Hear Me Now

Chapter 5-Boulevard of Broken Dreams

 Chapter 5- Boulevard of Broken Dreams

(By:ElizabethA)

  The sunlight flooded through the curtain less window, waking me from my dreams. Even in my dreams I can't escape the harshness of reality. I peeled my eyelids open to see the bright sunshine shining down on me. Time to face yet another day. I sat up, stretching, and yawning. I could hear my joints popping and my brain waking up. I got up and walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I had bags under my eyes and my eyes were bloodshot. I sighed and brushed my teeth. After I got my ratty sneakers on, I walked out the door and started to stroll down the street. All the early birds were out, housewives were hanging cloths on clotheslines, and men were getting in their beat-up trucks to go to their jobs. I think I could even hear some birds chirping somewhere. Then I heard the shooting and saw the gangs sitting on the stoops of their apartments. The drug dealers were out eying to get people to do drugs. I even saw one trying to sell drugs to a kid who looked like he was barely ten years old. I turned away, disgusted by the fact that a grown man was trying to take advantage of a kid like that. That scene kind of reminded me of the first time I did cocaine. I had gotten it from a guy at school who let's say didn't make the right choices in life. The first time I did it, I was on the floor coughing so loudly that I was afraid my neighbors could hear me.

 Then my parents came home soon after that and I was so nervous that they knew my secret, I was sweating. They didn't know and when my dad punched my gut, I doubled over out of instinct but I didn't really feel the pain. The usual beating continued afterward, but I didn't feel any pain. I acted like I did so that I wouldn't get extra beating. As I rounded the corner, she was there. Just standing there looking the other way down the street, like she was searching for someone.

 "Hey! I need to talk to you!" I yelled breaking into a run towards her.

 She turned her head towards me, saw me running towards her, and without any emotion on her face, she started to run in the opposite direction. Ashley was fast, weaving in and out of pedestrians, even darted across the street, while I was huffing and puffing the entire way. I saw her accidentally, well I think it was by accident, knock over a rack filled with brochures. I ran around the mess into the street, earning myself a few good honks from annoyed drivers. The girl I was chasing, Ashley, then turned down an alley. I was there ten seconds after she was, but as I turned down it, I saw that she was getting into the passenger's side of a car. A mid-sized sedan at the other end of the alley to be exact.

 I stopped, with my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath, knowing there was no way I could follow her now. Why did she run? I tried to picture myself seeing some guy coming towards me. Would I run? Probably, but she had seen me before. I walked slowly back onto the sidewalk. Now what to do? Breakfast seemed like a good idea. Mm. I remember when I used to have eggs, bacon, and pancakes every day for breakfast. I would make them myself and I must say that I was a pretty good cook when I had the right ingredients. But those days are over. Now it just whatever is the cheapest.