"Today, however can change things for better or worse. The outcome depends on you."
When a marriage fails the residue trickles down to everyone in the family. Sixteen-year-old Daya Nicole Johnston must fight to understand what is happening in her li...
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One second, there was complete silence and then I heard sobbing. My eyes became hazy and clouded over by a watery entity. The legs that had been holding me up went out from underneath me and I then realized that the sobbing I heard was my own.
Despite my best efforts, the cries accelerated in volume. Heavy sobs tore every inch of my throat as I crawled to a corner in my room. I suffocated my sobs with my hands or at least an attempt was made. The door to my room was wide open meaning that everyone could hear my tears. Yet, no one came as I sat in a puddle of my own despair.
After I few minutes it dawned on me that I would receive no comfort here. I peeled myself up from the floor and hesitated in my thoughts. Maybe we all needed space for a few hours. Before I could talk myself out of it, I exited my window.
I decided to take a walk to the park to find something to distract myself from my world of despair. My phone was gone so I couldn't call Banks. Why did I miss him already?
"Hey," I faintly heard a distant voice say from the right of me.
"Day, wait up," the voice said as it got nearer. I looked to my right to see Jay running to me from the direction of his house. I wiped my eyes and started speed walking down the sidewalk, trying to get further from him and my house.
"Hold up," he yelled. My feet stopped on the snowy sidewalk as I sighed.
"What is it, Jay?" I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my sweatpants.
"Have you been avoiding me? You haven't answered any of my calls or texts," he questioned.
Strategically, I avoided eye contact with him. One, so he couldn't see that I was crying recently and because I didn't know how I would react to his hazel eyes. "No, I should be though. Why are you even out here?"
"I saw you outside with your family, I heard a bit too. The whole neighborhood heard probably. But you and I both know that we need to talk," he paused.
"Are you feeling okay?" He leaned forward as we walked.
"I was better before you showed up," I murmured.
"Something tells me that's not true. Daya, we have been friends for over a decade. We can't let two irrelevant people rip us apart." I shook my head, and we walked to the park side by side wordlessly.
"What do you think tore us away from each other?" I queried as we arrived at the park with our tree in view.
"I blame myself. I should've been honest with you about my feelings. None of this would have happened if I did." He was so frustrating all the time but that was all I'd ever wanted from him.
I sped up my walking speed. "That's not true."
He pushed his eyebrows together, "What are you talking about?"
