AMELIA X COMB

Chapter One ~ Pulling Through

Amelia wakes with a fright, a look of terror in their eyes. Another nightmare was amidst their mind, fresh in memory. They take time to breathe, gasping for air, as if they had almost been suffocated. They instinctively hold their hand at their chest, heart racing at the thought of the nightmare possibly coming true.

The door suddenly flies open, "Did you not hear me?" The voice flies across the room, it's owner positioned angrily at the door. "You're gonna be late, and I'm not driving you if you miss the bus again!"

Amelia's angered uncle slams the door behind him. He's been raising them since they were young, when a tragic accident happened, killing their beloved parents.

A sigh can be heard from them as they get up and walk towards their closet, pulling out a cutesy yellow and white checkered dress that ends just before their knees and has white puffy sleeves. Pairing it with some yellow flats and no socks, since Amelia hates to wear socks, they walk over to their yellow vanity, which has been covered in stickers, yet in a sort of sequence. They brush their hair delicately, feeling too lazy to apply any special hair products this morning.

"AMELIA!" The loud, unsettlingly familiar voice rings through their ears.

They sigh and clip their pink hair up. A simple style that still gives the appearance that they actually tried. "I'll be down in a sec!" Amelia replies in a tired, raspy voice as they quickly apply their eyeliner and false lashes before grabbing their backpack and rushing down the stairs.

"Took you long enough." Their uncle remarks as they enter the kitchen.

Their aunt, who's sitting in the living room's rocking chair, just a doorway away, snaps back at her husband. "They got up on time, Hank. Don't work yourself up about it."

"Klaire, I've had enough!" Hank raises his voice, causing Amelia to flinch and nearly drop the apple that they were holding. "You think that just because your sister had to drop dead, we should have to take care of this little... brat."

Tears pricked at Amelia's eyes as they gripped the apple more tightly. Glancing over at her aunt, they noticed how she's also hurt by his harsh words. "You don't mean that." Klaire almost whispered.

"Are you kidding me?" Hank's voice grew louder. Amelia closed their eyes and took deep breaths, chest tight and heart pounding. Their uncle only continued. "She is failing her classes! She is ruining my name, Klaire! And what do you do? Absolutely nothing. She just-"

Conversation is stalled by the thump of the stairs. Walking towards the group is Amelia's cousin, only a year older than them. She is wearing a black crop top that's also a bit revealing in the chest. Along with that, she wears a pair of ripped jean shorts and fishnets, with a pair of black Doc Martens. Her hair consists of a short and wavy black bob with bangs, a single red streak on the right side of her head, and her eyes are decorated with small, thick eyeliner wings and false lashes, along with nude lipstick on her lips.

"Willow!" Hank's mood quickly changed by his daughter's sudden appearance. "Good morning, sweetheart! If you want some breakfast, I could even make you some-"

"Not hungry." She cuts him off, picking up her bag she's left on the kitchen floor and throwing it over her shoulder. "Amy and I are leaving."

Hank turns and opens the door to the fridge. "Are you sure, honey? We have eggs, cereal-"

"I'm not changing my mind." She turns to Amelia, then nods towards the front door. "Coming?"

Amelia says nothing, simply nodding and following their cousin outside, not even acknowledging the man waving and smiling in the kitchen. "Goodbye sweetheart! Have a wonderful day!"

With a slam of a door, the two begin their ten-minute walk to their bus stop. "What an ass." Willow cusses, almost under her breath. With no response from Amelia, she continues. "But I can't lie, I'm kinda jealous."

The crunch of the dirt and rocks under their feet is the only sound that's heard for a short while, they walk side by side, Willow standing at least 7 inches above the other in her high shoes. Amelia, looking at the ground as they walk, finally responds softly. "Why?"

"Why? Why not!" she replies, voice a slightly above normal tone. "I've been trying for years on end to be a disappointment to him. It's my goddamn life goal! I mean, look at me!"

Amelia giggles, looking up slightly at her cousin beside her, both still walking at a slow pace. A smile can also be seen on Willow's face as she acknowledges her success in making her cousin smile.

She continued her speech. "But you, my god!" Willow exaggerates, earning another laugh from them. "It's so easy for you, and I'm so mad about it!"

They both giggle as they near the bus stop, entranced in the humor that Willow has used to brighten the mood, but all she can think about is how much Amelia must be hurting. They're not the type to dream of being a disappointment; to be hated by such parental figures. In fact, they are far from the rebellious type. Amelia is one of the sweetest, kindest people she knows, and has never done anything to make other people resent them. They are always trying their hardest to be civilized with everyone, no matter how much they dislike said person. And to think that her father couldn't see this torture that's affecting someone who should be like a child to him makes her hate him even more.

But she pushes the thought of him away, instead looking at her younger cousin forgetting about their worries, braces showing from the wide smile plastered on their face.

"Amy." She calls, successfully grabbing her cousin's attention with the nickname she had used with them since they were young.

"Hmm?" they reply, still grinning.

Willow sighs. "I want you to stay strong. For me, okay?" Amelia looks back at the ground as the both of them stop in their place, expecting the bus within the next few minutes. "You know I'll always have your back. Through the ups and downs, lefts and rights-"

"And the norths, souths, easts and wests." Amelia finishes the promise phrase that they've had since childhood. They look up, and both smile at each other as the faint engine noise of the school bus can be heard just down the road.

Willow pats the short one's head, and Amelia looks up with a look of annoyance. "Tell your friends I said hi." She requests, "And invite them over sometime! I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun."

"I'm not sure you could handle my friends..." Amelia doubts, crossing their arms with a bit of sass. "They can be a bit... much."

Willow only laughs as the bus pulls up in front of the two, and doors open. "So can I."

Amelia follows her cousin, stepping up onto the bus to see many kids in their seats... and some not so much. They watch as Willow pushes down the aisle, through some people, just to get to her friends. Her faint voice is heard in the distance, "What's up, guys?"

They walk carefully to avoid the many legs stretched out between the two sides of the bus. When they spot an empty seat, they sit down in silence, attempting to ignore the loud noises of kids around them who are standing on their seats, throwing things, and even playing music of bad taste.

Life was tough for them, having to put up with so much stress on the daily, pushing through the many triggering life events that go on, and trying their hardest not to break, though they felt lonelier than ever. Almost as if there was a missing piece in their heart that craved to be filled.

Amelia was lost in their own thoughts as the bus's engine revved, and it began it's journey to their high school. If the morning wasn't enough, the rest of the day will surely break them down completely.