Page 9 of Hitting the Goal Line
“It means that mommy and daddy aren’t going to be married any more or not living in the same house,” mom explains and the I can see it in my siblings faces that they don’t know how to feel about this.
I do. I’m glad, which I know is a bad thing to say or even think. But my parents fight a lot. Every time us kids go to bed, they start screaming at each other about one thing or another. Dad is never home and mom doesn’t look happy at all even if she is always smiling.
I may not understand the whole definition of divorce, but even at ten I know this is what’s best for our family.
“I’m going to be moving to Billings and I’m taking Hunter with me,” Dad announces.
Everyone turns to look at my dad.
“What?” Both mom and Hunter say at the same time. I guess this was news to both of them.
My eyes start to prickle.
Why is he taking Hunter? And why only him?
Do me and Jainie not matter?
Apparently not, because if we did, he wouldn’t have announced that Hunter was moving with him the way that he did.
I don’t think we ever mattered. Not like Hunter.
I’m not allowed to say curse word out loud, but I am allowed to think them. Fuck my dad. Taking one kid is absolutely bullshit.
Not wanting to hear any more of this conversation, I turn to look at my mom, who looks like she is about to irrupt like a volcano.
“Can I go get the mail, please?” I ask.
She takes her eyes off my dad and looks over at me, scrunching her eyebrows in the process. Our mailbox is at the end of the driveway, but she never lets me go out there when it’s already starting to get dark out. From the look in her eyes, though, she can see that I need an escape, so she gives me a nod. Because we both know that I’m not going to really get the mail.
“Yeah, honey. Go right ahead,” she says, just as a small tear escapes from her eye. She’s probably seeing the anger on my face that is there because of my dad. Not because of the divorce but because he’s choosing Hunter.
I don’t like seeing my mom cry, and I have a feeling that she is going to be doing a lot of that tonight.
I walk out of the house as soon as mom tells Hunter to take Jainie upstairs and slam the door shut as soon as the arguing starts.
Without thinking, I grab my bike from where it lays on the grass in the front yard and start paddling until I’m a mile away from here.
By the time I reach where I want to go, I’m out of breath, but I don’t care. I just need my best friend.
I drop my bike by the grass like I always do and run to the front door, hoping that someone is home since no cars are parked in the driveway.
Thankfully, Sophia’s mom answers the door, looking surprised to see me.
“Blake,” she says, looking over me to see if someone is with me. “What are you doing here?” She places a hand on my shoulder and walks me inside the house, closing the door behind me.
“I didn’t want to be home. My parents just told us that they are getting a divorce. Can I have dinner with you tonight?”
“Oh honey,” Sophia’s mom says, giving me the same sad smile my mom did. “Of course. Go up to Sophia’s room, she’s doing homework. I’ll call you down when it’s ready.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Martinez,” I say, quickly hugging her before running upstairs to Sophia’s room.
When I walk in, Sophia is laying on her bed, reading a book and not doing homework like her mom said she was. When she sees me, she jumps up, like I was a ghost or something.
“What are you doing here?” She asks, sitting up on her bed, totally forgetting about her book.
“I’m having dinner with you,” I tell her, going over and sitting on the floor in front of her bed.
“Why?” She asks, laying back down and wrapping her arms around my head like she always does.
