Waves

Stars

Moving.

It's been two weeks since my mom told me we were moving. That's all I've been able to think about since then.

Wake up.

Moving.

Get ready.

Moving.

Go to school.

Moving.

Eat lunch.

Moving.

Go home.

Moving.

Go to sleep.

Moving.

I dream about it. Every waking moment, all I think about is moving!

Me and my mom are only moving because she found out my dad was sleeping with one of his students. They're getting a divorce. My mom wants nothing to do with my dad so she's moving me halfway across the country.

"We're moving to Los Angeles!!!" She says excitedly hugging me tight.

Los Angeles. Why there. I like Texas. It's peaceful. There's a big willow tree in a huge meadow by my house that I always go to after school. I escape into my own world there. Escape from everything in my life.

Bullies.

My parents.

Life in general.

I sometimes stay under that big tree for hours until the sun sets over the trees and it gets cold. Then I go inside. Down to my room in the basement, with the cold, concrete floors and my twin size bed in the corner of the room.

I would lay down and look up at the glow-in-the-dark green stars still stuck to the ceiling from when I was little. My dad put them up. There were no windows and I liked to stare at the stars. I could stare at them for hours. They were so beautiful. I wonder some nights why I can't just defy gravity and float up into the sky and become a star. Stars have no worries in the world. Sitting in the sky like they own the place. So gorgeous that I'm jealous.

My dad. A lot of things reminded me of him. I mean he's still here and all but I barely see him. Good. I never want to see him. I hate him. HATE. I'll never forget what he did to me. I was seven. I still remember it like it was yesterday.

-FLASHBACK-

"Come down to the basement sweetie!" He called to me from downstairs. I did as I was told and happily skipped down the spiral staircase to the basement. When I got to the bottom I saw a twin bed in the corner with a pink blanket on top of it.

I walked over to the bed and sat down. "Daddy?! Why is there a bed down here?" I said. Silence. "Daddy!!?" I yelled louder this time.

I heard someone run up the stairs and slam the door. I heard it lock. Then footsteps walked away from the down till I couldn't hear them anymore.

"Daddy! Where are you?!" I yelled.

I got up from the bed and ran over to the stairs and ran up and tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge. I tried harder but got the same results.

"DADDY!!" I screamed banging on the door. I started to tear up. I shut my eyes trying to keep my tears from falling but failed miserably as the tears streamed down my face.

Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! I would scream over and over again for hours.

I turned around and slid down the door and sat there.

He locked me in the basement for days and days like an animal. He told my school that I had the flu. He occasionally unlocked the door and threw a juice box and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a bag down the stairs and would quickly lock the door back.

I stayed like that for maybe 3 weeks, but it felt like months. I had nothing to do but look at the glow-in-the-dark stars that he must've put there for me to look at at night. I guess it was at night when I stared at them. I couldn't tell what time it was or what day it was. There we no windows.

He finally let me out one day and pretended like nothing happened. But I remembered everything. And I always will.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

I stared at the stars till my eyes felt heavy and I soon fell into a deep sleep.