Intense Trouble

Prologue

"Pencils, Notebooks, Highlighters, Paper, Binder, Gum..." Aunt Marelle, lists as I pack every item into my bookbag.

"Let's not forget patience, cause there's nothing like starting anew school in the middle of the fucking year" I mumble as I zip my bag up.

Aunt Marelle looks over to me in sympathy and doesn't call me out on my language.

Not that she would.

After everything I've been through, cussing is the least of our concerns.

"Sawyer, please, this is a chance for a new start. We've discussed this. All I ask that is you graduate high school." Aunt Marelle pleads from her space on the couch.

I close my eyes and slowly nod.

I wish I didn't have to start somewhere new.

But that's life for you, a bag of surprises and unfortunate situations.

I stand up off the couch and grab my bag.

"I'm gonna go to my room." I grumble and drag my feet to my new room.

I feel bad for springing this on Aunt Marelle, heck she's only 25 and she opened her door to let her only niece live here.

My mom, Aunt Marelle sister, was never truly ready to be a mom so for the past 17 years, it's been my own version of hell. Late nights working at a local restaurant, money being drained for her own selfish purposes and having to fend for myself in the small town of Galloway Point located in Virginia.

My dad left on my 10th birthday, he was great as far as I remember, tried to steer my mom right but at some point he couldn't take it.

Beats me why he didn't bring me with him.

Nevertheless, my hate never stopped at what my mom did, he could have done better, tried harder.

It was just last week, I was coming home from work and there up the street, under the lamppost, I spot my mom holding a bag in front of our apartment building. I froze in my spot as a cab pulled to the curb and she hopped in.

But that's not what hurt, what hurt was the fact as it drove past me, she saw me.

She saw me and she didn't wave , she didn't say anything!

She watched, as I stood frozen and heartbroken.

My mom left me.

The one who you were always to have, to lean on, gone. Without a goodbye made it worse. Without a reason made it hurt.

After watching the cab turn off the street, I stood and stared into the night sky. No one was around and it started to get latter and latter.

Finally, I moved, I walked towards the building and up the stairs, into the apartment.

To find, it all gone, her clothes, her presence, gone.

The furniture we had, bare and the love I thought I had, gone.

I broke down.

It was all to real, too much.

I cried.

I stood and my heart fell.

I don't know how long I cried but when the tears were gone and the sniffles remained.

I lifted my phone and called the only one, I had left.

The only other contact in my phone, Aunt Marelle.

She picked up after two rings, and I broke down again, "she left. She's gone." I cried into the phone.

Aunt Marelle comforted me as much as I let in and told me I could come live with her.

So here I am, in Colorado, with my Aunt.

She enrolled me into the high-school nearby, Drainage High, and I expect the same to go here as it did back in Virginia.

Head down, work done.

Those two things got me this far and it'll get me through these last 5 months.

Making it to my room, I shut the door and dropped my bag, falling face first into my bed.

If I ignore it, maybe the hole that grows in my chest will no longer be painful.

Inhaling deeply, I turned on some music and fell asleep, it was only 7 in the evening but the sooner tomorrow comes, the sooner it'll be over.