The Mendacity of Winnie Hart

Chapter Seventeen

Laying in my bed, staring at my ceiling, and blasting music at eardrum-shattering volumes through my earbuds was not helping my mood. I had fallen into a slump over the weekend and wanted to forget everyone and the world as a whole. Usually this activity did the job, but not lately.

Doing the same thing time and time again with no real outcome could be considered insanity. If that was the case, I had been going insane since Thursday. Both Wren and Noah hadn't been in school on Friday so I allowed myself to disassociate from my body and mindlessly go through my classes. Life was easier when you didn't have to think about your actions every time you made them. I coasted through the day, and the following Saturday. I barely even remember completing my homework, but my finished worksheets were the only evidence I needed.

I glanced out the window to my right. Today began the first snow of the season, and the snow was sticking to the ground in billowy layers. Since it was still a weekend and kids wouldn't have to go back to school until tomorrow, they were all outside in their snow suits with their sleds. Their laughter could be heard through my window despite it being closed and latched.

It reminded me of the days where I would do the same thing. I hadn't been on a sled or made a snow angel in years, despite Winter being one of my favorite seasons.

I sighed and yanked out my earbuds, tossing them onto my bedside table. My room was freezing so I got up to put on a hoodie over the sweater I was already wearing. Normally I would just turn the thermostat up but my mom wanted to save money on the energy bill, so bundling up was the best I could do.

The house was empty, my mother being at work as usual. Sometimes I wondered if she was going to work herself to death. She usually only had one day off a week, and a lot of time she would pick up a shift, so she was constantly at the diner. Since there wasn't anything else going on in our lives, I guess she felt she didn't need to do a lot. Plus, working was sure to keep her mind busy, just like school kept mine busy. I couldn't be at school every day though.

I decided to make myself some tea downstairs to warm me up. Walking downstairs, I wandered into the kitchen to look around.The cabinets were looking empty as always, but there were a couple bags of Earl Grey left. As I waited for the water to heat up my phone buzzed with a call. I slid it out of my pocket to look at the caller ID.

It was Wren. We hadn't talked in a few days since she had gotten sick, but I felt as though I needed one last day to myself before I saw her tomorrow. Talking on the phone had never been my favorite activity either. I stared at her picture on the screen blankly until my phone eventually stopped buzzing, and the call dropped. If it was truly important, she would call again.

The water kettle screeched. I hastily took it off the hot burner and poured it into a mug with the tea bag. Wren didn't try to call again, making me feel less guilty for ignoring her call since it evidently wasn't a pressing issue.

However, after I had only been sitting down at the kitchen table for twenty minutes there was a knock on my door. Sighing, I got up to answer it. I knew it could only be Wren and she knew I would be home. It's not like I did anything else with my life.

Bracing myself for whatever she would say, I slowly opened the front door.

"Why are you ignoring my calls?" She asked flatly, her arms crossed over her chest. Even though she claimed to have been sick, she looked as put-together as always. She even had a full face of makeup on.

"You only called me once," I answered, looking past her at the snow piling up the driveway. I would have to shovel that later.

"I've called you like, twenty-five times over the weekend!" She pushed past me into my house. "Check your call logs! I mean it missy."