Summer of Raine

It was six a.m., and I was wide awake when my alarm clock went off, I stared blankly at it as it made annoying loud noises. Although I didn’t turn it off until my nineteen year old sister started banging on the other side of the thin wall demanding I turn off the atrocious machine.

I debated leaving it on for another five minutes of ringing hell, but the stupid thing was giving me a headache, and the rays of sunshine that streamed in through my window and shone down on my eyes didn’t help any.

            I lazily reached over to turn it off, and was greeted by harsh silence. Richelle had already fallen back asleep, as she hadn’t come home from parting in the city  with her friends until at least an hour ago, in fact I was surprised she even woke up to yell at me. Usually she sleeps right through the mornings until perhaps one or two in the afternoon.

              My younger brother Rico lived on the first floor of our three story house, while my sister and I lived on the third, but thankfully after this summer she would be moving out, since she was getting married to an elite doctor in his early thirties.

            To say my mother was delighted over the marriage is an understatement; she was so happy she decided to buy them a vacation house in Europe as a wedding present. Anywhere my sister desired, but we all knew she would pick a country house in France, or maybe Austria. Richelle was just that sophisticated.

            I rolled out of bed at six-fifteen,  I was so not excited to greet the day. I was so envious of my sister, not because she was getting married to a rich prick, or getting a house in France, but because she got to sleep in until late in the day.

            I wished I could wear whatever I found first, but my mother would kill me if I wore anything that embarrassed her, so I pulled out a dark purple v-neck blouse that had flowing long sleeves and a silk ribbon that allowed you to tie it in the back. Under that I wore a pair of dark caprees.

            I wore the diamond R necklace Rico had got me last Christmas.  It wasn’t my ideal outfit, but at least my mother would be happy and I wouldn’t have to listen to her harp at me for wear something “inappropriate”.

            I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and do my hair and makeup.

            My makeup was light, just a layer of lavender eyeliner and a bit of eye shadow. My hair was a deep chestnut and it fell to my mid back in natural waves, so I ran a brush through it several times. After I was satisfied, I put a silver headband with tiny purple roses on it in my hair.

            I added a layer of pink lip gloss to finish the look off. I looked into the mirror, and dark brown, almost black eyes stared back at me. I didn’t even know the girl in the mirror; she was a stranger to me. Her eyes were empty; there was no life in them. She looked lonely.

            Sighing sadly, I made my way downstairs, grimacing slightly at the thought of another day in hell; or school as other people call it. Reaching the kitchen I was greeted by the smell of fresh donuts, but I wasn’t hungry so I just walked passed it and out the front door. Passing the den, I could hear my father whisper something into his phone.

            While he may have had my mother and family fooled, I knew it was his current mistress, I wondered who she was this time, one of Richelle’s college friend perhaps? Ugh, whatever. I shake away the thought and continue on with my morning, I pick up the pace needing to be away from the house.

            As I walk down the front stairs and onto the pavement, I notice that my mother’s car isn’t in the driveway and I suddenly pause, maybe I should’ve stopped by the dining room and said good morning to Rico, he was probably eating alone again.