It's been a week of mixed signals, and I'm starting to think this is the way things will be from now on. I've texted Rose but have only gotten two-worded answers. She's been avoiding me since my birthday. Tanya has been a bit more friendly, sending me GIFs and being her usual quirky self. She's had a lot on her plate, so I don't blame her for being distant. She's going to visit the school that offered her a scholarship soon, and she's been trying to keep up her grades and play basketball.

Flint has been quiet and missed a few days of school again. I don't press him for answers, no matter how worried I am. Funny how fast things change. If you'd asked me a month ago if I cared that Flint had been absent so much, I would have laughed. Knowing what he's going through and realizing how much I care about the people in his life make it harder for me to ignore it.

The kitchen is eerily quiet this morning. There's food on the counter but no sign of Lucille, Dom, or Derek. The food is untouched, but the eggs are still steaming, which means they haven't been out for long.

I spot a letter tucked away on the other counter next to the fridge as I reach the counter. It catches my attention because we never put the mail there. I cross the room and grab the envelope. The name on the front jumps out at me. It's addressed to dad, and it's from Josephine Young. There's only one person I know with the name Josephine, and that's my mother. It's already open, so I lift the flap and pull out the letter inside. I do another check over my shoulder before reading it. I slowly unfold each crease.

Johnathan,

Please make this go away. The media won't leave me alone, and I can't go anywhere with my family without being harassed. I don't want anything to do with you or your family, so make it go away, or I'll get my husband's lawyer to take action.

Josephine

I can't even finish reading it before my eyes swell up with tears. Does mom have a new family? What about us? What did they have that we didn't? I try desperately to wipe them away, but they are falling too fast for me to catch.

"Marnie?"

I swing around and face dad. He snatches the letter from me. I blink and glance up at him. "Family?" I manage to squeak out.

"Oh, Marnie," concern fills his voice.

When my eyes meet his, I catch sight of Derek behind him.

"She has another family," I ask again?

Dad's cheeks redden, and his eyes glaze over as he stares down at me. My tears turn to sobs.

"Dad, what's happening?" Derek asks, glancing over his shoulder.

Without hesitation, dad tugs me into his grasp and holds me. Through my sobs, I listen to dad explain the letter to Derek. I've buried my face into dad's chest, so I don't see Derek's reaction.

"When?" I take a step back, but he continues to hold me at arm's length.

"Less than a year after she left, she met Ken. I only know this because we were going through the divorce, and he was always there. Then, during our last session, your mom seemed ill, and right away, I knew she had to be pregnant."

"How... many kids does she have?"

"Three," he whispers.

My blood boils. She couldn't handle the three of us. But suddenly a year later, she makes a new family with another man, and somehow, she can handle it? My chest is rising and falling so fast it's hard to catch my breath. I release myself from Dad and rush around Dom and Derek. I was so caught up in the overwhelming sadness I hadn't heard Dom.

I slam my bedroom door shut and stomp towards the closet. I reach up on a high shelf, pull down the box of unsent letters, and the picture I keep of her holding me the day I was born. I set the box on my bed, plop down, and begin to rip the letters. As I do, the sobs grow louder and more uncontrollable. It's like my entire world is ending, and I can't stop it.

Dad, Dom, and Derek all rush into the room. Dad jumps onto the bed and grabs me. I was so caught up I hadn't realized how loud I was as I tore through the letters. I'm fighting him with all my strength to get them back so that I can tear them some more.

"Let go!" I yell.

"Honey, relax," dad says softly in my ear.

"No, I have to rip it up. Please let me finish ... please." I choke.

Dom sits on the bed beside me after placing the box on my desk. While dad's holding me, Dom takes my hand and holds it. Derek walks over and sits in front of me, taking my other hand. When I look up, he has tears in his eyes too. He was just a baby and never really knew her, but it sucks because he never knew what it was like to have a mom.

Dom wipes away some tears with his free hand. He had the most time with her. When she left, he locked himself in his room for days. Dad had to coax him out with his favorite cookies. I remember him asking dad if mom was ever coming back, and when dad said no, Dom lost it.

Now sitting here with the three of them, not only are my brothers crying, but dad is too.

"I'm so sorry." He holds his head in his hands.

I thought I was angry about her leaving but finding out she has another family is worse. Dad may have cheated, but he was the one who stuck by our sides through it all. He held on while she let go. Being mad at dad and Lucille was so petty. If mom could just move on like that without even looking back, then she's the one I should be angry with, not dad.

"No, I'm sorry," I say.

I stare down at the purple comforter and the stupid string that always annoys me. It blurs together as the tears fall.

"I'm sorry I told you that you weren't the same dad I knew. You didn't deserve that; you stuck around, which should override what happened between you and Lucille. Again, I'm so sorry."

"Marnie, what I did was awful and wrong on so many levels."

"What she did was worse," Dom says. "She left three innocent children behind and didn't look back. She claimed she couldn't handle us and yet she went on and had three more kids. Dad, you stepped up to the plate and took care of us while she left. You may have made a mistake, but who's to say she wouldn't have left anyway."

"Dom's right," Derek agrees. "She's the one who should feel guilty. Not you."

Dad sighs. "You three are my life, and I don't know how anyone could live without you. You are all my strength, and you keep me going every day. Without you guys, I'd be nothing."

Everyone's quiet and reflecting on the mess that is our life. We are all hurting from what mom did to us.

"Do you need a day to play hooky," Dad asks?

As much as I would love that, I know I shouldn't. I shake my head. "I've got a huge math test today."

Dom mentions work. Derek says he has a test, too, so instead of playing hooky, we all plan to spend an upcoming weekend somewhere fun, all of us, including Lucille. We all deserve it after the month we've all had.

***

Once I get to school, I go straight to the main office to get my late pass with Derek. While we wait, my phone goes off. My lips - as if they had a mind of their own, turn up into a smile. Then, Flint sends me lyrics to my favorite song by Maroon 5. I finish the lyrics and send it with a tongue emoji.

Flint: You, okay? You look a little lost.

I glance around the room and standing outside the glass window is Flint. He holds up a bathroom pass and smirks. Instead of talking to him in person like a normal person, the stupid fear of being seen hits me, and I'm frozen.

Me: It's been a bad morning. I'm okay for now, though.

Through the panes of glass, I can still feel his intense stare. I keep my head down, afraid to look up.

Flint: Do you think a party might cheer you up?

A party with Flint? Dad probably wouldn't question it at all. He loves Flint. I could use a friend to cheer me up. Is that what he is? A friend?

Me: You know me, queen of parties.

I tack on a smiling emoji and wait for his response.

Flint: Come with me to my friend's party tonight. Maybe it will help you get your mind off whatever is upsetting you.

Me: Okay.

Flint: We're gonna party all night, all night...

Me: Just you and me...

Flint: Love me a little old-school Charlotte Rising - pre-fame.

Me: Agreed.

Flint: Pick you up at 7?

Me: Can't wait.

"Marnie," Derek's voice pulls me from my conversation with Flint.

"Huh?" I ask.

The red-headed woman from behind the counter has her hand extended with my late pass. I didn't realize just how wrapped up in my conversation with Flint I was.

"Thank you," I say, my smile not fading.

Derek raises a brow at me and smirks. "That's not Cam you're talking to, is it?"

I elbow him as we walk towards the exit. He grunts and chuckles. "Mind your business, pea brain," I tease.

I start heading in the direction of English when Derek reaches out and grabs ahold of my arm. "If you need anything, Marnie, I'm right here. I might be younger, and we don't get along all the time, but with all the shit going on, please don't feel weird about reaching out, okay?"

I tug on his arm and hug him.

"Okay, I don't need people to know I actually like my own sister now." He laughs.

"You're an ass," I chuckle.

"See you later, Marnie."

I head off to class in a good mood, and I've got my fingers crossed that it stays that way, at least for today.