(it's my birthday!! :p)
MATT'S POV.
CONTINUATION FROM THE LAST CHAPTER.
When Jade told me that Mom and Dad were home and that they wanted to speak to us, all I could think of was that it was the end. My family was never going to be the same again. Mom and dad were over and so was our whole family.
I sunk back into my bed, my hand gripping Bailey's tight. She must've noticed that it wasn't a good time, because she got off my bed and said, "I need to get going. Nate's probably waiting for me to get home..." I went after her. "Don't leave." I said. Maybe if she stayed, mom and dad wouldn't give us any sort of news tonight. "Matt..." Jade said patronisingly.
I knew that I was being selfish, but the last thing I wanted was for Jade and myself to lose everything. I wanted Bailey to stay. "Hey, I'll call you." She squeezed my hand and I nodded. "Thanks for the pasta, Jade, it was great." Bailey said. Jade and I walked her to the door, she left without saying much. I waved goodbye to her.
Mom and dad were waiting for us in the living room. "Hi honey! How are you?" Mom hugged me and Jade shot me a warning look- Mom and dad didn't know that we knew about the counselling. I nodded and hugged mom tight. "Matt, you okay buddy?" Dad asked me as he hugged me too and I nodded. Jade and I sat opposite them and waited.
Mom began the conversation. "Your father and I have something to confess." She said and dad added, "We shouldn't have kept it from you both, but we didn't want to worry you." He said. They shared a look and dad said, "You're mom and I have been facing a lot of trouble in our marriage and we have been meeting with a marriage counsellor regularly. Unfortunately, it hasn't been working out, despite our efforts..."
Blood began to pound in my ears as rage took over me. "You guys are getting divorced." I said bitterly. Mom looked shocked. "No! Why would you say that Matthew?" She asked, pretending to be aghast. I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Are you kidding? Isn't this where all this is heading? I mean, it's all falling into place now. All those nights you left me alone in this house, only calling at night when I was about to fall asleep. You both always called separately. Because you were never together! You barely spoke to each other when we were around. One of you was always away on some pretence. Jade, we should have seen this coming." I said. I could tell that I was hurting my parents, but I couldn't stop.
Jade caught my arm in a vice-grip. "Matt, calm down. They have something to say." She said. Mom and dad had given up on the act and had grimly listened to what I had said. Dad pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's true that we haven't been dealing with this the right way. Matt, a lot of what you said was right, but we aren't giving up yet." He said. Mom nodded, with tears in her eyes. "Your father and I are going to continue with our counselling. She has adviced us to have some alone time, just to think things over and reassess what we both want with our lives. So, your father will be moving out."
"Not too far", Mom hurried to assure us, "somewhere in this area, but it's vital to help us mend our relationship." She said. Dad continued, "We need more regular sessions and hiding it hasn't been easy; so we both decided that it was time to tell you."
"I'm glad that you're working this out but I need to know. How long has this been happening? How long have you been leaving Matt alone when I go out of town? Because, you know, it makes you wonder what you're doing wrong when your whole family leaves you alone for days at a time." Jade asked icily. "We didn't know what to do." Mom sighed.
Jade snorted. "He survived on fast food and microwaveable food for the whole duration. He slept alone, he ate alone, woke up alone. How did you not think about that!" Jade's voice rose. It was rare to see Jade angry, and right now she was livid. She was moments away from screaming. I held her hand and squeezed, to tell her to calm down.
Mom turned to me. "Honey, I'm so sorry about this. You've taken a lot for our family and-" I stopped her there. "There's no need to apologise. The Pratt's are the ones you should thank. They took me in and took care of me. They've also told me to go to their place the next time you jump town. So, I'm fine." I said.
I looked at Jade. She looked as tired as I felt. That day had been absolutely draining. I said goodnight to them and left the room. In my room, I just changed into shorts and collapsed into bed. I realised that my pillows still smelt like Bailey.
I smiled at the recollection of our kiss. She had wanted it as bad as I had. The way she had pulled me back had been exhilarating. I checked my phone and sure enough, there was a message from her saying that if I needed anyone to talk to, she was there for me. I replied with a thank you and retired for the night. Whatever came my way, I would deal with it tomorrow.