The Phenomenons

Isadora Rush

   I wake up to my mom loudly escorting the guy she had over last night out. I've stopped bothering to complain about it either. Last time I brought it up she just said "maybe you try earning money for the family", or maybe she was drunk last time and had a mental breakdown in front of me, or did she decide to be petty last time and buy me headphones? I don't know anymore, it's hard to keep track of her excuses. 

   I roll over to check the time on my phone. It reads 5:15 a.m. I don't have to get up until 5:45. I grab the nearest pillow and just scream into it. I'm tempted to just walk out one of these times when they're passing my door just to embarrass her. 

   I decide to text Ameer. Most people would consider this rude and ask why I'm now not letting him get his full night of sleep, but its kind of a best friend thing. We both have dysfunctional families and are awake at the oddest times. We're both used to always being ready for a text from the other at all hours of the day. 

   "You awake?" I ask. No more than a minute later a facetime call is coming in. I smile, and answer. "I'm guessing I already know the answer to why you're awake," he pauses and I see him look to the top of his screen, "a good half hour before you need to be?" I sigh. Thankful for a friend I never need to explain anything to anymore. "Yep" I reply.

   We spend the next 30 minutes laughing and then later getting ready. We chose each others outfits, and by the time I've gotten to the brushing my teeth stage of my morning routine, my mom decides to finally make an appearance. 

   "Don't come back home after school. I have someone coming over. I'll text you when they're gone." She abruptly says. She doesn't even bother knocking anymore. I catch Ameer casting me a sympathetic look. "Good morning to you too mom, care to say hello to Ameer too since he's probably gonna be the one stuck with me for the afternoon now?"

   "Who are you talking to?" She asks me. God what does she have against him. She either refuses to acknowledge his existence some days, normally Mondays, or she's trash talking him to me other days, this seems to happen more on the weekends. "Ameer...Ameer Crimson. My best friend. Who you've met many times before." I'm just staring at her blankly while she's giving my phone on the counter a death glare. "Hello?" I wave my hands around. "I swear if you're drunk" I exclaim. She finally seems to snap back to reality as she suddenly is just staring at me. 

   "Isadora Rush, you are not, I repeat, not under any circumstances going over to that boys house. I will not allow it." I don't know what she thinks she's going to get out of pulling the authoritative parent card cause she's never been much of a parent in any other way. "Well please tell me who else's house I'm supposed to be at while OUR house is being reserved by you. I seem to recall all my other friends ditching after, oh that's right, you literally threatened them" She just continues her death glare but now directed at me until she realizes I'm not gonna listen to her, and she leaves leaving the door wide open. 

   "Hey Ameer, please tell me we have a free period or P.E today?" I ask him hopefully. "Yep" He replies. "Good" I tell him. "Because my pillow is gonna get hearing loss if I don't have any chances to use the school's gym's punching bag today." 

   An hour passes and he ends up having to go because his dad needs to talk to him, and now I'm stuck in a horrible silence with my mom on the car ride to school. "Why didn't you threaten Ameer's family too along with the rest of my friends? You're so obsessed with controlling my life, and yet you've never gone after him despite your obvious hate towards him." I suddenly ask her. She doesn't respond for another couple minutes, and I was beginning to think she was just going to ignore me like normal. 

   "His father and I knew each other a long time ago." was the only information I was granted by her to answer my question. I just look at her. She is so insane. I look back out the window. We arrive at the school and I'm about to get out of the car without saying another word when she says "Wait." She pauses before continuing, "I don't think I need to remind you not to start making friends with anyone I wouldn't approve of correct?" Great. This again. "Mom, everyone hates me too much to even give me the time of day, you don't have to worry about me making friends you won't like. " I give her a disgusted look. "But I mean if anyone new were to come into the school, you're especially not allowed to talk to them. Ever. You understand me?" I just stare at her in disbelief before finally responding "Heard you? Yes. Understand you? No. " I slam the door and walk away.

   Even though I hate school and it hates me, it's still a nice escape from my house that feels more like a prison. I swear the older I get the worse my mom becomes. My childhood wasn't even that bad. But its hard to look back on what should be fond memories when I see the person that my mom has become. She literally refuses to get a job away from the house because she says she needs to make sure I'm safe. So her income is literally entertaining desperate men at our house. Another reason why I'm always disgusted to be at my own house. Only two more years however. I'm a sophomore in high school, I know what to expect, and I'm almost to the age of freedom. Adults are always saying their youth flew by them so I should be moving out in no time, right?

   I proceeded to walk into the school unaware that this would possibly be one of my most life changing days.