August 2, 2020

I stood with my sister in the pouring rain.

Neither mom, nor dad, had come to pick us up from the soccer game.

It had been hours.

I was worried and scared. Me and Eva were soaked. And my shoes were drenched, and my hair was drenched, and my clothes were drenched.

I had attempted to use my shirt to keep Eva dry, but that had failed.

Just like me, she was soaked.

Michael had said he was going to go to the bathroom, but ended up ditching us.

After winning that soccer game, would my dad be proud?

I could only dream.

He never told me he was proud of me.

It was probably mom and dad fighting again.

Recently they had gotten so caught up in their arguments that they hadn't paid any attention to me or Eva.

Even though she desperately needed it.

It was at least 1 AM now. My iPhone X was almost dead, but I could still tell the time.

My dad had insisted against getting me such an expensive phone, because he believed that I would misuse it, and lose it or break it.

Despite what my dad said, my mom bought it for me anyway. And I hadn't broken it or lost it.

I honestly surprised myself as well.

"Parker?" my sister Eva said with a shiver, "When are Mommy and Daddy going to get here?"

"Just like I told you 15 minutes ago, I don't know." I said, hugging her.

The ref and other parents had left as well, as there had been many games that day on the field.

Eva gave me a scared look with her bluebell eyes, and said, "Mommy and Daddy are fighting again, aren't they?"

I gave her a sympathetic look and said, "Now how do you know about that?"

"I hear them screaming at each other." Eva said, "I have my ways, Parkee."

I have her a slight smile, and said, "I know you do, Little Lady."

She gave me a wide smile, and said, "What do we do then?"

"Wait." I said, forcefully.

"But, Parkee!" Eva said, "I wanna go play!"

"I don't think Mom and Dad would like that very much." I said.

"Since when did you become the one that follows all of the rules?" Eva said, crossing her arms, and standing up straight in defiance.

"What would we even do?" I asked.

"There's a lake over there!" Eva said, grabbing my hand, and dragging me to the end of the road.

"Eva, I don't think that's very-"

"What? I just wanna play!" Eva said, pulling me even harder.

"Eva, we can't swim in a lake." I said, "As bored as I am, I'm not going swimming today."

"But we've practically been swimming for hours since this storm! C'mon!" Eva said.

"Evangeline Mary Giselle Rebecca

Ecksen-Rodinland. It's not safe." I said, sternly.

Eva looked at me in fear.

"But I just wanna-" she began to cry a little.

"No, Eva I can't have you getting hurt." I said, holding her hands, and kneeling down to be the same height as her.

"You used my full name..." she said with a sob.

"Why, you are a very good actress, but I don't buy the crying." I said with a smirk.

The second I said that, her tears stopped, and she grumbled, "Dang it."

"So now that we have an understanding-"

"Im going swimming on my own!" Eva said, sprinting across the street.

"Eva!" I yelled.

I began to chase after her, as she sprinted through the woods.

She was fast, but I was too.

I hopped over tree trunks, and ducked under branches.

"Betcha can't catch me, Parkee!" Eva yelled in a songy voice.

"Eva! Get back here!" I yelled, catching up to her.

There was an opening of street, and Eva was far enough ahead of me, that she stood in the middle of the street and stuck her tongue out at me.

I heard the boom and shock of thunder and lightning.

Then the skid of a car.

"Eva get out of the road!" I screeched.

But I was too late.

The car lights flashed by, and the burning car slammed into my sister.

I heard screams.

Then I heard my sister's bloodcurdling screech, and then crying.

"EVA!" I yelled.

I ran over to the car, as fast as possible, and kneeled beside it, and began to attempt to use my clothes to put the fire out.

"EVA! S-SAY S-SOMETHING!" I yelled through tears and cries.

"PARKER!" I heard my sister cry out.

I lifted up a large piece of metal, then saw my sister.

"EVA!" I yelled.

I grabbed her limp body.

"Parkee..." my sister said weakly through her cries.

"I told you to listen to me!" I said, crying, holding her close.

She was covered in ash and blood, and had scrapes all over her face.

Her cheerleader outfit was torn to pieces.

I cried.

"Eva, we're going to get you out of here." I said determined.

"Parker, it's no use..." Eva said crying.

"Yes, yes it is." I said seriously.

I stood up.

"Parker, you're hurt." Eva said, pointing to my bleeding arms and legs.

"And you're dying. Do you think I give a-"

"Parker." my sister said.

I ignored her words, and began to sprint back to the field through the woods.

And I saw my mother's car.

________________________________

"I'm so sorry, Ma'm." the doctor said, sadly.

My mother cried, and huddled into my dad's arms.

The doctor left the room.

And all I could look at, was my bloody sister.

Dead.

And all I could do was stare.

"Do you have no feelings?" my father asked me, "Were you really that irresponsible?"

All I did was stare at him in anger.

"You." I said, "You left us there, for hours on end."

"And? We had matters to attend to." my father said, "That doesn't mean you get to let your sister do whatever she wants!"

"You had matters to attend to? YOU HAD MATTERS TO ATTEND TO?!" I screamed, slamming my hands against the table.

"Parker, lower your voice, please." my mother said through tears.

"NO. I WILL NOT, LOWER MY VOICE MOTHER." I screamed, "YOU TWO DIDN'T EVEN CARE TO SEND MICHAEL AFTER US! INSTEAD, YOU WERE SO CAUGHT UP IN AN IMMATURE ARGUMENT, THAT YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD LEAVE US AT THE GAME, AFTER I HAD DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT."

"We came! Are you happy?" my father yelled back.

"NO! BY THE TIME YOU GOT THERE, YOUR PRESENCE DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING." I screeched, grabbing the end of the table.

"APPARENTLY IT WOULD'VE TEN MINUTES BEFORE, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SISTER WHO WAS MORE RESPONSIBLE THAN YOU!" my father yelled.

"Both of you stop!" my mother yelled.

"YOU THINK I LET EVA RUN OUT INTO THE STREETS?!" I screamed, "I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS WORLD WHO CARES ABOUT ME!"

My parents looked at me in shock.

"Parker, I-"

"No, Dad. You're too late." I said, quietly, looking away from him.

"Parker, what would ever make you think that we don't care about you?" my mother asked.

"Oh, I don't know... MAYBE THE FACT THAT YOU THINK I'M AN IRRESPONSIBLE LITTLE BRAT WHO WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN TO SEE THE WORLD BURN! YOU NEVER CARE WHEN I GET GOOD GRADES! YOU NEVER CARE WHEN I HELP MY FRIENDS AND PEOPLE IN NEED! YOU NEVER CARE! YOU NEVER CARE WHEN I TRY MY BEST AND WIN IN SPORTS! THE ONLY THING YOU EVER DO IS FIND MY FLAWS!" I yelled, heaving after I finished my long statement.

"We just want to help you be better-" my father began.

"I wouldn't exactly call your comments constructive criticism." I said harshly, "Besides, you never seem to tell those things to MICHAEL!"

"Because he doesn't yell and interrupt when speaking."

"No, he doesn't have the spine to speak his mind, or ever do anything that people say is wrong. He will never be able to stand up for himself, or others, and is just a little suck up, who doesn't give a crap about me." I said, the words like venom, poisoning my parents and making them freeze.

"He certainly would never let Eva run off into the streets." my father said.

"You're right, he wouldn't have. But because of you guys, he didn't know that we were by ourselves, and didn't care to pick us up. And in fact, HE DITCHED US! IF YOU WANT TO BLAME ANYONE, BLAME HIM! HE ISN'T EVEN HERE!" I yelled.

My parents were taken aback.

"I'm sorry, since when did we give you the right to talk back?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You guys don't have the decency to admit when you're wrong." I said calmly, "Well, guess what? YOU'RE WRONG THIS TIME!"

"This isn't even about you, it's about your sister!" my mother said.

"You have done nothing more, than ruin my life. And you have done it again." I said, the words slamming my parents, I cried, "If anything, this is about me. She's the one who's dead. Who do you think that affects badly? Her, or me? She's in a good place now, and I'm living in this freaking heck-hole. I was the only one who ever paid attention to her. She was my world, and the only person who ever REALLY loved me."

I stared at them with anger.

Then glanced at my sister.

I balled up my fists.

My tears slowed.

"In case you're wondering, I got main offense in the soccer game, and won the game for my team. But not that you care." I said, walking out of the room, leaving them speechless.