She's Not Mine

Introduction

  She's up before her alarm even goes off.

     She's showered, teeth brushed, outfit picked out, and staring at the chip in her nail polish, all before her alarm even goes off.
     After a tan, quick-dry coat, swiped across her seemingly already perfect nails, she stares in the mirror and breathes deeply. Her eyes move from her freshly styled hair, down to her articulately glossed lips, and back up to her flawless eye make-up.

    "Perfect."

     She raises herself out of her chair. Smoothing her skirt, her walks out of room and heads into the hall. She plasters a soft smile on her face and takes another deep breath before she steps into the kitchen.
     As per routine, he's sitting at the empty table. Upon her entrance, he doesn't look up from his computer screen. Instead he picks up his spoon off the counter and taps it gently on the side of his cup. She walks over to take and refill his coffee cup. How could she forget the coffee cup?
     As she places it down, she kisses him on the cheek and smiles sweetly.
     "Good morning, Daddy."
He returns the smile, finally looking up at her.
     "Good Morning, Rory. It's refreshing to see you awake so early." He looks back down at the screen. "You've had such a terrible habit of sleeping in lately." She thinks back to earlier in the week, she knows she's been up before the sun most days. Sometimes she's up so late, and then up so early, sleeping comes in long blinks.
     "It's Friday, Daddy. I needed to study. Mr. Moss always has tests on Fridays." He nods, before focusing his attention back into his work. Rory takes this as a sign, and she quietly makes her exit.
     Rory thinks of her mom as she passes the empty bedroom in the middle of the hall. She's on yet another diet fad, and is most likely off somewhere running, burning off pounds that simply don't exist.
     She thinks of her own figure, picked at from such a young age. Forced to eat healthy, stay active, pushed hard.
     "Look good, feel good." Her mother would say.
     She grabs her school bag and glances at herself one last time in the mirror. She gives her reflection a quick nod before grabbing her keys and walking to the car.
     It's a warm October morning, but the breeze causes a chill to roll down Rory's back. It's her favorite weather.
     "Perfect." She whispers, as she climbs into the drivers side and puts the keys into the ignition.