Amari
Saturday

This lady had one more time to talk out the side of her neck and I was gonna call my Momma.

"Jake, go get your Mom and tell her to come eat." Jake's Aunt said as she made plates.

Jake walked away and I leaned against the wall.

"I know Pat can be a handful and rude, but she isn't in her right state of mind." Jake's Aunt said. "She drinks, does drugs, and on top of that her memory is going and she's still so young."

I didn't say anything.

"That's the reason I took Jake." She said. "Pat can hardly remember the name of his father and sometimes she calls me freaking out about how Jake hasn't come home yet." She looked at me. "I've had him since he was five. He hasn't been with her in 13 years."

"Maybe that's why she drinks." I said. "She's worried about Jake because she thinks he's still supposed to be here with her."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "Jake doesn't really like his mother, though."

"I've noticed." I laughed. "Why not?"

She went to say something, but stopped once Jake and his Mom came into the kitchen.

"Breakfast is ready." She said smiling at me. "Help me with the plates?"

"Yeah, sure." I nodded.

I helped her sit the plates on the table. She insisted we said grace, but Jake's mom just started to eat while our heads were bowed.

"Any plans for today?" Pat asked looking at Mar.

Mar was short for Margaret. I learned that from Jake.

"I'm going to go make sure everything is ready for the Grand opening luncheon Tonight." She said. "I need you to stay sober. That's it. That's all. Jake and Amari, I need you two to take her to go get a dress. If she's going to be a drunken mess, I refuse to have her in my designs."

She sipped her orange juice and Jake's mom stared down at her food suddenly not hungry anymore.

"I'm your sister." Pat spoke up.

"I know that." Mar nodded. "And I love you, but I don't want you to ruin any opportunities for me. I'm taking a risk by letting you come to the luncheon Tonight."

No wonder Pat was such a bitch. They both were! I mean, Mar never treated me badly, but dang. Her own sister.

"You guys need to be ready for the luncheon by 8:00." Mar said.

We ate in silence and suddenly I realized why Jake wasn't outspoken. Why he took big risks, but never expect them to work out. His family was horrible! He had to say things to get their attention and he had to leave it at that or there would be a problem.

After breakfast, Mar left to handle business. Pat showered and got dressed and we left to buy her a dress.

"Mom, try the blue one." Jake said uninterested.

He didn't like spending time with her. He didn't like her at all.

"Okay." She nodded grabbing the dress from him and going into the dressing room.

"You can try to be a little more interested or, I don't know, nice?" I said quietly.

"I am being nice." He laughed. "Nice to her, anyway."

"You're being mean." I said. "That's not okay. She's your mother, Jake."

"Yeah. My mother who I haven't seen or spoken to in years." He laughed sarcastically. "She didn't care about being polite when I was younger, so why should I care now?"

"People can change." I said.

Why was I helping her? I didn't even like her!

"No offense, but you don't have to deal with any of this." He shook his head. "It's not like you'll ever have to experience any of this anyway."

He stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked away.

"Rude..." I mumbled rolling my eyes.

It's not my fault his mom was like this.

"What do you think?" She stepped out staring down at the dress.

When she looked up and saw that it was only me, she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Where is Jake?" She asked.

"Beats me." I shrugged. "I'm going outside."

"Why? Does it smell too cheap in here?" She taunted me.

Why was she coming for me because my family was better off than others? How is it my fault that my parents went to school and put in the work to get where they are now? This is too much.

"I'm..." I shook my head. "Not even going to entertain you."

I walked off before she could say anything else. I stepped outside and took a deep breath. Dad was right. Maybe I shouldn't have come. Maybe I should take a step back and analyze things.

I hadn't spoken to Tyler since we made it home, Hunter isn't talking to me, Jake just came for my neck a few minutes ago, and Lana is no where to be found! I need new friends.

Tyler

I stared at Hunter as he typed away on his phone.

"Hunt..." I said, but he ignored me. "Who're you texting?" No reply. "That girl is at the door."

"Which one?" He asked still typing on his phone.

"The cute one." I said.

"Okay. I'm not here." He waved me off.

"I lied. No one is here for you." I said poking his face.

"Don't touch me." He slapped my hand away.

"Who are you texting?" I asked.

"Your girl." He mumbled. "Oh wait, that would be Amari and I am definitely not talking to her right now." He looked over at me. "Or you for that matter. Leave me alone."

"I'll steal your phone." I said. "Say I won't."

"You better not." He said.

I snatched the phone from his hands and immediately started running off. Hunter chased after me.

"Mom!" I called.

"Mom!" Hunter yelled out.

"What?" Mom asked stepping out of the laundry room.

"Tyler has my phone!" Hunter snitched.

"Hunter is being mean!" I snitched.

"You sound like a little girl!" He jumped at me.

"You look like one." I jumped back.

"Don't jump at me, punk." He jumped at me again.

"You two need to stop." Mom patted my arm. "Give Hunter back his phone."

"Alright." I nodded looking at the phone while Hunter tried to snatch it back. "Angel? What? You're always talking to him. Is he your boyfriend now?"

"No." Hunter rolled his eyes snatching the phone from my hands. "He's just a cool dude."

"Well, don't you think it's weird how much you two talk? Y'all talk a lot. Like, how Amari and I talk and we're in the same state." I said and he groaned walking away.

He stormed off into his room and slammed the door. Mom stepped out of the laundry room again and glared at me.

"Can you be nice to him for once?" She asked. "He's sensitive."

Hunter

I stormed into my room and slammed the door behind me.

Why did he always have to taunt me?

Why did he have to be so terrible about everything?

My phone dinged and I looked at it.

It was Angel. I sighed and threw my phone on my bed before going to my desk and getting on my computer.

The phone dinged again and the message popped up on my computer. I quickly exited it out and turned away from the computer.

Why couldn't he leave me alone?

If people thought that us talking was weird, I didn't want them to think that I was weird.

I didn't want people to look at me any differently...

I sighed and slipped on some shoes before grabbing my phone and walking to the living room where Tyler was sitting flipping through channels.

"Can you drop me off somewhere?" I asked.

"Where?" He asked looking over at me.

"At Olivia's house." I said.

She had asked me to drop by at some point this weekend because her parents wouldn't be home. Everyone knew she liked me.

"Yeah, sure." Tyler said grabbing his keys. "Come on. You have to put the address in the gps."