Todos los capítulos de Shared Custody, but I'm Nobody's Child: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

My homeroom teacher, Raymond Dunn, asked me, "Have you discussed it with your parents yet?"I typed, "Nope. But I'm 18 already. I can take responsibility for the decisions I make."I kept my head down and stared at my phone, not saying anything.Zane Powell glanced over at me and raised an eyebrow. "I think Dane doesn't want to go to our grandparents' house."He was right. I really didn't want to go.If I stayed there, I'd have to get up before dawn to make breakfast for everyone, then do laundry for my two cousins after school.I didn't want to do that again.My mom, Martha Zane, frowned. "Dane, can't you think about us for once? This is a critical time for my promotion. I'll be busy with work. If I don't do a good job taking care of you, you'll get upset and ignore me again."My dad, Jim Powell, nodded. "Exactly. Dane has always had a temper. Last year, I missed his parent-teacher conference, and he gave me the cold shoulder for a whole week. Anyone who didn't know better wou

On the first day of school, we had a ceremony, and I was the only one whose parents didn't show up.Two of my classmates had parents working out of state, but one parent still came all the way back for it.Meanwhile, my parents were only a few hundred yards away in the dorm, helping Zane get settled into his new dorm.Neither of them was willing to spare the time to come to my ceremony.It was almost my turn when I suddenly saw Mom and Dad approaching, both looking irritated.The mother of one of my old elementary school classmates waved at me enthusiastically. "Dane, your parents went the wrong way and showed up a little late."A mocking smile appeared on my face.They were probably afraid someone they knew would see them as bad parents, so they reluctantly came over and stood beside me.Mom was obviously impatient. She complained, "How long will this take? Zane is still waiting in his dorm for me to bring him something to eat."Dad folded his arms, acting like it had nothing

The whole family gathered again for New Year.Zane barely ate before heading out to light fireworks with his friends, and my parents started arguing over where Zane should go for tutoring.Their voices grew louder and louder until everyone else was too afraid to speak.My aunt, Sarah Powell, nudged me. "Dane, your parents are fighting again. Shouldn't you break them up?"I kept peeling shrimp without even looking up. "Nope. I'm not doing it."Grandma glared at me. "They're practically about to start hitting each other, and you still have the appetite to eat?"I'd played mediator countless times, both before and after their divorce, but I'd never once managed to stop them.Two years ago, when it was time for the switch, Mom and Dad began arguing the moment they stepped through the door. Zane was late, so there were only the three of us in the private room. As things grew more heated, I tried to stop them by saying a few things that were fair to both sides.Mom immediately dire

After making the bed, I turned around to get up and saw all three of my roommates standing up."Come on, let's go grab something from the cafeteria!"I froze for a moment. "So you guys were waiting for me?"The guy in the bed across from mine threw an arm around my shoulder and laughed. "We all came here from different places, and it's nice that we ended up together in the same dorm. This is our little home now. How could we leave anyone behind on the very first day?"My eyes started to sting.So this was what a home was supposed to be, a place where no one was left behind.I remembered one year when I had to compete in a citywide math competition on the day of the switch.I got to the restaurant early and ordered everything for everyone. I even made sure the staff knew exactly what each person couldn't eat before I left.When I rushed back later, all that was left was a table full of leftovers.Mom pointed at the mess and said dismissively, "Just eat them."As I walked throu

The year I graduated with my PhD, Dad had surgery for a problem with his gallbladder.Sarah called me from Janice's phone and asked me to head home so I could take care of Dad for a while.I was puzzled by her request. "Where's Zane? He should take care of Dad."Sarah struggled with her answer for a bit. "Zane went on a trip. He said the flights and hotel were already booked and couldn't be refunded…"I didn't relent. "Dad is only 57 this year, right? He's not even old enough to legally require support yet. And this surgery isn't life-threatening, so please tell him to figure it out himself. Besides, hiring a caregiver doesn't even cost that much."Sarah muttered, "It's 300 dollars a day. How is that not expensive? Do you want to pay for it?"I chuckled. "Sure. He can come to me when he's 60 and needs a caregiver after surgery. I'll pay for it. For now, the answer is no."Janice told me that the relatives back home cursed me behind my back, saying I was too cold-blooded and ruth