Am I in Love With a Criminal

Chapter 1 - Holly

As I lay here staring blankly out the skylight I can't help but imagine it falling on me. Pretty dark I know but that's what I do in every situation. Imagine the worst outcome. This is why mom says nobody likes me. Perhaps that's true, shit! There's my mind talk again. I was disturbed from my thoughts when I heard my mom yelling at Ace, my brother.

I leapt out of bed to see what mom was yelling at Ace for. It must have been important, I thought to myself. I silently crept down the stairs, wincing as they creaked. When I got to the worn out base I peeked around the corner to see my brother crying and mom holding a bag of some weird looking pills. I knew instantly what they were. I crept upstairs before mom could give me an ass whooping for eavesdropping.

When I got to my dark room I curled up on my bed and stared out the skylight again. Waiting for something, anything that could transport me from this house to anywhere else. Mom was strict and she's been even worse since dad died. We all have, it hit me hard especially, like a ton of bricks crashing through my heart. That's when it happened, that's when I went downhill.

I lay silently in my bed for a few hours. Over that time the yelling stopped and the house fell silent, except for the quiet sobs of my brother. "Dinner's ready" mom yelled out from the bottom of the stairs. I lifted my head to get up until I remembered what kids at school were saying. "I'll get some later" I called out. That was a lie.

Ace waited for mom to go to bed before he went downstairs. I heard him come up around ten minutes later. I waited in my room until there wasn't any sound in the musty old house. I glanced at my watch. Ten Pm it read. I forced myself off my cosy bed and a tingle ran down my spine as the room's cold air hit me. I reached out to my closet and swung the door open. It creaked and squeaked. Jesus, I thought, everything in this bloody house creaks. I rummaged through the clothes on the hangers until I found an old sweater, it was my dad's. I pulled it on and inhaled the smell. It smelled like him, friendly and warm.

I stopped and checked the time again, ten fifteen Pm. I slowly and cautiously went down the dark stairs almost tripping. I bit my fist when I almost screamed. If mom caught me I'd be dead. When I reached the door I clicked the unlock and carefully swung the door open. A rush of cold air whistled in and the only thing making me able to see was the flickering glow of the street lamp. I breathed in the fresh air and went out the door, slipping on some shoes on my way out.

When I reached the footpath I followed it to the playground on the next street over. Finally this was my peaceful place. No kids or worried adults. Just me the night sky and a soft whistling breeze. I do this often but nobody knows other than Lee,my amazing best friend. I walked over to the slide and lay myself on it. The cold plastic on my legs made me get goosebumps. My focus was drawn up to the sky. It was a clear night tonight. Nothing but the stars were showing. I lay there and watched for over an hour. Then I heard a car pull up to their house and I knew that was the man who works night shifts at the bar. That was my signal to head home as it was getting late.

The next morning I woke up in my bed. I still had dad's sweater on. A faint smile crossed my lips and I reached for my notebook beside my bed. I flipped through looking for a clean page. Once I found one I grabbed a pen and charted the stars I saw last night. What constellations I saw and where in the sky they were. It was a passion of mine. Mapping the night sky, though I never told anyone of course. Because at my school that wasn't cool and you'd be considered a weird nerd for looking at things that were so far away. Nowadays the only cool things are being a cheerleader or having rich parents. For one I'd never be a cheerleader, who would want to wear skirts that only just go past your ass. Being rich, that's just a dream almost as far away as space.

I laid my notebook down and scanned my room. When I looked at my watch I saw the time was eight twenty Wednesday morning. Shit! I'm going to be late and everyone will know when I walk into class. I jumped out of the comfort of my warm blankets, and hurriedly threw some clothes on. I didn't have time to do my makeup, only time to swing my hair into a messy bun. I rushed into the hallway and basically threw myself down the stairs. I was about to grab something to eat, but I pulled my hand away and ran out the door. I threw on some shoes and stumbled down the front steps. I nearly fell but regained my balance as I started running down the street. It reminded me of a running scene in a movie or something. I imagined I was running to save my lover or something. After I ran for a couple of blocks I slowed to a steady walk to regain my breath.