before the pain | luke (JATP)

II

Mila wasn't pleased when she walked into her living room that afternoon, finding her mother and father yelling at each other. She sighed, them not even noticing her coming in.

"You said she had stopped and was taking school seriously!"
"Well, maybe she has it from her old dad!"
"Me being an author have nothing to do with you giving our daughter no respect"

Mila sighed as she walked up to her bedroom, still hearing them yelling downstairs. She placed herself on her bed. Her room before the summer used to be a pastel pink haven been chosen by her mother, now it's a dark blue and her character sketches were tapped random places on the wall.

Her room wasn't big, it didn't contain much honestly. Her single bed was in a corner, with her black table from ikea that she called a nightstand. Her clothes hung on a rack and her desk was filled with notebooks and unsharpened pencils. On the wall hung a guitar that hadn't been used for years and on the dresser was a broken picture frame, in it was a picture of the three of them, before the divorce.

It didn't take long for her parents to notice her shoes in her entry. A knock was heard on her dark wood door, and in came her dad. "Hey, love..." He said and sat down on her bed, Mila didn't even look at him, she just turned her back so she faced the wall.

"What did you do?" He asked, trying to stay calm as he looked at her teenage daughter. "Nothing..." She whispered back, which quite honestly was true, she hadn't heard the bell ring that morning and was too focused on making sure the boy in her story was believable, she didn't even hear Miss Bone, but she already knew that was what she had been punished for.

"You must have done something Milliana..'' Her dad's voice was now a little harder than it had been before, he of course never liked getting an email from the school, especially not on the first day. "I have already been punished, dad..." Mila answered, closing her eyes as she imagined having to clean that filthy basement for the next two months. "What was your punishment? Detention? Gum cleaning?" He asked her.

"I have to clean the basement on Sundays..." She answered, making her dad sigh. "The day of God as well... the principal is really mad this time huh?" Her dad tried to make Mila laugh, yet no reaction came from the daughter. "Listen, love, it will be okay.. maybe leave your notebook at home... and... focus on your grades this year... it is your last"

"I don't care... at this rate Miss Bone will have me thrown out before the next soccer game.." Mila finally turned around looking at her father, his heart broke a little looking at his daughter. Even though she was used to getting punished, this time her eyes were red, she had been crying on her way home. "Maybe you should change schools? ... finish your senior year somewhere new?" He suggested, even though he knew it was impossible. Willow Creek was the best high school in the state, there was no way that with her grades any university would take her if that school wasn't on the list.

Mila sighed and shook her head. "I can't leave Aera.." Her dad nodded slowly as he padded her legs. "Your mom is staying for dinner... she wants to talk to you" Mila bit her lip and nodded slowly. "You and mom were fighting again.." She said, making her dad clenching his jaw before sighing. "There was a reason I divorced her," He said with a cheeky smile on his lips, making Mila smile gently.

"She came with lasagna..." He stood up and looked at his daughter. "Put on some more comfortable clothes, then join us downstairs okay?" Mila nodded, as her dad went out of the room, Mila stood up and put on some pajamas. She looked at her character sketches and smiled seeing her main character for the novel she was writing. She looked into his eyes as she sighed.

"I know Elijah... I promised I wouldn't do it, but I got this amazing idea for chapter 12 and I just couldn't help myself from writing it down.." Mila said talking to the drawing. "You are gonna have the time of your life I'll tell you that" She giggled, and thought about the side plot. "Dinner!" Mila heard her mom yell, which made her sighed and waved goodbye to her character.

Mila placed herself at the table, the smell of the lasagna made her smile. "Now Milliana will you say prayers?" Mila looked up at her mom, honestly, she knew she looked more like her dad than her mom, and if it wasn't for her curly hair, you wouldn't even notice they were family. Mila bit her lip as she placed her hands with her mother and fathers. "God.. thank you for today, thank you for this food, and thank you for making my teacher an asshole" - "MILLIANA!" Her dad yelled as Mila shrugged with a gentle smile. "Amen"

And with that began Mila to enjoy her dinner, as the yelling of her mother and father began. "She learned that from you!"

"No, you were the one who taught her that word"
"it was the tv"
"Well, you could have turned it off!"
"You could have been home!"
"I was out making money for this family"
"And you weren't good at it!"

Mila began ignoring them after that point. Her parents had been divorced for 3 years, yet every time Mila would get in trouble they would come together and have a family reunion..which would end like this every single time. When Mila had finished her plate, she went to the kitchen and placed it there, before walking back up to her room. Her parents hadn't even started but were still yelling at each other.

She opened her school bag taking out her English book when she noticed a piece of paper.

do I need to get detention to read those novels of yours?

I don't even know your name?

Reggie

Well I would have to kill you if you ever read them, Reggie

well I will accept my death then

She giggled by his words, she had never noticed the boy before, even though he was in her class. She wasn't really friends with anyone other than Aera. But the small note made her realize that maybe she wouldn't be all alone this year in English. She went over to a wall that hadn't yet been plastered with any notes or posters, and here she hung up the small note from Reggie.

A knock came on the door and in came her mother, she looked furious but tried to calm herself down as she looked around in the room. "You've redecorated?" Her mother said as she placed herself in the middle of the room looking around. "Yea... I didn't feel like pink was my color anymore" Mila answered as she went to sit on her bed, taking the English book and opening it. "I like it... it's not really my style b-" Mila interrupted fastly. "Good is my room then" Her mother sighed.

"Mija.." Her mom began as she sat down on the chair by Mila's desk. "I know your stories are important, but maybe try and get another hobby, one that doesn't take your focus in class.. you could... hmm start swimming or-" Her mother looked around and pointed at the guitar. "Even begin playing again?" Mila's eyes went from her book to her mom with a typical: 'mom.. stop trying' look. But Mila simply sighed.

"I like writing mom.," Mila answered, before looking back into her book. Her mom sighing. "Yes I understand, but look at your dad, he loved to write too and he hasn't written in years now" She answered, lifting an eyebrow.

If Mila's mom could choose, she wanted Mila to become a doctor, a lawyer, or even an accountant, but sadly, she had gotten a daughter, who couldn't keep her head out of the universes she made and stop talking to the character she created. "Mija it's not like I want to crush your dreams"
"really? Because it feels like it" Mila answered not even looking at her mom. "Okay... let's make a deal" Her mom began, which made Mila look up from her book. "What kind of deal?"

"If you get a b or higher in all your classes that you're taking this year... I will pay for you to go to some writer school" Mila's eyes widened. "Do you mean that?" Mila smiled brightly as she almost threw her book away. "Yes... but I do need those grades and I need to see you enjoy life again Mija, I need to see you make a life in the real world and not in your stories...go out, make friends, get a boyfriend, wait no wait... no boyfriend until college... but you know what I mean" Her mom tried to smile, but Mila ran over hugging her mom tightly, which is something she hadn't done since the divorce. "I won't let you down mom... " Mila whispered as she could already smell Hamilton was closer than ever before. Her mom sighed yet smiled by the hug.

"I know you won't"