My Cyber Crush My Bully

CH.22 Smile Like Everything is Alright

This story is coming to a close. Probably a good 1 or 2 more chapters and then it will end. Once this happens I will go into editing and who knows? Maybe this story will change completely? We'll see and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

~Ash

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(Claire's POV)

"Claire get down here!" I heard my mom shout from down the stairs. It had been a week since I got suspended and she hadn't let up on her furious nature. She hated me, I could tell. She didn't let me talk to any of my friends, though I only really had Erik. He didn't count, I saw him every day. She really only wanted to keep me from Zac, not that I was complaining. I wanted to stay away from him. I hated the thought of speaking to him, after deciding I needed a break from him. So basically I've been ignoring any attempt of speaking to him again.

My laptop was still connected to the internet, for school purposes (as my mom put it), but I would hear a soft ping come from it every once in a while on the first few days. I guess I kinda forgot that yeah, Zac and I met through an internet chat group. How could I forget that? It was only the reason I'm stuck in this situation. It was now friday the last day of my imprisonment, but I oddly didn't want to leave.

"I'm coming mother." I sighed. I got up from my bed fixing the glasses on my nose.

"You better! I have work and your brother missed his bus again." She glared at me as I made my way down the stairs.

"Alright." I went over to the door to grab my shoes and keys. I found it better not to argue with her, it was a lost cause. I would be out of here and back to Tennessee anyway.

"Make sure you come home straight after!" She shouted at me as I walked out the door. Aiden was already waiting by my car for me, he was smiling up at me like nothing was going on.

"Hey buddy. Why are you always so late to school?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Because I get to see you." He smiled and wrapped his tiny arms around my waist.

"Aiden..." I trailed off ready to give him a lecture, but he just smiled up at me again like I was his role model and I couldn't help but hug him back. He really shouldn't think of me so highly though, if only he knew how crappy my life had become, or how many bad choices I had made in the past few months, he would understand I wasn't a great person anymore.

"Get going," Our mom shouted out the window at us, I rolled my eyes and unlocked the door allowing Aiden to climb in the back and I got in and we started on our way. Since we lived a good ten minutes from the school he started chanting for me to play some music and I put in simple plan and watched as my little brother danced along in his own little world.

I wished I could be like Aiden sometimes. Young and naive that is. I wanted to be able to smile like everything was alright, to not have to worry about all of these stressful things. I was only eighteen but now they were forcing things on me and I should have realized it only got worse from there. I wanted to play and forget about my troubles like he could. I wanted to get lost in a video game and even throw a temper tantrum without getting badly scolded like I do now even if I put one toe out of line. Don't get me wrong, I would never thow a tantrum I just wished I could be a young child again that way I didn't have to worry about growing up.