Tylers Point Of View

13 years ago

I'll miss this someday. I kept reminding myself that someday, I would wish my sisters were still this tiny, this innocent, this sweet. Someday, waking up at 2 AM to a screaming 4-month-old would be a fond memory I would wish I could recreate. And I knew in the future, it would be. But not now. Now, I was tired and angry, and wondering where my life is headed. Emma screeched when I stopped rocking her for a second. I sighed and resumed the motion. I shouldn't be the one doing this. I have two parents, and yet, here I am, solely responsible for their kids. It wasn't that I didn't love my sisters, and all the rest of my siblings, but it was just that it wasn't my job to raise them. Mom had no interest in the twins.

She had no interest in Finley or Logan either, and they were the ones who needed her. She couldn't give less of a fuck about the rest of us too, but we didn't mind. Jace and Henry had each other to depend on and so did me, Liam, and Nolan. We were making it work, with the five of us. But we shouldn't have to. I shushed Emma gently, walking around the pink-walled room as her whimpers began to dwindle. Mom wasn't here tonight. She'd left for work this morning, and hadn't been back since. She did that a lot since the twins were born. As if she was scared to be home, anymore. Maybe she was scared we would force her to be a mother if she came too close.

I had no idea where Dad was, but that was much less new than a Mom's disappearing act. Dad was always coming and going as if he couldn't decide if we were worth it or not. He was a good Dad when he was here, but a shitty man overall. Slowly, I set Emma down in her crib, but of course, the next thing that happens is Izzy starts fussing. I groan in frustration and rub a hand up and down my face as I reach in and grab the smaller twin.

"You need help?" I jumped a little when I heard a voice in the doorway. Nolan leaned against the frame, watching me sympathetically.

I sighed and shook my head at my 13-year-old brother. "No, I'm fine. Hopefully, she'll fall back asleep soon."

"She won't," Nolan said. I glared at him, but he just shrugged. "She never goes back down easily. Especially if Emma's sleeping." I sighed, knowing he was right. Izzy wouldn't be happy with me if I put her back down when even Emma wasn't awake to keep her company. I guess I should be flattered that Izzy would want to be with me, but we all knew she just didn't want to be alone.

"Fine, then I'm going to watch George Lopez while she doesn't sleep. And since you kindly offered to help, you can join me."

He shrugged again. "Fine with me." Nolan was always so easygoing. Sometimes I think if I told him to jump off a cliff, he would just shrug and jump, just for the hell of it.

"Hey, did Mom call or anything?" He asked as we walked down the stairs.

I shook my head. "How come? You need her for something?" Whatever it was, I could take care of it. I was doing a lot of that these days. And so far, no teacher has seemed to notice the difference in handwriting on field trip forms or behavior notices. The latter was mostly from Henry. The kid was going to give me gray hairs at 15. He couldn't go one day without 'disrupting the classroom' or something equally as petty I had to sign for. I hadn't said anything to him. He wasn't my kid, it wasn't my job. But someone needs to do something soon, before teachers start to ask questions I can't answer, like where our parents are.

"No. Just worried is all," Nolan muttered softly. I switched Izzy so she was resting more comfortably in the crook of my arm, and slung my free one over Nolan's shoulders.

"She's fine, Nol. She probably just went out for a little while or something."

My brother nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure she's fine. Just wondering."

The recent shift in our already fractured family dynamic has taken a toll on me and Nolan especially. We were the oldest. We were expected to step up and fix everything when our parents didn't. We had been protecting our younger siblings from the truth for a long time. They saw our father as a hero, and I refused to be the one to tell them he was anything but. It just wasn't my place to ruin something so sacred like the way a kid sees their Dad. That was something that was ruined for me a long time ago. And it hurt.

We settled down on the couch just as the George Lopez theme started playing. We had both seen it too many nights in the last four months. Izzy gurgled happily in my arms, which would have been adorable if it wasn't the middle of the night. "There's no chance you're going back to sleep, huh?" I said, smiling sadly down at the four-month-old and tickling her stomach a little. She made an odd noise and took my hand, bringing it to her mouth. I cringed a little at the gross action but didn't remove my hand in fear she would cry if I dared. Izzy wasn't a very fussy baby. She may not be a good sleeper, but compared to even Emma, she was as happy and easy-going as a baby can be. She can be entertained for hours with just one person's hand, which was an odd habit, but adorable nonetheless. When it wasn't your hand being slobbered on of course.

"Schools gonna be hell tomorrow," I muttered to Nolan. Sophomore year was hard enough with a full night's sleep, it was practically impossible when you got none.

"Think she'll be back before we go to school?" It was clear Nolan was lost in his mind. A natural worrier, as Mom always called him.

"Nol, she'll be fine, okay? Don't stress about her." We heard jingling keys outside the front door. "See? That's probably her now." I hoped it was. I couldn't think of anyone else who would try and get in our house at 2 AM.

From the second she walked in, I could tell Mom was drunk. She was stumbling and humming to herself, barely making it past the threshold without falling over. Nolan looked up at me with wide eyes, but I just transferred Izzy into his arms and stood up to go confront Mom.

"Ty-ty," She giggled when she saw me. I clenched my jaw angrily, watching as she tried and failed to stand up unassisted by the stair banister.

"Mom, what the hell," I seethed.

She smiled at me. "What, baby? What did I do?" She had done some shitty stuff but never did it go this far. She never came home drunk, and last I knew, she didn't drink at all. My mom once told me she had a problem with alcohol as a teenager, so now, she doesn't touch the stuff. That was all down the drain.

"Mom, you're drunk," I grumbled. '

She sat down on the bottom stair, still giggling like a schoolgirl or a drunken sailor. "No, baby, no, mommy's not drunk, she's just-" She cut herself off with a hiccup. "Sleepy. That's all, baby."

I sighed, realizing there would be no point in trying to reason with her when she was like this. She wouldn't remember it in the morning anyway. I gently took her arm in mine, and carefully guided her up the stairs to her and Dad's bedroom.

"I wanna go see the babies," She mumbled. I shook my head, tightening my grip on her arm. I had been taller than her since I was 12, and in recent years with playing football and stuff, I had become stronger than her too.

"Mom, the babies are fine, you need to go to sleep," I said, gently as I could, trying to keep the anger out of my tone. It wouldn't do anything good right now. The best thing for all of us would be if Mom went to sleep and left everyone alone for the night. She hummed as she collapsed on the bed, not even pulling off the heels and the clothes she wore. I yanked her shoes off and threw them down. She was asleep before I left the room.

"Is she okay?" Nolan asked when I came into the room. Izzy was whining in his arms, clearly getting upset over something or other. I took the baby into my arms and bounced her a little.

"She's fine, Nol. She'll be fine."

"No, she's not." He muttered, leaning back on the couch.

I sat down and sighed. "No. She's not. But she will be."

She has to be.

Marley's Point Of View

10 years ago

"We've got new neighbors, over there Mars." Mom said, leaning against the door frame, a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and a bottle of unopened beer perched on her hip. I hummed.

"Hope it's a kid my age," The last one who'd been in that apartment was an old man who gave out apples for Halloween. Me and Thomas had egged his door the day after. It was worth the trouble we got in. Or, the trouble he got in. Mrs.Calder was not happy with Thomas after that. My mom had been too drunk to care. Thank my lucky stars I guess. I saw a woman, red-faced and sweaty, walk down the hall, two suitcases in hand. One of them had Minnie Mouse on the front, just like the one I used to have as a little kid. I never used it.

Dad took it with him when he and his new wife came over to look for things for their new baby. I wish I could meet her. Dad keeps telling me soon, but I'm starting to think after three years, soon may mean never. His wife never liked me much anyway. I was the old kid, and the baby was new. Past and Present. And the past is all too often forgotten about.

"Better not be some screeching kid. I need my beauty sleep." Mom grumbled, turning back into the apartment. I sighed, watching as the woman tried and failed to open the door with her full arms.

"Need some help?" I asked softly. She turned her head to me, and nodded, seeming out of breath. She was pretty enough, short, with brown hair and blue eyes that seemed darker than they should. They kind of reminded me of moms. Sunken in, and tired.

"Thank you, honey," She said, dropping the bags on the inside of the doorway once I had turned the key for her. "Isabelle, c'mon sweetheart." She beckoned. I looked over her shoulder to see a similar-looking toddler, running behind her. She was the woman's twin, with green eyes and thin brown hair. She looked like she'd make a great friend for Thomas's little brother Brayden. The little pest was always bugging the two of us.

"Coming Mommy," She said quietly, grabbing the woman's shirt once she was close enough.

The woman sighed tiredly and stuck her hand out to me. "My name is Regina, you live around here?" She asked, wiping her sweat-beaded forehead with her free arm. The child still clung to Regina's shirt, looking up at me with wide eyes. I smiled and waved gently at her, before turning back to her mother.

"I'm Marley. Yeah, I live next door. "

The woman nodded. "This is my daughter Isabelle. We're new in town."

I already knew that. Brinley was a small place, everyone knew everyone, so a new face was always a surprise. "Hi Isabelle," I said, leaning down a little to her height.

"How old are you?" She asked curiously.

A phone buzzing answered before I could. "Shit," Regina muttered when she pulled the phone out of her pocket. "Hey, um, Marley was it? Can you watch her real quick? I gotta take this." She didn't wait for an answer before she disappeared into one of the bedrooms in the bare apartment. I watched after her with wide eyes, before turning back to Isabelle. I had no idea how to watch a kid this small. I had no idea how to watch a kid, period. Mom said I was too young to babysit yet, but Regina didn't seem to mind how young I was. I found it sort of ironic that in Mom's eyes I was too young to babysit but just old enough to pay the bills. Me and Thomas had agreed that was pretty contradictory, but Mom didn't seem to care.

"How old are you?" Isabelle asked again. She was clinging to a stuffed Minnie Mouse doll with one hand, her head tilted with curiosity filling her giant eyes.

I let out a shuddering breath. "I-I'm 9," I muttered softly.

"I'm 3!" Isabelle announced, throwing her hands in the air. "I just turneded 3, another day, but Mommy says I almost a big girl now!" I smiled softly at her poor grammar and sat down on my knees so we were eye level. "I Izzy," She pronounced her Z's more like S's, in a way that made me giggle.

"I'm Marley." We both turned our heads when we heard an angry voice coming from the room Regina had just gone into.

"Don't you fucking dare, William. I swear, I'll pack my shit and leave right now. I'll move her again, I'll do it." She said.

Izzy held the doll a little tighter in her arms. "Mommy gets mad." She whispered. "Don't like when she gets mad." She wasn't talking to me. She was just sort of talking.

"William, for fucks sake, don't come here!" Regina yelled. Izzy looked at me with wide eyes, which made me think she had seen this before. Any other three years old would have been in tears with all this yelling by now. But Izzy just seemed used to it.

"Wanna know a secret?" I whispered to her when there was a momentary lapse in the yelling. She nodded quickly. "My mommy gets mad too, and I don't like it either."

She smiled widely. "Like Izzy!" She declared.

I laughed and nodded. "Yeah, like you, Izzy. But you know what makes me feel better when my mommy gets mad?" The quizzical expression she wore, reminded me of a cartoon character. "I listen to music." She furrowed her eyebrows, as if she didn't know what that meant, but didn't get a chance to say much before the door swung open and Regina stepped back out.

"Stupid piece of shit doesn't know what's good for him," She muttered to herself. Izzy inched closer to me as if I would protect her.

"Thanks, kid, sorry for leaving you with her," Regina shook her head with a sigh. I shrugged.

"'S okay." Regina ran a hand through her hair seeming stressed and upset. "Can I take Izzy over to my house to listen to music?" I asked softly, afraid she may snap at me if I spoke too loudly. She was on edge. Same as Mom always was. It was scary when adults were like that. Nothing good ever came when adults were in states like that.

"Sure, fine, whatever, I don't care." Regina groaned. I had only met them 10 minutes ago, but already I was getting a decent picture of what Izzy's life was. Too much like mine. I took the three-year-olds hand and gently pulled her down the hall towards my house. Mom wasn't there when I got back. I didn't know where she was, I didn't care where she was. I was just glad she wasn't here for the moment. I didn't want her to scare Izzy by being drunk and all that.

"Wanna listen to music?" I asked, pushing my bedroom door open. It was just a curtain Dad had put up for me the last time he was here. He said he was coming to visit again soon. He said that three years ago. Maybe I was stupid to still be waiting. "Music?" She asked, tilting her head like a puppy. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, music, you know like The Grateful Dead and stuff like that?"

"Dead!" She repeated happily, clearly misunderstanding what I meant.

"No Izzy, The Grateful Dead." Dad had been the one to give me their CD. Well, he just left it here, but it made me feel a little closer to him to listen to music that I knew he liked. Or used to like. I tried to feel as close to him as possible. It was hard to be close to Mom. And she was a hell of a lot closer. Thomas was sitting on my bed when I walked in. I wasn't surprised in the least, but I was a little surprised when I saw his little brother sitting beside him, clicking skillfully on a Gameboy. It was the first and only thing Thomas had ever taught his brother, and I would admit, for a three-year-old, he was a killer video game player.

"Who the hell is that?" Thomas said, narrowing his eyes at Izzy. She tightened her grip on both my hand and Minnie Mouse.

"Izzy. My new neighbor." I ignored his curious look and led her to sit beside Brayden before going to my CD player and putting Workingman's Dead inside. I smiled when Casey Jones started playing. Izzy was staring at Brayden as he played. He put the game down and stared back. It was an odd way to say hello, but it seemed to work as soon enough they were babbling gibberish to one another, seeming very happy to see each other, as if they were old friends.

"Wait, who is she again?" Thomas asked, poking Izzy's arm as if she was the oddest creature he had ever seen. The three-year-old looked at him with a goofy expression, grabbing his hand and kneading his fingers in her own. He cringed a little but didn't pull away, and I laughed.

"She's Izzy. My new best friend." Forever, and ever.

Or so I'd like to think.

A/N-This is the interlude before we dive back into the Cane family drama. What did we think about these two flashbacks? I've had Izzy and Marley's first meeting in mind since the very beginning of this book, and I'm very happy I made it happen. Also the flashback with Tyler just gave you a better insight into what him and the older boys, mostly Nolan, went through when their moms decline began. The first chapter of part 2 will be up by mid next week (maybe, I promise nothing) so keep an eye out for that and let me know what you think will happen next. Thank you guys for almost 250k. I love you all and appreciate every single one of you. Have a good day, eat some food, drink some water and remember that I love you.

Also I plan to spend the next several days editing my early chapters just grammatically and stuff like that. Just wanted to let you know :)