Nerd to be heard

Chapter 2

I walked into the kitchen with my little fragile sister in my arms, only to see my dad reading the paper and drinking coffee. That made me smile.
Even if he was only half dressed at least he got up and wasn't drunk for once.

I was still in my pajamas and my hair was a mess but I had plenty of time to get ready for my first day of high school. I poured some coffee into my favorite star wars mug, and then got some baby food out of the shelf above my head. "Morning girls." Dad said with a half smile as I got him some more coffee. "So? Is work going to let you come back anytime soon?" I asked like I hadn't asked a hundred times already but I couldn't help it; he needed to go to work.
I waited for the yelling, the "I'm not ready yet" crap he always had said, but he just gave me a happy look and chuckled "babies are expensive, aren't they? I'm going back today" I was so excited at the words my father had just said that in my head I was jumping up and down like a child on Christmas. But I played it cool. "Thanks Dad" I said kissing his head. "I'm just happy you're talking again." He told me as he turned the paper over.

*flashback*

It had been 2 weeks since I had lost the best thing ever to happen to me. I had spent the days laying in bed, missing school, and holding Cam's necklace to my tears. I hadn't talked since the funeral, even in therapy it was all the shrink talking. My mom at the time was about ready to pop so there was a ton of yelling, "if you never talk how is the fucking baby going to learn?!" She'd yell at me which ironically made me want to talk less.

It seemed like the only thing my mom ever did was make me feel like shit but she was pregnant so what could I do?
But that morning was different as I cried in my room my mom stormed in and Tried to force me to talk. I refused.

But in our house there was a ton of stress and tears with Camille's death and Carman about to be born and my brothers drug problem. It seemed in those days we never stopped fighting and me not talking didn't help anyone.

I walked into the front door and sat next to my high-as-hell brother, I gave him a worried look. He smirked "what? Are you going to tell mom and dad or something? Oh wait.." I didn't respond. Tears rolled down my pink, long nose but I knew he wasn't him it was the drugs. "Oh god, stop being a cry baby."
Ouch. That hurt.

*end of flashback*
The old curler smelled of hairspray and bad dreams. My hands shook as I wrapped endless strings of burgundy curls around the hot metal rod. Carter, my brother, was banging around in the in his room and it was shaking me up that it would just be him and the baby today. And then there would be me, completely alone, in a hallway full of people.

"Charlotte, come downstairs now or your going to be late and so am I." Dad yelled from below my feet,How normal to any passerby that sounded but to me it was like the first breath of a baby or the smell of freshly cut grass. "It's Charlie now dad!" I yelled back while getting my bags together and looking in the mirror.

I shook out the curls that seemed just a bit to perfect. I ran my fingers along the rope of my necklace. Cam's necklace.

I cleared my head of bad thoughts as I ran my hand against my grey sweater and my Star Wars tee shirt. Damn my butt looked nice in these jeans.

"Thrift shop baby." I smile to my self and turn towards the door. I walk past the room where my parents had slept before hope was born. Now it looked haunted.

When I finally sat in the back of my Dad's Twilight Volvo, it reminded me of the last time. The very last time.

*Flash back*
My mom hadn't stopped screaming since the beginning of her second trimester, but this? This was to much.

She sat in shotgun while my dad drove frantically down the soaking wet steers of NYC.

I sat in the back scrolling through Tumblr not finding anything really funny.

"Get off your fucking phone, I'm in labor you bitch!" Mom yelled reining back at me.

That stung like a bee or holy water.

*Flashback ending*
We pulled up to the deathly place that is called high school. I swallowed a huge gulp seeing all the kids that were walking in. These kids were my future friends and enemies. Camille would've loved the sight of new people to meet but she would have made me be social which is actually why I'm friends with Sam. Sam the loser with the camcorder. That reminds me. I need to figure WHATS up with that. Try and make friends today?" My dad said while pulling up to Manhattan Village Academy the best of the best my mom would say. "School is for work not fun." I said as I climbed out of the seat into the world.
In
Out
In
Out
Sam Fields runs up to me and shoves the grey video recorder. "Hey bae!" Sam laughs as I stumble backwards. While rubbing my neck I ask "What even is that for?" I shrug my bag over my shoulders as we head across the basketball courts. "Recording our High School journey Baby!" He hoots. I sigh. He's lost his mind over the last few months. He skipped Camille's funeral for some family trip to Sweden. That Asshole.
I whispered into Cam's necklace "I got this."