The ex-athlete (part 1)

part 1(ch-1 the RED LABEL)

It had been 7 months and 2 days after the world stopped turning for rylie,the sun stopped being warm and the night stopped being cool.when matriarch (mom) passed away the world she knew did too.
Rylie had started journaling and going to therapy and it had been making her feel a lot better and as days passed by she started acting normally and it seemed like she would return to normal in just a few days.

It was a typical Tuesday night. Rylie and her dad were at the dinner table and kiki a cute little ginger cat had been fed early as well.
Rylie nipped in and grabbed the last piece of dessert, her favourite gulab jamun before her dad could beat her to it.He,like Rylie was a spud connoisseur.

When each of their plates were loaded with dessert and dinner(they liked eating dessert before dinner)James her dad turned towards Rylie, with his fork pointed at her .'when's the deadline for sending in your SDSCU application then?'
'the thirteenth; Rylie said.'I'm going to try to send it in a couple of days be a tad early'
'have you spent enough time on your personal statement ?
Sweetie i understand that with mom not he-Rylie cut him in between and said 'can you not' I-I've been trying ,she said shakely.but your lecture about what I shouldn't and sh-should do is making me sick and it isn't gonna help.I've had enough.by now she had stopped eating and stood up.All the heat guttered down her back,slopping into her gut where it churned,pushing her dinner back up,she stomped her way towards her room.Her dad shouted for her 'but dear your-r the rest of the words faded away as she slammed her door shut.she mumbled the words 'when did he ever care; she sprung up on her bed and held her phone between both her hands.and opened her messages and read over the last text she'd sent her mum.This very well be one of the only few things she had left of her.the texts had read:-
Mom xoxo
: Goodbye, sweetie
  meet you tmrw.                
                                                                                Me
                                                                       ok,mum:
                                                                            gn 💗
Mum xoxo.                 
Gud night :⁠-⁠)(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤
               
She had hearted that text.
When she had read these texts ,she switched off the phone,and lay still on her bed. Under her bed on her pillow. She used to write chemistry formulas on them using markers hoping that she would remember them in the morning not to mention the immense scowling she would get from her mom even as a teen.In an asian household being scowled at even as a teen was the norm.she remembered that once she had used a sharpie and that day her mom was at the top of her throat.As soon as that thought crossed her mind she got up,switched on her lamp and sprang down nearly tumbling down wrapped like a burrito in her duvet.she picked up a sharpie and sand down on the cold floor and drew on the pillow case with here emrald eyes staring at the letters acb waiting for her mum to show up and scowl at her just for one last time she wished to be able to hear her in front of her again but all she sat staring at the blank wall infront of her she realised that it wasn't gonna happen.cold and anxious she got back into bed and tried to fall asleep.she kept rumbling from side to side trying to dose off.but horrifying thoughts kept poppy into her brain like fireworks.they felt like the whole world's weight heavy and horrible thoughts which she couldn't get rid of.she had checked her phone for the sixth time now and shee had decided only a walk around the house could make her tired enough to make here sprint of to sleep .Rylie was not the type to be petrified of the dark.she used to feel rather soothing in the dark.she tiptoed her way out and quietly opened the door,her legs were shivering as she slowly made her way towards the hallway and passed by a door.This was not just any door leading to a bedroom.this was her mums room.she touched the door just to feel it the feeling that her mom would have had her smell and her touch.but she was left transfixed with shock cause the door slid open.after her mums death her father never kept the door open .how could've he forgotten.she decided to go inside and a splash of memories slid into her brain right away and the first thing she saw were the three paintings her mum had made one was of me holding a sparkler on Diwali and the other two were of my cat and the entire family.my attention quickly turned towards a box kept below I bent down to pick it up but it was to heavy to lift it  read :for 'Reema Sharma' it had been a long time since she had been addressed by her full name.people in little maple found it easier to pronounce Rylie instead of Reema.she opened the black spray painted box.

And she gasped .leaving a silent sheer in disbelief.
She picked up the first letter then the next then the next before realising that all the letters were addressed to her.as she was opening the first letter sealed with a red label she heard loud footsteps growing towards her.