Playing the Playboys

Chapter 39: The Termination

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's meant to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

The first thing I saw when I got out of the shower were both my parents on my bed.

It was such a weird occurrence because first of all, I had never seen them in the same place ever since my Grams passed away. If they were in the same room, they'd be screaming at each other things I'd rather not repeat. Second, they had the most disappointed look on their faces, making me think of the things I did in the past.

"Katherine Belle Solace," Mom started off begrudging, her forehead creased in thought. "What is this doing in your pocket?"

She then raised up the pack of cigarettes I stole from Ryder, and I winced. Before I could even explain my side, Dad began to speak.

"Look, we just wanna tell you we're not mad at you," he said in a surprisingly calm voice. "We just want to know why you started smoking."

"Is it because you're upset with us arguing?" Mom implored, a deep frown embedded on her face. "I know your father and I have been fighting so much lately that it's not healthy for you guys to hear anymore."

"What, so you guys are going to file a divorce?" I asked in a panicked tone. "What will happen to us, then? Who will be with Mom, who will be with Dad? Who's going to stay in this house? Am I not going to live with Karl and Kaden anymore? What's gonna happen—"

"What are you talking about?" Dad cut me off, an amused half-smile spreading on his lips. "We're not breaking up!"

"Heaven's no," Mom agreed, shaking her head as Dad intertwined their fingers. "We would never break up. We may have fought a lot, but we love each other dearly."

"That's what we wanted to talk about, actually," Dad said. "We wanted to apologize to you, Karl, and Kaden. We already talked to Karl earlier, now it's your turn."

"We're sorry that you guys were caught up in the middle of our whirlwind," Mom apologized, sincerity evident in her brown eyes. "We're sorry that we got too caught up with our pride and anger that we forgot to take care of you guys, too."

"When we found your cigarettes, your mom and I talked about everything like two actual adults," Dad admitted and glanced at Mom affectionately. "We're reminded of why we were married in the first place, why we even thought about having a family. So now, we're going to be better parents. We promise."

I didn't care that they thought I actually smoked a cigarette, or even thought I could do it. All I cared about was that they became okay because of it, so me looking rebellious was the least of my problems. Overwhelmed of happiness that they weren't going to argue anymore, I ran to them and threw my arms around them like a little girl. They chuckled at my childishness but hugged me back, nevertheless. In spite of everything bad that was happening to me, I was thankful for this moment.

"You have to promise never to smoke ever again though." Mom ordered sternly, raising up an eyebrow.

"I never even smoked," I admitted sheepishly, making the both of them sigh in relief. "It was just there in pocket."

Dad grinned and ruffled my hair. "That's my girl."

They stayed in my room for a while, asking me to fill them up about what was happening in my life. I told them that my life was pretty uneventful, which was a complete lie. I mean, I used to tell them everything, but what would they say if I told them I was purposely breaking hearts? They'd blame themselves for my own doing, and I didn't want them to worry anymore.