Wife

Martyr

"Why are you getting upset with me for?" The woman turned on her. "You always take his side, when all I'm trying to do is protect you."

Briella was growing more and more frustrated. "Protect me from daddy?" She asked in disbelief.

"Damn right, protect you from 'daddy'!" The dramatic woman did air quotes around 'daddy'. "He's barely that don't you think? He shows up when he wants something and wants to use somebody!"

"I'm the user Unique? I'm the user but you had me paying twenty-thousands dollars a month in child support! It would have been one thing if the money actually went to support our children, but instead you used it to fund your partying and drug habits!"

Unique looked aghast. "You lying son of a-"

"Mom! Dad! Stop!" Briella hissed. "Please," she tacked on desperately when it looked like her mother was going to ignore her. "Mom!" Briella snapped and sternly stared her mother down. "This is supposed to be a good day."

Her mother looked betrayed. Briella wanted to roll her eyes; her mother was always so dramatic.

"And you're blaming me for ruining it?" Unique shook her head at her. "Why you've always been such a daddy's girl to a man who doesn't give a damn about you has always blown my mind! I've been the one there for you Briella!" She threw up her hands. "You know what? I'm done. Have your daddy, but when he screws you over and shows you who he really is! Don't come crying to me!" With that the woman strutted off.

"Mom-"

"Let her go, Briella." Her father interrupted. "You know there's no talking to her when she's like that." The russet colored girl frowned. "Has she been taking her meds?"

She glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye from where she still watched her mother storm off. "Why did you poke at her like that?" She asked sadly. Sure, her mother had her problems and was dramatic – but her father knew that. He poked and got in his low blows anyway.

Her daddy paused, seeming to sense that she was upset with him now. He let out a breath. "You're right, nugget. I'm sorry." He apologized "Your mother just gets underneath my skin, you know that."

She turned to face him fully, her mother's slim form lost in the crown now. "I know..."

"Hey, where did mom go?"

She turned to look at her brother who slid up beside her. He tugged at the collar of his button up, clearly uncomfortable. Her brother had always been more of a t-shirt kind of guy. It was striking just how much her brother looked like their father – their father's literal double except her brother kept his hair short and waved.

"She stormed off," she frowned at him. "Where were you anyway, Jacob?" He knew it was his job to keep their mother under control out in public. Her brother hesitated and glanced back over his shoulder. She followed his gaze, finding her friend Candice looking over as well, still in her own emerald green cap and gown.

"I was busy." He shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. Busy trying to get in her best friend's pants – again.

"Are you just going to stand there and not greet me at all, boy?" Donte finally spoke up. Jacob's jaw ticked and he finally looked at their father, who he had been noticeably ignoring. Unlike her, Jacob wasn't their father's biggest fan. He just didn't like the man, not what he stood for, not what he did for work, and most of all how he treated them. He didn't trust their father just like their mother didn't.

"What's up?" He did a halfhearted head nod.

Donte laughed in disbelief. "What's up, he says!" Anger was clearly tinting his voice now.