Pathways

Chapter 2

"Anna. Your stop." The bus driver calls from down the aisle. I hurriedly collect my things and get up. The bus speeds away and I watch it from a distance stalling. I don't want to go into my miserable house but I know I'll freeze to death if I just stand out here in the cold. I sigh.

" I'm home," I shout, slamming the wooden door behind me. The floors creak as I slowly walk to put my backpack down by the stairs. The only light is coming from the kitchen window and the sink is still running. The TV is still on which can only mean one thing. I walk over to see my mom passed out on the couch with a beer can right beneath her. The stench of alcohol is so strong I have to plug my nose. I turn the water from the faucet off and slowly creep to turn the tv off. When my hand slides to the remote my hairs stand on end at the sound of my mother's slurred voice.

" Don't turn the tv off, you witch. I'm watching that." She throws her empty beer can at me but it misses and hits the tv.

I slowly back away not wanting to trigger her. I head to my room to start on homework and call Jake. He picks up on the first ring.

"You need help with your assignment? I happen to know someone who's pretty good at English," he whispers.

"No, but I need help with something else." I sigh.

"Something else?" I can tell Jake has raised an eyebrow over the phone. I don't even want to know whatever he's imagining.

" Not like that, you sleaze." I tease.

"Okay okay, I see how it is." Jake pretends to be offended.

" Jake, have you ever gotten an anonymous note before? Like a text or something?" I blurt.

He thinks for a minute, " This girl in tenth grade gave me a secret love note. But she was so weird."

"You idiot, that was me." I groan thinking back on how we first started talking. I had given Jake an anonymous note sophomore year because I was too afraid to say it to his face. Shortly after my friend had handed him the note, he pulled me aside privately and said he wouldn't take it seriously unless I said it to his face and shortly after that we started dating. I'm forced out of my memory by the sounds of my sister slamming the door behind her and stomping up the stairs.

" Jake, my sister just got home, I'll call you back." I hang up before he can even say anything.

The truth is I only call Jake when I'm alone and the house is quiet. It's not like I'm ashamed of my family but the little outbursts my sister has and my mom's alcoholic ways don't exactly make me proud either. I don't leave my room when I hear her come upstairs and slam her door. Instead, I slither downstairs, take a few pop-tarts and go back to my room to study.

I wake up startled by my alarm clock. I must have gone to sleep sometime while studying because I have a book lying on my chest. I look at the time and it's the next day. Five am. I roll out of bed and shower, the cold water prickling my back as I wash off my doubts of yesterday. Maybe my stalker will go away.

My stalker didn't go away. I stand in front of my locker with another yellow envelope. I don't read it. Instead, I look around rapidly to see who's in the hallways. It's early in the morning when I get here so nobody is usually around. I see the figure of my best friend Delilah running away down the hallway. Caught you. I knew it was a prank. For the rest of the day, I contemplate how to get her back for this creepy prank. Of course, it was Delilah, she knows me better than anyone. Well better than most people. Nobody knows me better than myself.