How To Play the Player (COMPLETED)

Hotline Bling

"All you do is work, Margaret!" my father's shout from the kitchen echoed through the otherwise silent house. "In case you forgot, you have another daughter!"

"You want to talk to me about having another child?" My mom's voice caught as she spat the words. "All you've done since Raya died is blame Reese. Like it was her fault."

I raked a hand through my damp hair, staring at the picture hung over my computer desk. It was from Raya, the twins, and me at Disneyland January of last year. My sister was hugging me, the biggest, cheekiest smile on her face, strands of her blonde hair falling into her eyes as she tried to pinpoint exactly where to look. The sun had been blinding the four of us, I was amazed we were able to get a decent picture without us all squinting. On her left was Brianna, towering over my petite sister, her arm draped over her shoulder. Bryan was on the right of me, not hugging me, but his hand had been resting on the small of my back, so he was close enough to be part of the picture. My family. This was my family.

Or at least it had been.

Bri and Bryan had been my backbone, my safe haven in the aftermath of my sister's death, it was likely I would have taken my own life a few months ago if I hadn't had them. They were still my family, my comfort, my everything, but there was just a bond that Raya and I shared that I'd never be able to attain with anyone else.

"You know, Margo, she's just like you!" My dad's voice tore me out of my train of thought. They'd been going at it for two hours with no end in sight. "Caught in her own little world of denial, pushing away all those who care about her by, burying her head in the sand and pretending."

"She was in the fucking car, David!" My mom cried as I edged closer to the door, tears stinging my eyes. "We almost lost both of them! You. . . you act like we did!"

My mother's words were followed by the sound of shattering and a cry from my mother. I threw my door open and raced out of the room, my heart pounding so hard against my chest it physically hurt to try and breathe. My father was standing over my mother who'd collapsed to the ground in a mess of porcelain. Shards encased my mother, her head in her hands. They must have heard my heavy breathing, because both of them turned to me in the dining room. My mother's right cheek was a bright, stinging red.

"Get out of here, Reese!" My mom said through her tears. "Go to the Waters."

I looked to my father, but he was a rigid bomb ready to detonate again. Blinking the tears from my eyes, I reached at my keys on the hook, opening the door as my father started toward me. I jogged down the steps, feeling my father at my tail until he spotted the large truck parked along the curb. Liam, who had seconds ago been drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, looked out the window, a confused look on his face.

"Reese, come back inside, sweetheart." My dad tried to reason, but the blood on his knuckles from hitting the mug from my mother's hand was enough for me to continue to back down the driveway. "We can talk about this like adults."

I slammed into something hard, thinking it was Liam's car, I was surprised to catch a waft of the jock's cologne. But for the first time, it was almost as much of a sense of comfort for me.

"What's going on?" Liam whispered, turning me so I was facing him. I avoided his eyes, and he clearly got the hint because he looked over my head and turned his curiosity to my father, "Is there a problem here, sir?"

Silence. Then, "No, son. My wife and I just got into a disagreement and Reese brought it outside and caused a disruption to our poor neighbors."

Because he and my mom fighting every day wasn't a disruption to the neighborhood.

"She was coming out here to meet me, sir. There must be some sort of misunderstanding here." Liam said, and without looking up could tell he was smiling at my father, "We're heading out for a couple hours."