Tales Of Another Broken Dream, chapter 1
Even the loud sounds of screeching guitars and crashing drum solos couldn’t drown out the sounds of their fighting. No matter how loud the music was in my small closet sized room, I could still here them arguing about me and how I was in the way. Yet in the morning they would pretend nothing had happened, and act like we were a real family. Their fake loving smiles made me sick. It was no use; I decided after countless hours of trying to sleep, they were too loud. I might as well give up now.
“Hey.�
If I was up I might as well keep Will awake too, he was my only friend and had always been so.
“Jack, what time is it, its gotta be past three. Why the hell are u calling me?� Will answered, he sounded tired.
“I gotta get out of here; meet me at the 7-11 in ten minuets.�
Will agreed and hung up. I knew he was half asleep and didn’t want to go, but I needed out of this place. Ever since my mom got re-married it has been like this. Jim, my step dad thinks that I am a pest. He thinks that they should just send me away to live with relatives. Sometimes I think my mother agrees with him but she never lets him go through with it.
Not a day goes by that I don't wish my dad was still alive, things were never like this before he died. At this point though, I’d given up hope on things ever being good again.
As I walked to the 7-11, hundreds of thoughts raced through my head. I was thinking of what Jim had said. Was I really that bad? No I decided, there’s nothing wrong with me, this is how I’m supposed to be. Even if they didn’t believe in me, I wasnt a total waste.
When I got to the parking lot of the 7-11, the city looked dead. I looked around for Will; it took me a while to pick him out in the small crowd of dirty faced kids. After a few seconds I saw him leaning on the wall with a cigarette in his hand. The city wasn’t the only thing that looked dead right now. I walked slowly up to him, wondering how he had gotten here so fast; he lived farther away from here that me, but it looked like he had been waiting for a while.
“You said ten minuets,� he said.
“Yeah… how did you get here so fast?� I couldn’t help but ask.
He pointed into the parking lot, cigarette in hand. It took me a while to see where he was pointing. Then I saw it, an old beat up truck. The thing was so rusty that I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be red or if that was an effect of old age.
“Is it yours?�
“Yeah, I got it for 150 bucks. You’d be amazed what you can find in this damned city if you look hard enough.� Will said this with such sarcasm, but I could tell he was over joyed. Neither of us had ever owned a car before. I didn’t want to ask but I had too. The truck was so beat up, you had to wonder.
“How well does it run?�
“To be honest, not that well but it gets you to where you need to go. Wanna go somewhere else, this dump is getting old�
“What ever, as long as it's away from that shit hole of a house�
We got in the truck and he drove. I wasn’t exactly sure where we were going until Will parked in front of the mall.
“Don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. You wake me up this early, you have to pay.�
I don't even have to say anything he knew I would.
We walked slowly through the mall until we arrived in the food area. I gave Will six dollars, the only money I had, then went to the bathroom. I needed to get away; the smell of food was making me sick. As I sat in the bathroom I started to read the graffiti on the stalls. It didn’t say much but only confirmed that this world was a bad place. Too many ways for people to get hurt. Looking at this made me sick, but at that point I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything anymore. In fact the whole fucking world could go to hell for all I cared. Every one was so full of shit. They say one thing to you and do another. But I didn’t care. That’s when I knew I had to leave. For good this time.
I had thought about running away a million and one times, but this time I was going through with it. I walked back into the food court and sat down next to Will.
“Hey,� I said, “sorry I took so long, I don’t feel that good. Got any of that money left? I need a drink.�
Will handed me two dollars and gave me a strange look. “Jack, are you okay? You seem a little weird right now.�
“Nah, I’m fine, I’ll be rite back.� It was the first time I had ever lied to him. As much as it hurt me I had to go farther still. When he looked away for a second, I grabbed his keys off the small round cafeteria table. Then I left him sitting there. I glanced back over my shoulder, and realized this could be the last time I ever saw Will. He was the only one who had put up with my complaining and crappy moods, but I couldn’t stick around this town. Half the people here didn’t even know that I existed. The ones that did thought I was either insane or disturbed.
Most of my life I had been in therapy, my mom thought that I could just talk things out and become a better person. Who knows what she’s thinking at times. It was more than that though. I had lost all faith in people, and at this point the only thing that could help me was leaving.
I ran. That’s all there is too it. As soon as I was out of Will’s sight, I started running. I got to the car, and with shaking hands put the key in. Tonight I was leaving behind all the lies and everyone who didn’t believe that I would ever amount to anything. The strange thing is I didn’t feel any shame for leaving or running from my problems. I looked out the car window and saw my house. For a moment I wondered if my mom would miss me. It took me a while to realize that she probably didn’t even know I was gone.
To be continued.....
“Hey.�
If I was up I might as well keep Will awake too, he was my only friend and had always been so.
“Jack, what time is it, its gotta be past three. Why the hell are u calling me?� Will answered, he sounded tired.
“I gotta get out of here; meet me at the 7-11 in ten minuets.�
Will agreed and hung up. I knew he was half asleep and didn’t want to go, but I needed out of this place. Ever since my mom got re-married it has been like this. Jim, my step dad thinks that I am a pest. He thinks that they should just send me away to live with relatives. Sometimes I think my mother agrees with him but she never lets him go through with it.
Not a day goes by that I don't wish my dad was still alive, things were never like this before he died. At this point though, I’d given up hope on things ever being good again.
As I walked to the 7-11, hundreds of thoughts raced through my head. I was thinking of what Jim had said. Was I really that bad? No I decided, there’s nothing wrong with me, this is how I’m supposed to be. Even if they didn’t believe in me, I wasnt a total waste.
When I got to the parking lot of the 7-11, the city looked dead. I looked around for Will; it took me a while to pick him out in the small crowd of dirty faced kids. After a few seconds I saw him leaning on the wall with a cigarette in his hand. The city wasn’t the only thing that looked dead right now. I walked slowly up to him, wondering how he had gotten here so fast; he lived farther away from here that me, but it looked like he had been waiting for a while.
“You said ten minuets,� he said.
“Yeah… how did you get here so fast?� I couldn’t help but ask.
He pointed into the parking lot, cigarette in hand. It took me a while to see where he was pointing. Then I saw it, an old beat up truck. The thing was so rusty that I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be red or if that was an effect of old age.
“Is it yours?�
“Yeah, I got it for 150 bucks. You’d be amazed what you can find in this damned city if you look hard enough.� Will said this with such sarcasm, but I could tell he was over joyed. Neither of us had ever owned a car before. I didn’t want to ask but I had too. The truck was so beat up, you had to wonder.
“How well does it run?�
“To be honest, not that well but it gets you to where you need to go. Wanna go somewhere else, this dump is getting old�
“What ever, as long as it's away from that shit hole of a house�
We got in the truck and he drove. I wasn’t exactly sure where we were going until Will parked in front of the mall.
“Don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. You wake me up this early, you have to pay.�
I don't even have to say anything he knew I would.
We walked slowly through the mall until we arrived in the food area. I gave Will six dollars, the only money I had, then went to the bathroom. I needed to get away; the smell of food was making me sick. As I sat in the bathroom I started to read the graffiti on the stalls. It didn’t say much but only confirmed that this world was a bad place. Too many ways for people to get hurt. Looking at this made me sick, but at that point I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything anymore. In fact the whole fucking world could go to hell for all I cared. Every one was so full of shit. They say one thing to you and do another. But I didn’t care. That’s when I knew I had to leave. For good this time.
I had thought about running away a million and one times, but this time I was going through with it. I walked back into the food court and sat down next to Will.
“Hey,� I said, “sorry I took so long, I don’t feel that good. Got any of that money left? I need a drink.�
Will handed me two dollars and gave me a strange look. “Jack, are you okay? You seem a little weird right now.�
“Nah, I’m fine, I’ll be rite back.� It was the first time I had ever lied to him. As much as it hurt me I had to go farther still. When he looked away for a second, I grabbed his keys off the small round cafeteria table. Then I left him sitting there. I glanced back over my shoulder, and realized this could be the last time I ever saw Will. He was the only one who had put up with my complaining and crappy moods, but I couldn’t stick around this town. Half the people here didn’t even know that I existed. The ones that did thought I was either insane or disturbed.
Most of my life I had been in therapy, my mom thought that I could just talk things out and become a better person. Who knows what she’s thinking at times. It was more than that though. I had lost all faith in people, and at this point the only thing that could help me was leaving.
I ran. That’s all there is too it. As soon as I was out of Will’s sight, I started running. I got to the car, and with shaking hands put the key in. Tonight I was leaving behind all the lies and everyone who didn’t believe that I would ever amount to anything. The strange thing is I didn’t feel any shame for leaving or running from my problems. I looked out the car window and saw my house. For a moment I wondered if my mom would miss me. It took me a while to realize that she probably didn’t even know I was gone.
To be continued.....
