faraway - dallas winston

002

i woke up tired the next morning at eight. i got a good eight hours of sleep, but i felt like i hardly had any sleep last night. today my body felt heavy, like it was dragging me down while walking to my bathroom when i usually felt light. 

i trudged into my bathroom and splashed my face with water in an attempt to wake me up. it kind of worked, so i carried on with the rest of my morning routine.

i've always enjoyed using makeup. i started with concealer under my eyes. my mom taught me how to use makeup to hide the unsightly features on my face and enhance what was nice. i blended the concealer then brushed mascara onto my lashes. i patted some red multi-use balm on to my lips and cheeks for some tint. i usually would try different eye looks, but i was not in the mood.

i brushed my long, honey blonde hair then pulled some of it up for a half-up half-down look. i loved ribbon and bows, i thought they looked very feminine, so i added one to my hair.

i got dressed in a patterned dress that my mom had recently bought me. i thought it fit me quite nicely. the babydoll pink color complimented my skin tone and the dress was perfect for summer to fall transition. 

while i was getting ready, johnny was on the back of my mind. i didn't even know if that was his name, we never introduced ourselves. i mean, he could barely talk, i didn't really expect an introduction. 

i walked down the stairs and wasn't surprised to see my mom wasn't there. she always went to her friend's house sunday mornings. i saw my dad in the kitchen, making a cup of coffee. 

"good morning" i called out.

"good morning sweetie, are you going out today?" 

"i was planning on it, but i don't think i'm going to go right now."

my father always talked in a stern and blunt manner, but i just learned to get used to it.

i walked back up to my room after getting a tall glass of water to last me while i do my homework. i had to finish some math homework i had procrastinated on. math wasn't my strongest subject, i didn't really like it either. i preferred english, i loved how there were different answers to a question depending on the person, when in math there was only one solution. the different methods to get the answer in math just messed with my head.

i was only on problem three when i got stuck. i zoned out trying to remember how my teacher explained in class when my eyes caught sight on bob's house across the street. our houses weren't directly in front of each other, i could barely see his house from my window, yet i still saw some hood vandalizing his property. 

i angrily stood up from my desk and ran down the stairs. i sprinted out the door, my heels clicking against the sidewalk, and made my way across the street, now speed walking towards bob's house. 

"excuse me?!" i called out. 

the greaser turned around and i instantly recognized him as one of the boys that had ran up to me and johnny yesterday. more specifically, the one that had shouted at me. a slight fear washed over me as he looked me dead in the eyes. 

"this ain't your house ain't it?" he asked, not bothered by my annoyance.

"no, but it's my cousin's" i replied, crossing my arms. 

"and does your cousin happen to be bob sheldon?"

"yes." the annoyance was still lining my voice.

"well then, i got the right house." he looked back to the house and continued spraying. 

i scoffed. he was so ignorant. 

"well can you stop? you've already ruined the paint." i honestly had no idea what else i should have said to him, he made me feel so insignificant. 

"i'm done anyways." he said looking back to me. 

i looked at what he wrote and it was obviously something inappropriate, i expected that. i gave him a weird look and he chuckled. 

"are you friends with, uh, johnny?" i hesitated.

"yeah, your cousin bust his face up yesterday." he furrowed his brows thinking about it.

"i know, i was there."

"oh, were you that girl next to him?" 

"yep."

he didn't apologize for being bitter, but he nodded, understanding.

"is he doing better now?" 

"yeah, yeah, he's still recovering."

"sorry about that, he didn't deserve it." i said looking down at my shoes.

i awkwardly walked away, i didn't know if i should have just called the cops, but i didn't really feel the need to. the greaser spray painting his house did have a good reason after all. 

i walked back to my house then to my room, and as i sat back down at my desk, i saw him walking back over to the north side.