Monday December 14th,
This house is like living in the depths of hell. With my very own personal devils as parents. My dad’s an alcoholic. Drinking his life away. He says he’s stressed by work and having a fifteen year old me but honestly I think he’s just pathetic. He’s the city police chief who spends most of the work week sitting at a desk telling his officers what to do and where to be. Yeah, sounds real freaking stressful. My mom’s even worse. She’s a fourth grade teacher, cheating wife, and pill addict. She’s sleeping with the principle she works for so he won’t fire her. After catching her popping pills in her classroom a few months back he’s been blackmailing her for his own needs ever since. My mom doesn’t seem to mind. Why not use someone new when your husband is an abusive drunk? I keep my distance. Stay out of their hair and away from their drama. I’m a sophmore in high school throwing all of my time into homework for an excuse to stay away. I spend most of my time locked away in my room. They never seem to notice when I’m home or when I’m gone. I might as well just leave one night and never come back.

Wednesday May 25th
I came home from school to find my mom on the couch with the principle. Is she losing her mind? My dad’s hours are always changing and he could have walked in on them as easily as I did. Maybe that’s what she wanted. Maybe she wants him to find out so he’ll divorce her and she won’t have to be the one to suggest a divorce. I know she wants a divorce she’s been hinting at it for over a year but she’d never have the guts to say it to his face because she knows he’d smack her. Ever since my dad got promoted to police chief last January and started drinking religiously every night he’s been smacking my mom around. Punching her, pushing her down stairs, screaming in her face over the smallest things like not answering his phone call. After work everyday my dad stops at a bar. A new one every week. He stays there for hours on end, drives home drunk and comes in screaming nonsense at my mother and I. Slurring his words, knocking things over, it’s really getting old. Although my dad has no right to treat my mom the way he does I’m not sticking up for her. She’s as bad a wife as he is a husband and they really are a match made in hell.

Friday August 19th
Dad finally caught mom today. I was sitting in my bed working on a paper as he walked in. I could hear him climb the stairs already belligerent. I knew the man was here. In my parents room with my mom. My dad had heard from someone at work that my mother was cheating. He had suspected this for months and finally had enough reason to come home and confront my mother. Just so happened the cheater was there in my dad’s very own bed for him to catch. He stomped up the stairs with feet like lead. I could hear the bedroom door fly open and slam so hard picture frames fell of the walls and shattered on the cold floor. My father was screaming words and phrases worse than I had ever heard at my mother and her lover. I hear my mom let out a shrill scream as the sound of my father’s fist contacting the man’s face rings in my ears from a room away. The principle runs down the stairs as my father follows close behind still furiously yelling all the way. Once it’s just the three of us left in the house my father scales the stairs, feet still heavy and grabs my mother by her hair. He drags her to my door and swings it open. Presenting my mom to me like she’s nothing he tells me to take a look at my “filthy cheating excuse of a mother”. He shoves her to the ground and leaves my room. My mom looks up at me and calls my name. “Ava Grace, I’m sorry”. I don’t even give her the slightest glance instead I pick back up my pencil and continue writing.

Sunday December 11th
I try my best to stay away from my house these days. Lot’s of partying and staying out late. I’ve come to realize why my dad drinks so much. Removing me from reality and calming my nerves, fogging my brain. So do the pills. I know what you’re thinking, I’m just like my parents, and I am but I could care less. My grades have seen much better days. I have no interest in trying anymore. School is pointless and is getting me nowhere. I finally came home this morning for clean clothes after waking up in some random living room after what I assume to have been a party last night. My mom saw me walk through the door but said nothing. My dad wasn’t home but the bar would be a good guess as to where he was. I walked to the kitchen and I stopped at the counter. A stack of papers perfectly piled with a pen sitting on top. I glance toward the living room to see if my mom is watching me. She’s not. I read the page on top. Divorce papers. My mom’s finally filing for divorce. To save myself from the World War III that would ensue when my father came home to these I quickly went upstairs for a shower. As I came back to my room I grabbed my backpack and began packing. Once I thought I was sufficiently packed I grabbed my shoes and walked down the stairs and out the front door without a word to my mother.