Paradise

Chapter One

It was the typical Monday morning. I awakened with a dull headache in the back of my eyes, and was hopeful it would be enough to get me out of class. When my mother came into the bedroom to give me a goodbye hug before going to work, I met her gaze and frowned. "I have a headache."

"Oh, Honey, I'm sorry," she said, sympathetic. "Let me get you some aspirin."

"It doesn't help," I tried, but she was already moving down the hallway. I sighed, falling back against my pillows, and waited for her to return.

She returned quickly, and I took note of the heavy bags beneath her eyes; they were especially prominent this morning. I felt a slight pang of guilt at that moment, but it didn't overshadow my desire to skip school. Nothing did.

"Here. Take this," she said, handing me two aspirin and a glass of water. I paused with the glass in my hand, looking down into it. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"It doesn't help," I repeated, and she sighed, crossing her arms. The material of her blue factory uniform crinkled on the sleeves.

"Well, you can't stay home," she said, already knowing where this was going.

I glanced up, feeling close to tears. "But--"

"Penny, the school year's barely even started. You have to go."

My lips wavered. "Please--"

"No. If I keep having to miss work they're going to fire me." There was exasperation in her voice. I'd made her miss so much last year. I know I'd put her in a very vulnerable spot. Still, a part of me chose to ignore this and continue on.

"You don't have to stay home with me," I said, voice soft.

She sighed again, impatience mounting. "No, Penny. Take the medicine. You'll be fine."

"No, I won't!" I cried, tears rolling down my cheeks. At the sight of them, she sighed again, and turned toward the door, completely forgetting to hug me in her desperation to leave for work.

"I have to go or I'm going to be late. Get ready for the bus." She paused at the door, and for a moment I felt hopeful that she would change her mind. "Try to have a good day, okay? Love you."

The door clasped shut, and I hung my head in defeat. Why couldn't she have let me stay home for one day? Sure, the year was off to a bad start, but I didn't care. I reluctantly got up and headed into the bathroom (swallowing the medicine on the way). I had to go. If I missed now, after my mother already told me to go then my father would be seriously ticked. He could be really scary when he got mad, and nothing infuriated him more than my laying out of school.

I pulled a brush through my tangled, auburn hair, and tucked it in a bun at the base of my neck. After washing my face, I patted it dry, and brushed black eyeshadow over my eyelids (it really brought out my otherwise dull brown eyes; the only downfall was that it also brought out the rosy tint in my skin). Then I brushed my teeth, and went to find some clothes to throw on. I decided on a pair of long jean shorts and a baggy, black T-shirt. Because of my weight, I tried to avoid tight-fitting clothes. I didn't need to give my peers another reason to make fun of me.

That yellow atrocity normally came roaring down the road around 6:40 am. It was only 6:15, so I decided to plop down in front of the TV and mindlessly channel surf. Of course, I should have been at the kitchen table working on my leftover Algebra homework, but, what can I say, I lack motivation when it comes to schoolwork. Maybe, if I was lucky, someone would be kind enough to pass their paper to me so that I could copy it, but that was unlikely. My parents knew all too well about my laziness, and they knew I was hanging by a thin thread. Once, my father had actually told me that he had no idea how I had ever gotten to the 11th grade. He said my attitude would get me into trouble, but so far, he had been wrong.