"Mom and Dad were fighting again," she said between sobs, her voice raw. "It was so loud, Kyle. I tried to sleep, I put on my headphones and everything, but I could still hear them. They were saying such mean things to each other."
Anger surged through me, hot and immediate and righteous. Anger at my parents for being so consumed by their own misery that they couldn't see what they were doing to their daughter. Anger at myself for not being here when she needed me. Anger at the whole situation that had forced a twelve-year-old girl to cry herself to sleep because the adults in her life couldn't get their shit together.
I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight while she cried against my shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Ari," I said quietly. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. I'm sorry they're putting you through this."
"I just want them to stop," she whispered. "I don't care if they get divorced anymore. I just want them to stop fighting."
Knowing that a twelve-year-old girl would rather have her parents no longer together than continue living through the hell we were in was saying a lot. We reached a point where she just wanted peace, even if that peace came at the cost of separation.
"I promise there won't be a next time," I said firmly, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "We're going to have a family meeting. We'll all sit down together and talk about how all of this is affecting us. It's time to stop running away from our problems and pretending everything's fine when it's not."
Aria nodded, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand. "Do you really think they'll listen?"
"They have to," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure I believed it. "Because if they don't, they're going to lose us both."
I stayed with her until she fell asleep, sitting on the edge of her bed and holding her hand the way I used to when she was little and had nightmares.
I wouldn't let my sister suffer alone anymore. Whatever it took, whatever difficult conversations were needed, I was going to make sure my family dealt with their problems instead of letting them fester.
Some things were worth fighting for. And Aria's childhood, her happiness, her sense of safety, those were worth any uncomfortable confrontation with my parents.
I'll have time to deal with the consequences of Jeremy and Leo's kiss. But tonight and tomorrow, I'd be here for my sister because that's what mattered most in my life.
CHAPTER 35
Kyle
When I wokeup the next day, I knew exactly what I wanted to tell my parents. I sat up in the corner of the bed, running my hands through my hair. Enough was enough. I'd made Aria a promise, and I intended to keep it.
Their constant fighting was tearing us apart. In trying so hard to stay together for our sake, they were only making us wish we could get as far away from them as possible.
I went to Aria's room, and I found her drawing at her table.
"Hey," I said softly from her doorway. "Did you sleep at all?"
She shrugged. "A little. After you left."
"Remember what I said last night? About having a family meeting?"
She looked up at me with hope and fear warring in her expression. "You were serious about that?"
"Completely serious." I walked into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. "We're going to talk to them today. Right now, actually."
"But what if they get mad? What if it makes things worse?"
I took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Ari, it can't get worse than this. And if they get angry, that's on them, not you. They're the ones who put us in a position where we have to act like the adults."
She was quiet for a moment, then nodded, "Okay. What do we do?"
"We're going to make them breakfast," I said, standing up and giving her my hand. "And then we're going to sit them down and tell them exactly how this is affecting us. No more pretending everything's fine. No more suffering in silence."
“Sounds good.”
We made our way downstairs quietly and then started preparing everything in the kitchen for when they got up. Once everything was ready, we carried the plates and glasses to the dining room and set the table carefully. Then we sat down side by side, facing the two empty chairs where our parents would sit, and waited.
Finally, we heard footsteps on the stairs. Mom appeared first, and behind her, Dad, still a little sleepy.
