✓ | DEAR FUTURE ME

033

Dear Future Me,

I try and try and try and try a million times over to forget all of the pain my mother has caused me and my dad. No matter what I do, I find myself unable to forget. Most importantly, I find myself unable to forgive.

To put it simply; mom showed up. Again. It's not the first, but she definitely hasn't done it in awhile. I know it's because I'll be eighteen in a few weeks. Once I'm eighteen I'm finally free of those chains, but I just want it all to be over already. I can't take it anymore.

I love Christmas so much, but this has undoubtedly been the worst Christmas ever and the day hardly even started. I can't even be happy about my presents anymore when that just happened. Why can't my life just be normal? Why can't I have the perfect family like Levi and everyone else?

Once again, I bring up fricking Levi, but look, his life is perfect. I want that so bad. Both parents (notably both NORMAL), a nice house, possibly everything he could ever want. I just don't understand why I'm punished for just existing.

I might as well just lay in bed and ignore everyone all day. It's not like Levi is coming over anymore anyway. Christmas is ruined.

Sincerely,

An Insanely Upset Past Me.

•••

After resuming breakfast, Scott put some pancakes on a plate and headed upstairs, knocking on Skye's door to tell her he had food for her, leaving it on the floor then going back downstairs while she quickly opened the door, grabbed the plate and fork, then shut the door to eat alone. Skye didn't exactly imagine sadly eating pancakes on Christmas day, but life seemed to be full of far too many surprises.

Sitting on the edge of her bed with her plate in her lap, Skye took bites of the snowman-shaped pancakes, almost wanting to cry thinking about the conversation she had about them before shit hit the fan. She thought it would be pathetic to get tears on her food, so she continued eating and let out a sigh. These pancakes needed syrup, not a bunch of teenage tears.

Skye set the plate on her bedside table when she was done, laying back down on her bed and turning her body to face the window, looking out on a white Christmas. If only it snowed another day. Well, if only her mom just didn't show up to ruin today. Maybe then she could spend time with Levi without being on the verge of a breakdown. She felt bad enough lying about being sick, but Skye felt like there was no other choice but to lie as she didn't want to pour out her burdens onto Levi. He was her friend, not her therapist.

As Skye continued to lay down for hours, a knock emerged on the door, which she assumed would be her dad taking her plate from breakfast. "It's on the bedside-"

"Hey."

Skye quickly turned over and sat up, furrowing her eyebrows and wiping away any tears that happened to stain her face from all the crying she's already done for god knows how long. "Levi? What are you doing here?"

"Your dad called me. I know you're not sick." He said. Yes, Levi was the one Skye's dad had called to save the day. Knowing that she and Nikki weren't friends anymore and that he didn't have any of her newfound friends' numbers, Scott was left with Levi as the only option. He had already gotten his number months ago from planning the bike present, but also Scott knew how much Levi cared for his daughter. It only felt right that he'd be the one to call.

"Did he, uh, did he go into details?" Skye asked, hoping that her dad didn't bring up what happened this morning.

"No." Levi shook his head. "He just said you were upset."