37 Days

Day 1 - Jay

the houses flew by.

red, pink, yellow, grey until they all blurred into an endless streak of color.

another summer. another 37 days of torture.

with dad, who only takes me for summers in because of the legal agreement.

with stepmother, who hates me because i'm only a sour memory of the past.

perhaps the only good thing is braydon. my stepbrother. the only person who can stand to see my face.

alone.

alone for 37 days.

dad said something about baseball. about the news. about the weather. about how mom is doing. about how is school.

i didn't hear him. all i heard was anger pounding in my ears. it drowned out all other sound.

i didn't want this. he didn't want this. no one is happy.

why am i here?

and then i saw the girl.

grey eyes like fog on a summer day. hair as light as sunshine struggling through the clouds in winter.

on the curb, curled up in a ball, eyes wide and afraid. terror masked across her face.

as if she was seeing demons that aren't really there.

i pressed my face to the glass, wondering what she sees. what made her so afraid.

the car rolled on.

we pulled up to the house. its two story, windows glistening, painted a cheery yellow, flower boxes blooming.

a perfect house. perfect family. perfect life.

stepmother - taylor - came out. her face was bright. bright like the sun. all fake smiles. out came braydon. out came annika, his older sister. and then park, their dog, wagging his tail.

i didn't want to get out.

dad glared. i pushed open the door and plastered on a grin. i was surrounded by fake happiness. hugs and greetings and smiles that weren't meant.

i was alone. there were people all around me but i was alone.