Today is Monday

Chapter 8: New Girl

The month of February, 2017 and after

I fell back to the couch trying to process it all. Auntie and Uncle ran up to me to comfort me. I started to cry very hard, regretting my actions before they left. The months to come came painfully slow. The funeral, goodbyes, custody rights, selling the house and moving. It was all too much for me to think about that I buried it all away to never recall any of it because in those months I was scared of what was next. I didn't leave the town I grew up in which I had mixed feelings for. Sometimes I wanted to leave so I could forget, but when things got hard I felt better knowing that I could always go and look at the house I grew up in. But as the months went by the more and more I didn't want to talk to anyone and the less I went to my old house. Whenever my parents were mentioned I would remember how I acted, shutting them out. The truth was, I'm afraid. Afraid that that's all I do. Connect and shut them out. I believe that the only way not to hurt anyone would be to shut everything down and never open the door.

Opening that door will only lead to me hurting them when I burst. Because that's all I'm good for right? Just acting out in anger... Not even my parents could stop me from bursting.

September 18, 2018

I had my hand on my face. Stupid head giving me these memories. I grabbed the journal, I ain't having you control anything more. I flipped the journal to the next page without rereading what I had read before. I breathed in and read the next chapter.

November 13, 1996

The middle of the week, Wednesday, and today Chris has it out for me. All the people that were my 'friends' think I don't see them as equals. In one day Chris has convinced almost everyone that I think I'm better than everyone else. So now everyone is upset with me. I can't tell anyone because then my parents, mostly my father, would be extremely upset that I messed it up with everyone, but they will know eventually if this gets worse. Just like how I can't even tell him or Mother about this book or they would tear it to shreds in a heartbeat.

I feel as though I should get home because I'm tired. It's a strange feeling as I almost never get this fatigued. But I hate it at home. Since they are home, I have to constantly be studying or doing something my parents want me to do. I wonder if I should rest here or where I am, the park near my neighborhood. But with how I'm feeling I think it's best to go home.

November 13, 1996

I put the pencil down. I'm too tired to write anything else. I should just go home and say I'm not feeling well or something. I knew it wouldn't work, but I still packed my stuff and walked home. The park was quiet today. There were not as many people as I thought would be here today, but the silence made me more tired. When I got home I noticed that my parents' car was missing. Did they leave again? I wondered as Ms. Eve opened the door as if expecting me.

"Good evening Master N, your parents wanted to inform you that they will be going on another trip. Your Mother's work site had gone through some troubles and they needed to make sure that it was alright. They will not take that long, only a week." She said reading a note that they left her. "I will tell you that they will be expecting you to answer their calls. They made it very clear that if you miss another one they will help in your studies."

No! I can't have that! With them on my neck, I won't have time to breathe like I do now.

"Thank you for telling me this Ms. Eve. I think I will go and turn in for the night."

"If that's what you want. Your food is on your desk." She said, then she walked away. Probably going to dust the house.

"Thank you." I said before going upstairs to my room. I put my bag on my desk not caring about my journal being in there because my parents are not home to check. And so I ate the food that Ms. Eve left on my desk and got ready for bed. My room had its own bathroom in it so I brushed my teeth and called it in for the night.

I can't believe that school is going to become like a second hell hole... first here at this house and now my school, Harold High. Thank you Chris! I thought as I got into bed. Sleep didn't come easy and it wasn't relaxing at all knowing that tomorrow was going to be awful.

November 14,1996

I got to school at a reasonable time. Walking meant I had to wake up early, or else I could be late and being late was not an option for me. Luckily when I went down stairs food was on the table that my parents ate on. I assumed that Ms. Eve had already prepared breakfast for me, but I didn't see her all morning. It was a big breakfast, but so was all the other breakfasts I had in my life. Pancakes and eggs with a side of bacon, hash browns, and a sausage was today's breakfast. I ate it all and then left the house making sure to lock the gate when I left.

I went through my neighborhood and the other blocks. That's when I noticed that one of the houses near the park had a moving truck. Someone had finally bought the house and they are moving in. It had been for sale for many months and it seems that it's finally going to have some life breathed into it. The man that used to live there had died from old age. He was very nice or so they say. I had never met him before, but when he passed it was what the whole neighbor talked about. They wonder what would become of his house. Their family tried to keep the house until it was too much for them to handle. So they tried to sell it, but people complained that the pricing was way too high because the house needed a lot of repairs, but now it seems that someone bought it. This will be the next highlight for the neighborhood. I thought, chuckling a bit.

I got to school and every kid gave me the cold shoulder. I tried to ignore it, I knew no one would physically hurt me or they would be kicked out, but that didn't mean they wouldn't harm me in other ways. While I didn't like the false things Chris was spreading about me, I didn't complain as now no one would come for me for a favor anymore. It was peaceful.

After my first class, going to the second, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see someone I didn't recognize.

"Sorry to bother you, but I can't help but ask why are people looking at you with such hatred?" She said to me, books in her hand.

"What?" I did not really grasp what she was saying.

"Look." She forced me to turn around to where people just shook their heads at me.

"Oh, Chris hasn't told you yet. Lucky you..." I said and started to walk away. Is she playing me? Forcing me to feel guilty for what Chris forced everyone to believe I did? She followed me and I started to wonder why I didn't recognize her. "Why are you following me?"

"My next class is this way, I'm new here." She answered.

"You're new?" I remembered the moving truck I saw this morning. "You're the ones that move to that expensive fixer upper."

"Yes, when my family saw the house they just had to buy it." She smiled.

"I see. Well I have to go."

"Right! Okay then. Nice meeting you!" She extended her hand out to me and I took it. We shook and walked to our classes. Her class was so close to mine that I thought she was following me. She seems nice. I smiled as I sat down in my class. No! Don't think like that! That's how everyone is, butters you up then asks for things slowly until you're into their trap. I decided at the moment to stay away from her. But nothing ever goes as planned.

My fifth period right before lunch I noticed that she was in my class. Once I got into my class I saw her. She was sitting right next to my seat. When my teacher saw me he called me over.

"Mr. Dawson, Miss Allen is new here and I placed her next to you because I believe you won't fall behind in your studies while helping her get accustomed here. I hope you understand." Of course it's me... I wanted to frown, but I couldn't hurt my family's reputation anymore.

"Thank you Mr. Garrison. I feel so honored to be the one you picked." I smiled, but I wasn't really happy about this. Okay, just stay strong. Maybe she isn't out to get your money, but if she is, be careful. I sat on my seat and she beamed at me. The more I thought about it the more I wondered. Did my parents paid Mr. Garrison to have me seated by her? Is this another one of my parents' plans?