Just Pretend With Me

2

~Athena~

I had attempted to sleep again, but the ear-turning ring of my new alarm echoed through the walls of my bedroom if you can even call it that, waking me right back up.

I was like Harry Potter, except I was no wizard.  With an exasperate sigh, I swat away the spider dancing on the tip of my nose before flipping off my blankets and turning off my 4 a.m. alarm. It was time to go to work.

Every morning, I went through the same motions, dreading the day when my 'mother' would finally awaken before me and begin her daily torment. I shivered at the thought.

It all started when I turned 14 years old and was placed for adoption after both of my biological parents passed away in a car crash. As you can imagine, I was devastated by their passing but quite optimistic at the thought of having a new family and being able to start a new life.

But it didn't take long for me to discover that my new family was unlike any I'd ever met.

"Athena!" The wretched sound of my name when she'd call me echoed through my head.

I shuddered, entering the bathroom. My hands traced down my body's scars, admiring them in the mirror. "Fifty nine." I had counted.

With a slight wince I traced my most recent scar down to my hip which I had gotten for refusing to give my 'sister' my work pay for the week. That sort of defiance had me unable to walk properly for several days...but if anyone asked, I was to tell them I had tripped down the stairs.

With the flashback now clearing from my head, I jumped in the shower remembering I had work from 5:00 am to 7:40 am, and if I was just a little bit late, I'd get either fired, kept late or both and most likely be late to school.

My real mom had always said "Life is unfair and one day you'll have to learn to live with it." It took me a while but now I finally understand the meaning of that sentence.

~

"Athena!" My manager yelled from across the kitchen. "Take the orders of tables 2 and 7!" I nodded, rushing over to table 7 first.

I hesitated and looked down at the floor. "W-Welcome to the American Dream..how can I help you today...?" The group of teens laughed. "Who's this chick?" "She's pretty cute ain't she?" With the sound of a familiar voice I looked up only to see Hunter smirking back at me.

I gripped the notepad in my hand tighter and glanced at the clock. 10 minutes left until my shift was over. Before I was able to repeat myself, the guy closest to my right grabbed my arm. "Hey! Why are you so quiet?" I gritted my teeth and shook him off. "D-Don't touch me.."

"What did you say?!" His voice grew louder and he poured ice cold water down my head. "Go on! Repeat yourself bitch!" I bit my lip..waiting for someone..anyone to help me, but everyone stared at me. Me, like I was some sort of monster.

Hunter stood up. "C'mon boys, let's go." He shot a wink my way. "I'll see you at school Thena."

Thena? Thena?! I wanted to scream back at him, tell him not to address me like we were close and that I wouldn't allow him to walk over me any longer...but how could I?

He'd kill me.

None of them would ever know how it feels like to work endlessly, like a Slavs in your own house.

Carefully averting my eyes from all the judging looks shot by the other customers I waltzed right into the employee bathroom and locked it shut before sliding down to the bathroom floor, rolled up in a ball. Why? Water dripped from my hair. Why does it always have to be me who gets made fun of? Why couldn't I just die with my parents? Tears streamed down my face as I tried to hold back sobs while the sound of their laughter echoed in my ears. No matter what I do...my life just keeps getting worse and worse.

"Is anyone in there?" I heard a knock at the door and jolted right up. "Y-Yes..s-sorry..I-I'll be out in a s-second..!" My co-worker on the other side paused before her next sentence.

"O-Oh, wait, Athena. Is that you?" Remembering my humiliation only minutes ago I decided to keep silent and instead focus on wiping the falling tears off my face. "If that is... well uhm... the manager said to tell you that your shift is over so she'll give you your pay for today but after that, don't bother coming to work for a while."

My eyes widened and I clenched my fists. "S-So in other words I'm fired.." She paused.

"Basically.."

Of course, I thought. It doesn't matter how hard I work..it'll never be enough..

I cleaned myself up and walked out of the bathroom like it was nothing. "Thanks Jess, I'll see you around." With a sigh I grabbed my school book bag and pay from my employee locker and checked out, glancing at the clock one last time.

7:45, 15 minutes until school starts. It was only about a 10 minute walk away but I guess being a bit early for a change wouldn't be too bad.

I pushed open the glass doors and stepped out into the morning light while a soft breeze kissed my cheeks and I let out a sigh of relief.

"It is what it is." I put my earphones in and hummed the melody to "Grenade by Bruno Mars" and for a moment, just for a moment, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. Music was my escape from the world. It made me feel as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for something incredible to happen.

(I PROMISE IT GETS BETTER)
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