This is the first part of the entire beginning. This takes place in August 1 but will be reversed to Carla's family itself.
This is a fiction story as well.

Enjoy!

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"I swear that was a nice fashion designer blouse! I sew it with my own two hands for almost 4 hours?! How could you?!" A redhead shrieked so loud while the bowl of spaghetti slid down to the floor off of her blouse.

"Well sorry, you just happen to be in the way!" A blonde yelled back, "Besides you're not the one I'm after"

"That's no excuse for ruining my blouse! Justice for Fashion, you singing siren!" The redhead grabbed some ketchup bottles and squirted it all at the blonde but she dodged it and hid behind a brunette who was enjoying some pie at a table. Ketchup marks were everywhere on the brunette as she scoffed.

"Dishonor! Dishonor on your whole family! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on the creator of ketchup!" The brunette screamed loudly as the pie had ketchup all over it. She was disgusted and lost her appetite by looking at it. She mouthed "Rest in Peace" to the pie as she held that pie in her hands, reading to throw it at one of the two girls.

The other two grabbed other sorts of food as everyone watched as the three girls approached each other in the middle of the cafeteria with food in their hands. Before they start throwing food at each other, a purple mixed orange hair female blows her whistle. "That's enough! I'm not letting anyone in the student body have a chaotic food fight! So break up the hate, cry a river, build a bridge, and get over it!" The trio looked at the female as she walked up to them. They were silent but didn't put down whatever food they had.

"So who caused this mess?" The student body president asked them. "She did!" They all pointed at each other like a triangle and death glared. Another brunette who was in the back of the cafeteria, yelped "Oops....." and slid down on her seat.

Whoa whoa whoa! You all may be wondering what exactly happened at that particular moment so let me reverse that back to you. Like the way way way back. This whole food disaster may be my fault but it wasn't exactly my fault, fault. I swear.

Cause I don't want to confuse you, having that part as the beginning of how it all started for me.

I'm Carla Tate, 16 years old, a brunette, and I'm totally a dork. That's what I've described myself since I was in elementary school. Sometimes there are times, my moods change like every 10 second everyday but that's normal I think. But that's me just rambling on my stupidity. Nevermind. Scratch that.

Anyways I am the oldest out of 2 younger siblings, a brother and sister who are 2 years apart.

My little sister is Heather Tate, a total adorable 6 year old who loves Frozen and all Disney. Especially that she can't stop watching Frozen and sing Let It Go everyday to me. She's very innocent and probably a bit spoiled on certain occasions. Darn those puppy eyes of hers!

My little brother is the complete opposite of Heather. Logan's 8 years old and he loves Marvel or DC. He's even a LEGO fan. He's probably the smart one out of the three of us and sometimes I wonder if he'll ever go to Yale one day cause a few weeks ago, he had Mom and Dad discuss global warming which surprised the crap out of them.

Speaking of Mom and Dad, I should definitely introduce those two as well.

Mom (Jessica Tate), 30 years old, is very athletic and looks like a younger version of Heidi Klum. Except she has brown hair and brown eyes. She's very outgoing and sometimes forced me and the other siblings to do some outdoor "adventures" rather than staying inside the house. By that, I mean, doing the Pioneer stuff without technology for a week or running about 15 miles in the HEAT. But I gotta say, I love her. I hope she can become an astronomer because she's in love with space. There are times the outdoor adventures aren't too bad like the one time we managed to see a solar eclipse or watch the sun set before evening. Being an astronomer is her dream since she was........I forgot how old she said she was when she spoke to me about this stuff.

There's my Dad (Michael Allen). You may wonder why his last name isn't the same as the rest of the family (including mine). It's a long story that I'll get to as soon as I'm done with my dad.

My dad is a construction worker, builds some houses or even buildings. He's always gone most of the time which concerns everyone in the family, especially Mom.

The last time I saw him was 3 weeks ago when he set to go on some "private" trip his boss sent him for exactly 3 weeks or longer cause he hadn't shown up to celebrate Logan's 8th birthday.

Mom kept texting him, calling him, and managed to speak to his boss but no luck. The others and I were getting worried and we're in the month of August the 1st. Mom was worried for a bit but got mad instantly. She has hunches that Dad doesn't want to see his family again and even went to court for some divorce papers just in case. This has been pissing her off and she had enough.

At 8 pm, the others and I were watching Sleeping Beauty downstairs in the living room as we heard a knock on the front door. As the oldest, I got up from watching and opened up the front door.

There he was...............

My Dad.............

The person my siblings, Mom, and I haven't seen since July 12th..........

I don't know whether I should yell at him or say anything to him at all. I was shocked he managed to show his face up. But I miss him and so did Heather and Logan. I don't know about Mom if she feels the same.

"Hey, Carla, long time no see!" Dad said to me as he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "Hey Dad...." I said back as he released me from the hug. He got in the house as I closed the front door behind myself.

Heather and Logan saw Dad and ran up to him, giving him a hug. "Daddy, I miss you so much!" Heather squealed. Logan smiled big as they let go of him from hugging. "I miss you, kiddos too" Dad turned around and noticed that the three of us were at home. He looked at me and asked me where Mom is.

"Mom's at work, at Apple. She won't get home till 8:30. You're welcome to stay if you want" I answered as I grabbed my phone from the counter where it was charging. I want to text Mom that Dad is back but was afraid of her reaction. But before I texted her, some keys were inserted to the front door and opened up.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Mom shouted loudly.

Nevermind texting her, she's home early today. I looked at my phone and the time was 8:18. New record!

"Mom, Daddy is back!" Logan exclaimed.

"I can tell" Mom crossed her arms and gave Dad a death glare. "Daddy is finally back after being gone on some private trip for exactly 3 weeks, not even caring to reply to every text or call me back!

"Jessica, I can explain but can you please not let us argue in front of your kids? Let's talk somewhere else. You looked stressed out from work" Dad reassured her as he went up to her for a kiss but she pushed him away.

"I'm not stressed from work! Work was great! It's you that's stressing me out!"

"Jessica...."

"Carla, take Heather and Logan upstairs! Now! Your "Dad" and I are gonna have a nice chat" Mom told me. I nodded in agreement and pulled the others upstairs.

"Why is Mommy mad at Daddy?" Heather asked me, looking worried.

"I don't know but it's best for you and Logan to stay with me in my room where we won't hear any yelling" I replied to her as we entered my bedroom that was far enough to hear any of my parents. I closed the door and joined the two who were sitting on my bed, upset.

Logan looked like he's gonna cry any second but I wrapped my arms around him. "Carla....when I saw Daddy, I almost cried in front of him because he missed my 8th birthday.....it's hard that he wasn't there at all. Only you, Heather, Mommy, and Josh were there" He whimpered as some tears fell on my arms.

I have a feeling that bothered Logan the most ever since he turned 8. He's the only boy in the family other than Dad and they get along so well so I got confused if Superman is a good guy or is Joker the true hero? It's confusing but seeing Logan smile means a lot to Dad and the whole family.

I was having mixed feelings about Dad but that didn't stop me from comforting Logan. "I bet it was hard Dad wasn't there but I doubt he didn't mean to miss your birthday and got caught up with work, you know"

"I guess you're right, Carla...thanks." Logan begins to sniff as Heather places her head on my shoulder. "I'm worried about Mommy and Daddy. I hope they're alright" I turned to my younger sister and tried to put a smile on my face. "'Me too, sis"

We were all being close with each other for a long time in silence. We can somewhat hear Mom and Dad yelling at each other from downstairs. It managed to bother the three of us a lot as I let go of Logan and let Heather lay on one of the pillows of my bed.

I opened up my sliding closet, to find some board games I have in there. It took a while but I found Monopoly. It was hidden under some clothes I own that weren't folded at all. I haven't seem that game in almost a month and I thought it was lost but was glad it wasn't anymore.

"You 2 up for Monopoly?" I asked Heather and Logan. That way, the yelling of our parents won't bother us as much. This can distract us from crying, worrying, and being upset by the commotion downstairs.

"Yes! I'm the God of Monopoly!" Logan exclaimed, very happy. Not gonna lie, he was right about that. He's very good at certain board games but at least he's happy.

"Just try not to buy any houses or buy Boardwalk. You always get it and manage to have half of my money" Heather told him as they joined me on the floor with the board game.

"Maybe you should stop underestimating my smartness, sis"

"Maybe you should actually be easy on me then I'll stop thinking you're not smart at this game"

"That's what you said on Uno! Sorry, sis, I can't be easy on you"

"Meanie!"

"No you are!"

"Nu uh! You are!"

"You are!"

Their bickering continued as I finished setting up the board game. Them bickering is pretty much what all sisters and brothers go through. At least it's not intense like Mom and Dad's. I try my best not to let them ruin Monopoly for us so I did my best on shuffling the Chance Cards and Community Chest cards. It wasn't the best but the two younger siblings of mine claimed my shuffling skills suck and laughed. At least they stopped bickering, I almost dropped some of the cards onto the gaming pawns.

We managed to play for an hour which made time go by pretty fast. All of the sudden, everything was just quiet. Heather and Logan were getting sleepy so I let them sleep on my bed for tonight. While they get themselves comfortable in my bed (even though it was a queen size bed), I put away the game back into my closet.

Note to self: I need a bigger closet and maybe clean it.

I walked out of my room and saw Dad holding some luggage downstairs from the rail. Why is he holding them? Are he and Mom okay? What exactly is happening right now? I want to get answers and I want them now.

So I ran down the stairs and approached Dad. He didn't look so happy and looked like he's guilty. Of what? I noticed Mom was there, standing next to a chair of the dining table, with her arms crossed. She didn't look so happy. Her brown hair was all messed up, her cheeks were red, and her brown eyes shot a death glare at Dad. Dad gulped as he tried not to look away from Mom.

"Mom.......Dad........I'm confused. What exactly happened with you two? Why is Dad looking like he's about to leave? Why do you look so pissed, Mom?" I started to blabbered based on what I'm seeing right now. There was no answer from either of my parents. It was dead silence and I can't stand it anymore. I held in my anger and tears that I'm feeling right now and took a deep breath.

"What happened between you two?" I started again. This time, Mom sat down on the chair she was standing next to, with her arms still. Dad put his luggage next to the front counter where a glass oval Chinese dragon mirror. He looked at his reflection before looking at me and Mom.

"So are we ready to tell her, Michael?" Mom asked Dad.

"I think it's best if she knows. Carla is 16 years old and she's mature enough to understand what has happened between us, Jess" Dad replies back.

"Don't you dare call me, Jess! It's in the goddamn past! We're in the present!" Mom yelled as her voice echoed in the room. Dad was still and looked like he saw a ghost.

Whoa whoa whoa! I'm confused. What are they gonna tell me? Dad did claim I'm mature enough because I'm 16. Ummm, yeah, he may need to get facts straight. Just because I'm 16, doesn't mean I'm mature! Logan is the mature one and he's only 8! I don't think I gained common sense yet. I definitely need to look up on Google for what mature is. That's a note.

Dad coughed up his voice a bit and pulled me to sit down on the couch with him. Mom didn't move from where she was at and watched us. Luckily, we were nearby where she could hear us.

"Carla, your mom and I are splitting up.....for good" Dad said so suddenly. My eyes popped out like those weird googling eyes from those cartoons, my mouth was in shock (and yes I gasped), and my heart was pounding so hard. What did I just witness right now?

I try my best to hold in my tears as Dad noticed it. "See, I told you she can't handle it! Now look at her, she's gonna cry and hate us both!" He shouted to Mom.

"This wouldn't happen if you didn't cheat on me during your "private" 3 week trip! I spoke to your boss earlier today and he claimed that you were not on a private trip and that you decided to not go to work a damn while! He also claimed that where his wife worked at where it was a residential area for nurses, it was a similar excuse from one of their co-workers! Eva.....Eva whatever her name is! Why would you marry me, have 3 kids with me, live in this amazing home, miss your only son's birthday this year, have such a wonderful job, if all you can do is CHEAT?!" Mom cried.

What Mom said made Dad get up from the couch and walk up to her. He turned around from her and all of the sudden, he slapped her with his right hand. "You stupid bitch! We used to be so good together that after having Heather, we broke apart from each other. We didn't even see each other until 11 every evening. You got your "job" at Apple and go to school to become some space scientist while I want to build stuff for the community and for myself. Eventually, you start begging me to spend more time with you but I couldn't refuse the fact that you were always annoying from the start. You're hopeless, Jessica. I'm glad I cheat on you. Thanks to this, our kids will never have two parents. Only one"

Mom placed her left hand on where Dad slapped her and looked astonished. She looked hurt and I can't believe I witnessed my own father doing that to my mom. It's like a nightmare and sometimes I wish it was a dream. I pinched myself but it didn't work. This was my reality. A reality where my parents are now splitting up. A reality that became my worst nightmare. I got up from the couch and approached my parents with a look of fear.

"Dad.....is it true.....? You really think cheating on Mom was the best decision ever....? The fact you were with someone who was a nurse for 3 whole weeks....? The fact you miss Logan's birthday and never cared to even say a happy birthday to him on text on my phone for him to know that you still love him.....? You and Mom could've worked things out by fixing your communication problems and finding time for each other but no, you go to a path of disappearing for 3 fucking weeks with someone else where it's gonna tear me..." All of the sudden, tears started to pour from my eyes as I tried to control myself from crying on my knees. I continued, "Logan........Heather......and Mom apart........!" I gulped as I clenched my fists tight.

Tears kept pouring as Mom looked at me with care and comfort. I can tell she felt every emotion of what I said to Dad. Deep down, I knew that even though my parents are splitting up, it was best if my own dad could know the truth of his actions and consequences.

Dad looked at me, pretty heartless as he tried to tempt himself from hitting me next. He doesn't give a damn if I was crying and making some speech. All of the sudden, he couldn't and almost slapped me. Mom stopped him and looked dead cold. "Leave, Michael! Now!"

Before he headed to the front door, he looked at me as I wiped my tears off of my face. I have a feeling he's gonna say something to me. And I was right.

"Carla, just remember that tears can only show how weak you are. I'm tired of you crying, trying to get what you want but that's pathetic. You're just a weak girl who can't handle a single word from anyone. Such a naive daughter I had who is willing to change people but people don't change, dear" He opened up the front door with his luggage and he slammed it behind him as he went to his car.

I was traumatized by what my own dad said to me and fell on the floor. It was not a nice message especially coming from someone who raised you for 16 years till now. Who loved you with his very heart.

I hear the car leave the driveway and just like that, he's gone. I don't know how long but it just revealed Dad's true colors.

I got up from the ground where Mom was still sitting at her current spot in the dining room. I sat next to her and placed my hand over hers in comfort. "I'm sorry you have to witness this, Carla. I'm sorry your own stupid father made such a horrible decision to cheat on me and leave us for good. I'm sorry for being such a terrible mother. I guess I need to be a stay home Mom to spend more time with my own kids including you" Mom told me with her voice being so solemn. Her expression was in deep upset and sadness which I can't force her to feel all better like a snap.

"Mom, it's not your fault. Really, don't put the blame on yourself that this happened. Dad just revealed to you and I that he's not the right person for this family. Sure, he raised me for 16 years with you but at the end, at least I get to witness who he is. So don't leave your job because of what he said. Maybe ask your manager for some day offs to spend time with me and the others" I replied back to her, giving her a smile.

"How am I gonna tell Heather and Logan about this? I can't lie to them of what happened tonight"

"Just gently put down the truth and leave some parts off like Dad slapping you, he almost hit me, what he said to me before he left, and me crying like a pouring rain. Then boom! I know Logan will understand and Heather will too"

"That's a great idea. Besides it will take time for all of us to compose everything before we do the next step"

"Which is?"

Mom got up and looked at me with determination in her eyes. That means she has an idea that will blow me away. But I'm ready. After this whole Dad drama, I want some enlightenment tonight.

"Let's move to a brand new area, in a brand new house, to start fresh. We're no longer the Allens. We're the Tates"

Okay that blew me away. I don't know if I should continue writing in my diary since it's 4 in the morning already. I just want to say one more thing.

How will Heather and Logan handle the upcoming divorce of our parents? Where exactly are we moving to? New home? New area?

I think I should leave Josh a text before I sleep. He's my childhood-Nevermind. He'll be mention the next entry of my diary. But anyways, I hope he understands my situation.

To Josh Flurry 👻

Do you want to hear an interesting story of what I witness last night? Plz text me ASAP! I may need some ice cream 🍦 and a shoulder to cry on 😢

From Carla (4:23 am)

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The first starting chapter of United.

Thank you for reading it!

Don't forget to vote and comment your favorite part of the chapter!

See you next time and happy 4tb of July!

-Mina ❤️