes, she would hear her parents arguing in their room every freaking night of the week. She couldn't remember the last time they had had a bonus day, when everyone felt like family.

Just her luck, her bedroom was right next to theirs and she could hear them, although muffled, through the wall.

"- always so irresponsible, Adam! You never think about me or our family," said Mrs Hastings in a hushed voice.

"Shut up, Alyssa. You very well know that I work very hard day and night to earn money so that this family can stand on it's own," replied Victoria's father.

"I do that too, and we have enough to support ourselves. Stop with the excuses, Adam. I'm sick and tired of listening to all your white lies," said her mother. "Your 'late nights' at work with your secretary are not a secret to me."

"Would you keep your voice down? What will the kids think?"

"You obviously don't seem to care about them all that much other times. You even missed Vernon's birthday because of your stupid fucking project, Adam! Am I supposed to believe that all you were 'busy' with was a project?"

"Alyssa, if you have such a problem with the way I work or treat my children then maybe you should just-"

Victoria closed her Calculus book with a thud and shoved her earphones in. She couldn't take it anymore.

Ironically, the song "Problem" by Ariana Grande was the first song that played from her playlist.

I sure would have one less problem in my life if my parents could just go back to how they used to be. she thought to herself bitterly.

Victoria had known for a while now that her dad had been cheating on her mom, well actually she didn't know for sure but that could be the only reason why he was always working till late night and randomly smiling at his phone while texting someone.

It hurt to know that the happiness his family was supposed to bring him, he was getting it from another woman. A woman outside of their lives.

Slowly, tears that had been threatening to spill over for a while, started streaming down her face. Just 3 years ago, everything had seemed so perfect. But now, she felt like her life was falling apart.

There was only one person who had been keeping her sane all this while. Her rock. She picked up her cellphone and dialed their number.

***************

You make me, feel like I'm living a teenage dream.

Don't ever look back, don't ever look back.

"Uhfhdgh," mumbled Kat into her pillow. Who on earth was calling her at this ungodly hour? Yeah it's a Saturday and she will get to sleep in and all but isn't it still illegal to disturb people from their slumber? She had been having such a great dream where she was Taylor Lautner's girlfriend but someone just had to wake her up.