Chapter 1, Part 2

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"There's nothing for you to apologize for, honey. It's your parents who should be apologizing to you."
"Oh. Well, um, I should go now." She smiled.
"Absolutely. Don't let me keep you."
I reseated myself and pedaled around to the front of the house, then out onto the street.
It was less than a five minute ride to Emily's house, so I was parking my bike on her back patio in no time. I rummaged through my pockets for my keys, and slipped my spare one for the Whittaker residence into the lock.
"Emily?" I called, closing the door behind me. I heard a clatter, then quick thumping down the stairs.
"Amanda!" she cried, but the smile on her face quickly faded when she saw the expression on mine. "Oh, no. Again? Come on up," she beckoned to me as she grabbed a package of cookies from the kitchen counter. "and tell me all about it."
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Half a box of cookies and 20 minutes later, we had moved on to our annoying social studies teacher and the essay that was due on Wednesday.
"Emily?" someone called from downstairs. "Who's up there with you?"
"Oh, it's Amanda." Emily said as Denise Whittaker opened the bedroom door. "She needs to sleep over tonight."
"Oh, good! I was just about to make some popcorn. You girls wanna come down and watch a sappy chick flick with me and Roswald?" I almost laughed. Sappy movies, junk food, and the Whittaker's adorable chocolate lab was just what I needed.
"Sure!" Emily and I leapt up from her bed and followed Denise downstairs.
"Victor, you idiot! She's totally cheating on you! Jeez!" I threw my hands up in the air. "Hollywood can make pretty stupid people." Denise and Emily laughed their identical wind chime giggles while Roswald poked around on the floor for dropped popcorn.
"Anyone want more popcorn?" Denise asked, pausing the movie and getting up.
"Yes, please!" I said, getting up as well. "Could I come in with you?"
"Sure, sweetie." she smiled, ruffling my hair. "We'll be right back, Em."
"Oh, sure!" grinned Emily, rolling her eyes. "Go have bonding mother-daughter time with your daughter's FRIEND, while leaving your CHILD to stroke the dog!"
Chuckling, Denise and I entered the kitchen. "What's up, hon?" Asked Denise, grabbing a bag of popcorn from the cabinet.
"Well, I've been thinking," I said. "And I'm wondering if my parents should get a divorce. I mean, it'd be easier in the long run, anyway, cause they wouldn't be together nearly as much.
"Well," Denise sighed, popping the bag into the microwave and pushing some buttons. "for some people, divorce is absolutely the best option, and they accept that. But sometimes, people are blind to the fact that their marriage is falling apart, because they're stuck in the days when they first fell in love, and convinced that things haven't changed.
"See, people change a lot between 18 and 30, more than they realize. And when you marry young, and then change, their relationship often becomes very difficult to maintain. But, like I said, they're remembering the earlier days, and they think they're just going through a bit of a rough patch."
"One that lasts two years?"
"Yeah. The smartest of people can become the dumbest when it comes to love."
"Or lack thereof. Thanks, Denise. You know how awesome you are, right?" She grinned.
"Well, yes, but it's nice to be reminded sometimes."
"Hey, are you two done sapping yet, or do I have to get my own popcorn?" Emily said from the doorway, grinning.
"Okay, Miss Lazy McUnsensitive-Pants." I laughed.
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