The End of What I Used to Know, chapter 1
Alli's POV
It was a normal day. All the houses were lined up straight up and the same, like they always were. But no one cared about that. It was raining, or should I say pouring, just like it always did in February. The occasional sound of a car driving by made it a little less normal though. Our street was one of the busiest, but today it was like dead quiet outside. The lack of sounds was really scaring me.
Usually houses aren't on big commercial streets, but the three in a row, one of which I lived in was an exception. It wasn't the best of neighborhoods, and maybe you could say it was on the worse side, but it was a house. Okay, so we shared it with these other people upstairs, a guy and a girl and their little daughter whatever her name is, but they were out of town for the week. When they go, I sneak into their rooms, and just lie on the floor, absorbing as much space as I can get until I'm called back downstairs. And that was what I was doing now.
As I lay there I could hear a train driving across town. The tracks were really close by the house so it shook it. Actually, the train tracks were in our backyard.
I jumped up. Downstairs I heard crying. It was my brother Johnny. He was only six and was really afraid of everything.
"Alli, get your skinny, little, white butt down here and help me with the kids. They're driving me crazy," my mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
I wondered where my two older brothers were. They were hardly ever home anymore. Probably out smoking behind the house, where they always go to get away, or at the 7-11 next door.
"Mom, where's Amanda?" My older sister. She must not be home either.
Amanda stuck her head out of the hallway at the bottom of the staircase. She's eighteen, but is staying with us to help take care of everybody.
"I'm here trying to calm down Johnny, he won't shut up."
I started walking down the stairs; the cracked mirror on the wall stopped me. I had to look at my reflection. What I saw was a girl a little older than fifteen with crazy, curly red hair and brown eyes. Okay. It wasn't the best, like some of the girls at school, but it surely wasn't the worst face.
"I'm coming."
I got downstairs and turned into the hallway where our half of the house was. I walked into the kitchen. There were pieces of wallpaper rolling off the walls and holes in some parts of the ceiling. Some might call it trashy, but it was home to me.
"Johnny, why don't you go to mine and Alicia's room? She's in there right now." Alicia's my little sister. She's only eight, but she's almost as tall as me. "I'm sure she'll play with you."
Johnny jumped up from his curled up position on the ground. "Okay," he said. Johnny. Like the rest of us, he wasn't much of a talker. He said what he needed to and then shut up. The only two exceptions were Jake, my seventeen year old brother, and Joe, my sixteen year old brother. They won't shut up.
He walked off and opened the door into mine and Alicia's room, and walked in. I looked from my mom to my sister.
"How do you do that? Johnny didn't do that for me," Amanda asked.
My mom was now looking in the newspaper in the classifieds. She knew she needed a job. We all knew. My sister was just about to leave the room when her three year old daughter came in.
"Macy, what are you doing up, honey?" She picked her up and brought her into her room. Amanda motioned for me to follow.
She set Macy down next to her four year old son, Travis, and sat on the bed. I sat down next to her.
"Alli, I don't want to tell mom this. She'll kick me out of here for sure. I know she will. I know it's my fault and all, but I didn't expect it to happen again. I don't want to tell her, I really don't, but then I think I should. Alli, can I confide in you? And will you promise to keep it a secret until I tell mom?"
I nodded, and she hugged me so hard I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.
"Thank you so much, Alli. I love you. Alli, I'm going to have another baby. I don't think mom should find out. I don't want to sell another one."
She started bawling on my shoulder. I knew that she's already sold two of her kids, and it must have been really hard for her then. I felt really sorry for her. And that was new since most of the time people felt sorry for me. The girl whose brothers were failures and sister was a whore. She's not; it's just that when she's in love with somebody, she'll do anything to make them happy. Which usually results with her having a baby.
"Amanda, you should tell Mom that. Just tell her you want to keep it. Even if we can't afford it, just tell her. She'd have to understand. I mean with all of us, she better understand."
It was a normal day. All the houses were lined up straight up and the same, like they always were. But no one cared about that. It was raining, or should I say pouring, just like it always did in February. The occasional sound of a car driving by made it a little less normal though. Our street was one of the busiest, but today it was like dead quiet outside. The lack of sounds was really scaring me.
Usually houses aren't on big commercial streets, but the three in a row, one of which I lived in was an exception. It wasn't the best of neighborhoods, and maybe you could say it was on the worse side, but it was a house. Okay, so we shared it with these other people upstairs, a guy and a girl and their little daughter whatever her name is, but they were out of town for the week. When they go, I sneak into their rooms, and just lie on the floor, absorbing as much space as I can get until I'm called back downstairs. And that was what I was doing now.
As I lay there I could hear a train driving across town. The tracks were really close by the house so it shook it. Actually, the train tracks were in our backyard.
I jumped up. Downstairs I heard crying. It was my brother Johnny. He was only six and was really afraid of everything.
"Alli, get your skinny, little, white butt down here and help me with the kids. They're driving me crazy," my mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
I wondered where my two older brothers were. They were hardly ever home anymore. Probably out smoking behind the house, where they always go to get away, or at the 7-11 next door.
"Mom, where's Amanda?" My older sister. She must not be home either.
Amanda stuck her head out of the hallway at the bottom of the staircase. She's eighteen, but is staying with us to help take care of everybody.
"I'm here trying to calm down Johnny, he won't shut up."
I started walking down the stairs; the cracked mirror on the wall stopped me. I had to look at my reflection. What I saw was a girl a little older than fifteen with crazy, curly red hair and brown eyes. Okay. It wasn't the best, like some of the girls at school, but it surely wasn't the worst face.
"I'm coming."
I got downstairs and turned into the hallway where our half of the house was. I walked into the kitchen. There were pieces of wallpaper rolling off the walls and holes in some parts of the ceiling. Some might call it trashy, but it was home to me.
"Johnny, why don't you go to mine and Alicia's room? She's in there right now." Alicia's my little sister. She's only eight, but she's almost as tall as me. "I'm sure she'll play with you."
Johnny jumped up from his curled up position on the ground. "Okay," he said. Johnny. Like the rest of us, he wasn't much of a talker. He said what he needed to and then shut up. The only two exceptions were Jake, my seventeen year old brother, and Joe, my sixteen year old brother. They won't shut up.
He walked off and opened the door into mine and Alicia's room, and walked in. I looked from my mom to my sister.
"How do you do that? Johnny didn't do that for me," Amanda asked.
My mom was now looking in the newspaper in the classifieds. She knew she needed a job. We all knew. My sister was just about to leave the room when her three year old daughter came in.
"Macy, what are you doing up, honey?" She picked her up and brought her into her room. Amanda motioned for me to follow.
She set Macy down next to her four year old son, Travis, and sat on the bed. I sat down next to her.
"Alli, I don't want to tell mom this. She'll kick me out of here for sure. I know she will. I know it's my fault and all, but I didn't expect it to happen again. I don't want to tell her, I really don't, but then I think I should. Alli, can I confide in you? And will you promise to keep it a secret until I tell mom?"
I nodded, and she hugged me so hard I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.
"Thank you so much, Alli. I love you. Alli, I'm going to have another baby. I don't think mom should find out. I don't want to sell another one."
She started bawling on my shoulder. I knew that she's already sold two of her kids, and it must have been really hard for her then. I felt really sorry for her. And that was new since most of the time people felt sorry for me. The girl whose brothers were failures and sister was a whore. She's not; it's just that when she's in love with somebody, she'll do anything to make them happy. Which usually results with her having a baby.
"Amanda, you should tell Mom that. Just tell her you want to keep it. Even if we can't afford it, just tell her. She'd have to understand. I mean with all of us, she better understand."
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