Haley and Vivian's bad month

Earlier in December

Amanda Bailey smiled as she heard the familiar creak of the front door swinging open. It was exactly 1:20 PM—her favorite time of the day. That sound meant her two daughters, Haley and Vivian, were home from school.

“Hi, Mom!” both girls called out in unison as they kicked off their shoes in the entryway.

Amanda peeked out from the kitchen with a warm smile. “Hi, girls. How was school today?”

Vivian, never one to hold back, blurted, “Haley threw up her breakfast right before her chemistry test.”

Haley’s eyes narrowed as she shot her younger sister a glare. “Thanks for that, Viv.”

Amanda’s expression quickly shifted to concern as she rushed over, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “What? Oh, honey, are you okay? Do you still feel sick?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Haley said, brushing a lock of blonde hair from her face and holding her hands up defensively. “It was just nerves. I’m okay now.”

Amanda sighed with a hint of relief, then put her hands on her hips. “Well, if you're feeling well enough to argue, you're feeling well enough to shovel the driveway and patio.”

“Seriously?” Haley groaned, clearly not expecting that turn.

“Yeah, seriously, Mom?” Vivian echoed, mimicking Haley’s expression and striking a mock-defiant pose with her hands on her hips.

Despite herself, Haley cracked a smile. They might argue like cats and dogs, but when it came to protesting chores, she and Vivian were a united front.

Amanda tried to maintain her stern face, but it didn’t last long. She sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. You can both do it tomorrow. But don’t come complaining when the snow’s hardened and twice as heavy.”

With that, she turned back to the kitchen, muttering under her breath, “I swear, raising teenage girls should come with hazard pay…”

Haley and Vivian exchanged grins and headed upstairs.

“Can I hang out with you in your room?” Vivian asked as they reached the hallway.

Haley hesitated. “Uh… not today. I kinda want some time to myself.”

Vivian raised an eyebrow and tilted her head suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing!” Haley said quickly, waving her off. “I just… want to chill for a bit. Alone.”

Vivian raised an eyebrow at this. “You're going to masturbate aren’t you?”

Haley was taken aback. “Since when do you talk like that?” Haley demanded.

“Please, you act like I’m a small child. I’m barley any younger than you, and my birthday is coming up anyway.”

Haley’s brown eyes stared into her sisters equally brown eyes for a few seconds. “Fine, but I’m still not letting you in my room.”

Vivian crossed her arms, clearly unconvinced. “Fine. Be boring.”

Haley rolled her eyes and disappeared into her room, shutting the door gently behind her. Vivian lingered outside for a moment, then huffed and wandered off to her own room.

Haley let out a deep sigh as she flopped back onto her bed. Reaching down, Haley undid her pants, kicking them off her legs. The stress of the day, throwing up, tests, nagging, and her sister’s loudmouth had worn her down.

Without thinking about it, the blonde stuck her right hand down her panties, and began to finger herself, thinking of her newest crush. It was weird to be honest, she had never looked at him before like she did now. But ever since she hurled up her guts that morning, things… changed for her mentally. For some reason, she found this person attractive all of the sudden, when she never did so before.

Haley stared up at the ceiling, brow furrowed. “What is wrong with me today?” she murmured. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

The strange thing was, they had always been in different social circles, and often found him staring at her before moving his head as if she didn’t notice him. For a long time, she was sure he was a dweeb, yet here she was fingering herself to him. Why did she suddenly have these thoughts about Mark Donovan of all people?

---

Dec 25, 6 AMNormally when it was a break from school, Vivian Bailey would have never set her alarm. But today was Christmas, and that was always worth getting up early for.

The teen soon hopped out of her bed, throwing the sheets off haphazardly like she was a little girl again, and not someone her actual age. Entering the hallway, she look around and saw no one.

Vivian then tiptoed to her older sister's room, wanting to surprise her. Haley had been tightly wound recently, and Vivian knew she needed a good laugh. She didn’t blame her sister for this of course, what with it being her senior year and needing to apply to colleges, but she needs to take a pause and be absent from the world, at least for a little bit.

Now outside of Haley’s room, a wide smile came onto the younger blondes face as he hand over an inch away from the doorknob. She always liked this part and would miss it when Haley went away for university, but they would be reunited soon enough.

Deciding to waste no more time, Vivian swung the door open.

“Hey Viv,” Haley said nonchalantly, sitting in front of her make up vanity. She was still dressed in her sleepwear, a matching pink pair of long pants PJ’s and a Disney themed t-shirt.

“No fair” Vivian said, stomping her feet in outrage at being bested. “Your supposed to wait for me to surprise you!”

“Well, I wanted to change things up for once”, Haley said, a sly smile on her oval face.

“Well, if I can’t surprise you, I’ll just surprise Mom,” Vivian replied as she shifted to plan b.

“No dice there, she got up before me,” showing some sympathy for her sister. “She’s actually downstairs making breakfast.”

“Ugggg… come on!” Vivian almost shouted but did say with an annoyed grunt. Suddenly she changed her tune, and got a pair of does eyes while looking at Haley.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. Since I can remember, you’ve always woken me up on Christmas. Can you at least give me this victory once?”

Vivian got an annoyed look on her face and was crossing her arms. “Fine” she conceded. “It just socks thus was my last chance to do so.”

“Please” Haley said, rolling her brown eyes. “You're only a year behind me in school, plus I’ll be around for Christmas.”

“You promise”, Vivian asked, raising an eyebrow that diapered beneath her hairline.

“Yes, I promise” Haley said. “Besides, Mom would kill me if I didn’t.”

“Git,” Vivian replied.

“And proud of it” Haley continued. “Come on, let’s greet Mom downstairs.

With that, the two sisters headed downstairs to greet their mother for another amazing Christmas.

---

Dec 31

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here,” Haley Bailey asked her mother as she followed her down the stairs. “It’s been tradition to celebrate New Years together.”

“Like it was tradition for your sister to wake you up on Christmas?” her mother responded. She was currently dressed in a nice-looking purple gown that Haley never thought she would see her mother ever wear.

An annoyed look came onto Haley’s face. “Oh, come on! You were in on it.”

A smirk was on her mother’s face. “Oh, I know, I just wanted you to look ridiculous the way you were outraged.”

Haley still retained her annoyed look. “OK, well… that was just a minor tradition. This is a rather big one considered it’s pretty much the whole holiday.”

Amanda placed her hand on her elder daughter's shoulder. “I know that honey, however Doug really wanted me to meet his friends.”

Haley looked dejected, especially at the mention of her mom’s boyfriend, even though she liked him herself. Haley didn’t have a boyfriend at the moment, and she found it weird that her mom did.

“Do you think he’s the one?” Haley asked timidly.

“I do” her mother replied. “I think soon he is going to propose that we spend the rest of our lives together.”

“Even though dad said the same thing?” Haley replied, with a tear in her eyes.

“Hey, look at me,” her mother commanded, with Haley doing as told. “You father ran out on you… on us. He preferred to be with a woman half his age instead of his daughters and now lives… who knows where. It has been 10 years, and his only contribution is your last name.”

“And genetics” Haley added.

“Not helping,” her mother responded. “Look at what you have accomplished. You are an award-winning singer; you are an amazing actress. If he is willing to miss that, then he is not worth thinking about.”

“Thanks Mom,” Haley said before wrapping her arms around the older woman. “That… that makes me feel better.”

“You are welcome,” Amanda said, taping her daughter on the nose in a playful mater.

“Mom” Haley half complained, half groaned.

“What too old for that?” Haley simply giggled in a way beneath her true age. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, but until then you're in charge.”

“Understood” Haley replied.

“Vivian, you want to say goodbye?”

“Huh” Vivian replied, looking up from her Nintendo switch. “Oh, uh yeah…. Bye, see you later.” At this point, Vivian returned to her game.

“I should never have gotten her that device” Amanda said, shaking her head.

“Have fun at your party” Haley said.

“Thanks, you too, see you next year.” With that, Amanda turned and left the house for her car.

**- - - - - -

Jan 1**

Haley Bailey was worried. After staying up to watch the ball drop on TV, both she and Vivian had woken up rather late in the day. They had both expected their mom to be home by now, and were surprised to find that she wasn’t.

That was not too weird, and Haley figured she had stayed over at Doug’s, and maybe was in the process of getting her and Vivian a new sibling. Even when the doorbell rang, Haley simply figured her mom just lost her keys.

However, when she opened the door, she wasn’t greeted by her mother, perhaps a little tipsy, but none worse for wear. Instead, she was confronted by two police officers, who were holding their hats in their hands.

“Hello, I’m Sergeant Frank Donovan, and this is lieutenant John Hanson. Are you miss Haley Bailey?”

“Ye… yes,” Haley stammered, not liking the sound of the officer.

“Are you the only one in the house,” Officer Donovan asked.

“No, my…uhhhh… my sister Vivian is here as well.”

A look of sadness came on the officer's face. “How old is she?”

“Uh, she’s just a grade behind. Her birthday is actually next month.”

Lt. Hanson looked at Sgt. Donovan for a moment before nodding silently.

“Why don’t you go get her. It’s important for her to hear this as well.”

Haley really did not like this but did as she was told. Like her, Vivian did not have a good feeling because of the two officers who were there. Haley held on to her hand as they waited for the news.

The two officers then took off their hats. “We came here to let you know, last night a drunk driver in a hummer struck a black Toyota corona at an intersection after running a red light. Although the drunk driver survived, the occupants of the corolla did not, and were declared dead at the scene.”

Haley squeezed her sisters' hand, with it getting tight. Vivian however did not complain and was squeezing just as hard.

“We have since identified the victims as 41-year-old Doug Palmer, and 40-year-old Amanda Bailey.”

Haley collapsed to her knees on the ground, tears flowing from her eyes. Vivian was not doing much better and was also on her knees. Their Mom was dead. They had nothing anymore.

“Since your over eighteen, your mothers' affairs fall to you, and we have already contacted Mr. Palmers closest kin. We will call a social worker for your sister, though since her birthday is soon, they shouldn’t cause you much trouble.”

With that the two officers turned and left, leaving Haley and Vivian alone. Still sobbing they watched as the police cruiser pulled out of their driveway.

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