Walking Alone, chapter 9
**Flashback**
Shit. Once again, I was left confused about the fucking math homework. Who cared, really? It's not like I'd finish high school anyways. But Mom cared. She wanted me to "make the best of my school career" while I could. Mike lay on the floor, intently studying the math book, determined to figure out the answer. He—unlike me—did pretty well in school and wanted to finish. I had nothing against that, though I thought it was a waste of time. If I ever tried to tell him this, he just reminded me about how I'd gotten expelled from 2 schools doing stupid things that were a "waste of time", in his opinion.
"I got 32 for the answer. What'd you get?" Mike asked. I would've normally given him a sarcastic remark, but I was in a pretty good mood, so I just replied "Yeah. That's what I got." My good mood, though, would soon be spoiled for what seemed like the rest of my life.
Mike sighed. Lately, he hadn't been in the greatest mood, so I decided now to talk to him about it. "What's up?" He only shook his head. "I'm cutting tomorrow," He mumbled. Was this the Mike I'd known since I was 10? "Since when do you cut school?" I asked, laughing. I couldn't help it. The thought of Mike skipping school is like seeing pigs fly.
"I don't feel like going tomorrow," Was all he said. I figured he'd change his mind over night, so I let it go. There was a sudden knock on my door, and figuring it was my mom, I pretended to be hard at work with my math. "Who is it?" I called.
Mom opened the door with her latest boyfriend, Carl. It seemed like she thought she wasn't good enough for any guy—each one she ended up dating for a month, tops. Carl had lasted longer, much longer, though he was like each other boyfriend of mom's—he treated me, my siblings, and mom like shit. I didn't know why she thought he "loved" her.
"Mike, there's some McDonald's in the kitchen. You can go have some," Mom said. It was her polite way of kicking Mike out of the room, and he caught on, even though he hates McDonald's. He shot me a worried glance before leaving the room. I knew something was up when Mom made Mike leave, but not Carl.
She sat on my bed next to me, and Carl stood a few feet by. "Honey, Carl and I have some news for you." Oh no. I already knew what was coming. I could tell by the grin on her face, by the evil smirk on Carl's face, and by the glint of the ring on her finger.
No. She couldn't do this to me. She couldn't do this to us.
"We're getting married!" Mom squealed.
I felt numb. How could she do this? Was she high or something? What about Dad? Did she just forget about him like that? Mom began to talk again, explaining how she knew it was tough for me, and how we all missed Dad, but we needed a "father figure" around here...
I heard nothing. Her voice droned on for what seemed like forever. I felt the tears building up behind my eyes, but I refused to let them come out of hiding. I didn't explode right away. In fact, I stayed calm, unlike my usual self. I let her go on talking, thinking she was actually getting somewhere with me. Finally her voice stopped altogether, and she looked at me with pleading eyes for acceptance. Those eyes wouldn't do it for me this time.
"I am very happy for you both," I forced the words out of my mouth. "But that jackass will never replace Dad." Not one of my best comebacks, I knew it, but I just walked out of the room. Feeling a shred of defiance, I was almost out the door, but Carl grabbed me by the arm so hard I thought I'd start bleeding.
"Hey. You're gonna make this work, OK? Cause I can be a lot meaner than I'm being right now. You're gonna treat me and your mother with respect." He glared at me with such hatred, I thought it was my eyes reflecting off the glassy look of his. The one thing we share in common, I thought. I kept my gaze locked on his eyes, not blinking.
"When we all die, I'm gonna be with my dad in heaven, watching the both of you burn in hell." The remark was so bad, I even flinched from the pain of the words myself. I knew my mom had heard it, too. I pried my arm from Carl's grip and ran down the hallway towards the front door. My siblings, who had already heard the news, were gathered in the kitchen, also with Mike. They all looked up as I entered the room, each with sympathetic glances. I guess they thought I'd be the most affected. I'd been closest with Dad, anyways.
I could hear Carl's footsteps behind me, and I felt his death grip on my shoulders again. Mom wasn't anywhere near us. "Who said your dad went to heaven, you little brat?" He snarled.
The blow of the insult was more than I could handle. I whirled around and, with as much power as I could possibly conjure up, punched him in the nose. He let go of my shoulders and howled in pain, clutching his nose, which was now bleeding. My siblings ran up to us, though they didn't hold me back from punching him several more times.
"Don't talk about my father like that, you fat fucking cock sucker!" I screamed. Eventually, David and Allen grabbed my arms and said he'd had enough. "We're gonna make your life here a living hell," Holly shot at Carl. Mike had been watching quietly from a distance the whole time. Without another thought or comment, I wrenched away from my brother's grasps and bolted for the door. Within seconds I was out on the street, running, my footsteps pounding on the sidewalk, the heavy rain soaking me within seconds.
I was walking alone, again.
Shit. Once again, I was left confused about the fucking math homework. Who cared, really? It's not like I'd finish high school anyways. But Mom cared. She wanted me to "make the best of my school career" while I could. Mike lay on the floor, intently studying the math book, determined to figure out the answer. He—unlike me—did pretty well in school and wanted to finish. I had nothing against that, though I thought it was a waste of time. If I ever tried to tell him this, he just reminded me about how I'd gotten expelled from 2 schools doing stupid things that were a "waste of time", in his opinion.
"I got 32 for the answer. What'd you get?" Mike asked. I would've normally given him a sarcastic remark, but I was in a pretty good mood, so I just replied "Yeah. That's what I got." My good mood, though, would soon be spoiled for what seemed like the rest of my life.
Mike sighed. Lately, he hadn't been in the greatest mood, so I decided now to talk to him about it. "What's up?" He only shook his head. "I'm cutting tomorrow," He mumbled. Was this the Mike I'd known since I was 10? "Since when do you cut school?" I asked, laughing. I couldn't help it. The thought of Mike skipping school is like seeing pigs fly.
"I don't feel like going tomorrow," Was all he said. I figured he'd change his mind over night, so I let it go. There was a sudden knock on my door, and figuring it was my mom, I pretended to be hard at work with my math. "Who is it?" I called.
Mom opened the door with her latest boyfriend, Carl. It seemed like she thought she wasn't good enough for any guy—each one she ended up dating for a month, tops. Carl had lasted longer, much longer, though he was like each other boyfriend of mom's—he treated me, my siblings, and mom like shit. I didn't know why she thought he "loved" her.
"Mike, there's some McDonald's in the kitchen. You can go have some," Mom said. It was her polite way of kicking Mike out of the room, and he caught on, even though he hates McDonald's. He shot me a worried glance before leaving the room. I knew something was up when Mom made Mike leave, but not Carl.
She sat on my bed next to me, and Carl stood a few feet by. "Honey, Carl and I have some news for you." Oh no. I already knew what was coming. I could tell by the grin on her face, by the evil smirk on Carl's face, and by the glint of the ring on her finger.
No. She couldn't do this to me. She couldn't do this to us.
"We're getting married!" Mom squealed.
I felt numb. How could she do this? Was she high or something? What about Dad? Did she just forget about him like that? Mom began to talk again, explaining how she knew it was tough for me, and how we all missed Dad, but we needed a "father figure" around here...
I heard nothing. Her voice droned on for what seemed like forever. I felt the tears building up behind my eyes, but I refused to let them come out of hiding. I didn't explode right away. In fact, I stayed calm, unlike my usual self. I let her go on talking, thinking she was actually getting somewhere with me. Finally her voice stopped altogether, and she looked at me with pleading eyes for acceptance. Those eyes wouldn't do it for me this time.
"I am very happy for you both," I forced the words out of my mouth. "But that jackass will never replace Dad." Not one of my best comebacks, I knew it, but I just walked out of the room. Feeling a shred of defiance, I was almost out the door, but Carl grabbed me by the arm so hard I thought I'd start bleeding.
"Hey. You're gonna make this work, OK? Cause I can be a lot meaner than I'm being right now. You're gonna treat me and your mother with respect." He glared at me with such hatred, I thought it was my eyes reflecting off the glassy look of his. The one thing we share in common, I thought. I kept my gaze locked on his eyes, not blinking.
"When we all die, I'm gonna be with my dad in heaven, watching the both of you burn in hell." The remark was so bad, I even flinched from the pain of the words myself. I knew my mom had heard it, too. I pried my arm from Carl's grip and ran down the hallway towards the front door. My siblings, who had already heard the news, were gathered in the kitchen, also with Mike. They all looked up as I entered the room, each with sympathetic glances. I guess they thought I'd be the most affected. I'd been closest with Dad, anyways.
I could hear Carl's footsteps behind me, and I felt his death grip on my shoulders again. Mom wasn't anywhere near us. "Who said your dad went to heaven, you little brat?" He snarled.
The blow of the insult was more than I could handle. I whirled around and, with as much power as I could possibly conjure up, punched him in the nose. He let go of my shoulders and howled in pain, clutching his nose, which was now bleeding. My siblings ran up to us, though they didn't hold me back from punching him several more times.
"Don't talk about my father like that, you fat fucking cock sucker!" I screamed. Eventually, David and Allen grabbed my arms and said he'd had enough. "We're gonna make your life here a living hell," Holly shot at Carl. Mike had been watching quietly from a distance the whole time. Without another thought or comment, I wrenched away from my brother's grasps and bolted for the door. Within seconds I was out on the street, running, my footsteps pounding on the sidewalk, the heavy rain soaking me within seconds.
I was walking alone, again.
