May 17th

Jamie stretched her arms above her head and yawned. The sun filtered through the gap in the curtains and illuminated a strip of her burgundy wall paper. She pushed over the jet black comforter and stepped gingerly onto the midnight carpet, carefully avoiding
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the piles of books, CDs, and clothes. She knew her mother would cry if she saw the state of Jamie's room, but it's not like that was very likely. After all, the mother who is sleeping around with half of her coworkers doesn't really spend much time at home with her husband and two children. Jamie knocked over a few piles of things just for effect before opening the door to the bathroom she shared with her younger sister.

In sharp contrast to the dimness of Jamie's room, the bathroom was bright and full of light. The tub, toilet, and sink were powder blue and there were enough lights in this one room to light the entire two story house. Sammy was already in front of the mirror, dressed in an adorable pink bubble dress, hair perfectly curled, and makeup flawless. Jamie honestly wasn't sure what she could possibly be looking in the mirror for, she was already perfect. Sammy looked up at her as she came through the door.

"Only an hour before we have to be at school, Jamie. Don't you think you should put on something other than pajamas." Sammy said as she added a ribbon to her curls. Jamie glared at her.

"Out." Sammy made a face but quickly left the bathroom. Jamie jumped in the shower. When she got back to her room, feeling slightly more alive, she found Sammy sitting on her bed holding out a cup of coffee.

"You know that she's coming back right? Dad didn't mean it when he kicked her out last night. He still loves her." Sammy said as she handed over the cup. Jamie said nothing as she sipped and put on a pair of jeans and a ripped black tshirt.

"He may love her, but it's obvious that she doesn't love him. If he wants her back he's an idiot. You're an idiot too. We're all idiots for wanting someone in our lives who doesn't actually give a shit about us." Jamie kicked over a few more piles of books while Sammy pulled at invisible threads on her skirt.

"That's not true. She loves us. She's just not sure what she wants right now. She'll be back." Jamie turned to argue, but one look at Sammy's face changed her mind. She sat down on the bed and put her arm around her little sister.

"You're right, Sammy. I'm just being stupid because I'm sad. I know she'll come back. She loves you, and she would never leave you. Just give her some time." The lies felt sour in Jamie's mouth. She knew full and well that her mother wasn't coming back, she'd known for weeks. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to tell her sister the truth, Sammy was too loving to understand. "Now let's go eat some breakfast."

Dad was waiting for them downstairs with toast, eggs, and bacon already on the table. Jamie returned his tired smile and gave him a one armed hug as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. She waited until Sammy was engrossed in texting someone on her phone before pulling her dad into the kitchen.

"You have to tell Sammy she isn't coming back." Jamie whispered. "You can't let her hold on to false hope like this."

"She still might come back, she's come back before." Dad whispered back, and Jamie took a deep breath to calm herself. She turned away from her father and sat at the table across from Sammy. They ate in silence with Sammy glued to her phone making after school plans with her friends. Jamie waited until Sammy was finished with breakfast and sent her out to the car, saying she would join once the dishes were put away. As soon as the door closed behind her sister Jamie rounded on her father.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Mom is cheating on you, she's sleeping with those men at her office. She left because she DOESN'T love you, and she's NOT coming back. I don't understand why you can't get that through your head. She won't be home tonight or tomorrow or the next day and eventually you and Sammy need to face that. It's better if you dealt with it sooner rather than later. She's a cheating bitch and you need to forget about her." Jamie's father just stared at her with his mouth hanging open, but Jamie didn't wait for him to come up with a response.

"Just throw out her stuff and tell Sammy it's over. Tonight." With those words Jamie grabbed her backpack and walked out the door.