Love and Hate by Chelsea Ballinger

night...”
    “Donovan, you already helped by
telling us what happened. “
    “Dad it’s been a year. I haven’t
seen any of you for a year and you still don’t have the killer. The cops don’t
care. Stonem definitely doesn’t care.”
    “Donovan, enough. Like I said,
don’t worry about it. ” My dad says in his strict voice. I hadn’t heard that
tone since I was twelve and I punched Christian in the nose for making fun of
me for crying while watching Lion King. Hey, the scene when Mufasa dies and
Simba cries for help, will make anyone cry damn it.
    “What is going on?” My mother
came in the living room
    “Nothing.” My dad says, rising
up. “This discussion is over.”
    “And why is that dad?” I say back,
standing up against my father. What am I doing? I have no clue. “Huh? I sit in
this house and do nothing. I’m a freaking stranger to this family. At school
I’m the son of Roman Pierce whose brother is dead. You can’t even look at me
for ten seconds without disappointment on your face. I know the face well
because I’ve been seeing it for years. You probably blame me for Christian’s
death?”
    “Donovan stop.” My mother says,
walking towards us.
    I can’t stop. It’s like
everything is coming out and I can’t stop any of it.
    “Come on admit it” I walk closer
to my father. “If I wasn’t out goofing around when we you told me not to, I
never would have gotten kidnapped. If I wasn’t messing around at that party,
Chris wouldn’t have been looking for me and telling everyone to leave without
us, then maybe we all would have been together. If I hadn’t been somewhere
wasting my time, I could have been with him when he found out whatever fucking
secret he found out. It’s not only your fault it’s my fault. I should have done
better. You weren’t there that night when it happened. I watched him try to
save us, while I acted like a scared kid! The better son died and it’s my fault.
So yeah I want the guys who killed him dead. Hell I want to pull the trigger
and watch them die.”
    I blame myself because Chris was
better than me. He was going to do something with his life. I should have died
not him. My father continues staring at me with a straight blank face. I can’t
even tell what he’s thinking. I feel my mother’s hands wrapped around my arm.
    “Like I said. Discussion is
over.” My father keeps his calm demeanor. He grabs his drink and walks past me.
He never has opened up to me. He and Christian always had their father and son
moments, but never him and I.
    “Roman!” My mother angrily calls
for him.
    “I guess he agrees with me.” I
storm off out of the living room.
    “Donovan!” Like my father, I
don’t stop when my mother calls after me.
    Ella is on the stairwell staring
at me in complete shock.
    “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
    “Nothing” I say.
    I hear her following me but once
I get in my room I slam my door shut. I grip my head, circling around my room.
I don’t know what is wrong with me. It’s like all I think about is either
Claudia or Christian and it drives me insane. All I see when I sleep at night.
Claudia. Christian. That ring. That fucking ring! I just want it all to be
over. 
    I walk out to my balcony and
scream as loud as I can for the whole world to hear me.
     
    Claudia
          
    I sit in the dark staring at my
phone. I’m looking at the time. I’ve been waiting on my father for two hours
now. Its 2 am and he is still not home. Finally, I hear the door open.
    “Dad.” I say, before he passes the
living room. He doubles back to look at me.
    “Claudia?” He says squinting to
see me.
    I walk towards my father out of
the darkness so he can get a better view.
    “Where were you tonight?”
    “I was at the office.”
    “Dad, I want you to be fully
honest with me okay? Were you with another woman?”
    “What?” My father asks
shockingly. “Claudia, how dare you ask me that?”
    “Dad I’m sorry it’s just