Don't Forget

Chapter 2

「my pov」
After a weeks worth of all nighters studying everything I possibly could, I was so tired and ready for this exam. I had my folder full of my documents needed to enter so I knew It was finally time.
This class was filled with eager high schoolers, dying to win this contest. My confidence suddenly started to waver, then I remembered my friend's words, "you are the smartest one here," her voice echoing in my head. I sat down with my knees shaking under my desk. My Japanese teacher walked to the front of the classroom. "Good luck to everyone," was all he said before he started passing out these super thick booklets and answer sheets. Mine landed on my desk, I looked down and carefully started to sign my booklet with my name and also the answer sheet. This test wasn't like any other ordinary language tests, it included subjects they learned in Japan, and questions about their culture. The second part of the test was their written languages. I had to fill out a Hiragana and Katakana sheet, luckily I did have down. I started to answer questions about Kanji too, which I also knew a decent amount on. Students started to finish up and I was going over everything. "Please please please I need to get this," I said to myself. After going through it I decided it looked decent to me. I walked to the front of the classroom and sat down my packet, then I noticed I was the last one to finish. I face palmed, I was pretty mad that I overworked this much. I sighed, realizing I worked for 3 hours on this exam. As I turned to leave, my teacher interrupted me. "I especially have lots of confidence in you Madison, I hope I'm right," my teacher said looking up from his computer. "I-Uh, you will be," I said smiling uneasily as I turned to walk out. Once I was in the hallway I was questioning,"Why me? There are better students?" And other things, to myself. The next day I was going to find out who placed top ten in my school for Japanese, and the number one best, who is going to win a year in True Cross Academy.
•••
I walked home from my school because I didn't live far away. On the way I was kicking small stones and the sky looked heavy, as if it would start to rain at any given moment. I walked into my small old house, to find my mom drinking and watching TV.
She looked at me with a pissed expression on her face. "Where was my worthless daughter for the last 3 hours?!" She yelled at me. I looked down at my worn down converses that were covered in a thin layer of mud. "Taking a test.." I said through clenched teeth. I started to form my hands into fists, feeling my knuckles become white. "A retest for a test you failed, I assume?" She said with a smirk. I looked up, "It was an extra credit exam for a year in Tokyo!" I screamed, finally breaking.
"Psh- you won't win," My mom said, swirling the brown alcohol in her clear glass.
"Yes I fucking can!" I yelled back. She looked straight at me with solid eyes, "DON'T YOU EVER YELL AT ME LIKE THAT AGAIN YOU LITTLE BRAT!" She yelled, while throwing an empty beer bottle at me. Due to her state of being, she missed me by a little and the glass shattered all over the ground.
I ran out my front door as quickly as I could and I started to run to the abandoned train station that used to run in my town, where I would run away to when I was mad or upset. I arrived, the dark clouds were making it practically night time. I sat slowly against the train station wall, hitting the wall harder than expected.
Sitting there I then started to think about my dad, how he was in heaven and all.. I still remembered the day he died, it was only 3 years ago when he got into the car accident. The car driver that collided with him survived but my dad wasn't so lucky. Ever since then my mom turned to alcohol, that's why it wouldn't matter if I spent a whole year in Tokyo. My friends didn't know about my mom's behavior, but they did know that my dad died.
My eyes started to swell with tears. I remembered having family outings to the local park with my parents when I was a kid. They would push me on a swing or follow me down the metal slides. Oh how we were all so happy and how that all changed too quick.
"Hey if it wasn't one of our favorite failures?" I heard a female voice yell. I heard a few more snickers after the insult. I looked up to see who the source of the insult was, just another one of the "popular" girls that was known for being quite the whore, sleeping around almost every night.

"What the hell did you just say?!" I yelled back, standing up. "teach this bitch a lesson," the blonde said to her right hand girl. The girl started to run to me, her fist extended in front of her with her brunette hair following behind her. I easily swerved her fist and then I kneed her in the gut so she wouldn't be able to stand up. Another one was running to me and I ran back, punching her square on the nose bridge. "Only two more.." I breathed to myself. A chunkier one tried to run at me but I already kicked her away because she was too slow. I wasn't paying attention and the blonde came running, punching me in the face, making me fall back onto the cement. My cheek started to burn from the skid I had just done on the pavement. I sat back up and paid her back by punching her in the jaw, then kneeing her in her ribs. "Argh, take.. This," I was saying repeatedly as I hit her head on the pavement. "Tsk," I spit at her and her posse. I felt the familiar ache on my nose as it started to bleed and my cheek was stinging with the raw skin feeling along with my fists. "Grea-at," I said as I was stepping over the passed out bodies.
I decided to go to Jori's house for aid. I arrived at her door, it started to downpour by then. The rain made my hair stick to my face in little strands, also soaking through my thin shirt. I knocked on her door and she answered on the second knock, she took one look at me with furrowed eyebrows and pulled me into her house.
"Be quiet my mom is sleeping.." she started, not even bothering to ask what happened this time. She pulled out some bandages and peroxide from her bathroom with a towel since I was soaked, while I hopped onto her kitchen table so she could do what she wanted to help. I didn't even want to argue with her to stop so I just bit my lip as the burning worsened on my face. She started by wrapping my knuckles and then she used a q-tip in the liquid for my face. My cheek stopped burning and she finished by bandaging a little bit of my face. "When will you learn.." she began.
"Hey don't start, I've had a long day.." I said sighing and rubbing my cheek. I noticed she looked really upset with me so I gave her a reassuring smile, "Thanks man," I said. She just nodded and put away everything. "Look it's late, you can crash here on the couch or stay as long as you like," she said as she rubbed her eyes, turning off the lights and then going to go to her room. Once she was gone I slumped on the couch. "Jeez, I hope this doesn't leave a mark?" I questioned to myself, thinking about earlier. I decided I would sneak back into my house like I usually did.

I started by sprinting back home, splashing through occasional puddles. When I arrived outside my dark house I slowly opened my creaky side door. When I walked in I saw the crushed glass bottle still on the floor. I couldn't even look at it so went into my room, falling onto my cold old bed and falling into a light uneasy sleep like usual. Since I have insomnia I didn't stay asleep, I usually can't due to dreams or I just can't help it.