Falling In Maths - Published. Sample Only.

Chapter One

The day had been the same as any other school day.

People standing in the hallways and were chatting about the latest gossip from the party on the weekend, who hooked up with who and what fight broke out between the jocks, how many shot games someone won or who broke up.

It was always the same.

I was at home just like I was every weekend and basically doing the same thing.

I never went to the parties or the social events held each month, I didn't even have friends over to visit me but that was ok, I wasn't bothered by it at all. In fact I liked it like that.

I was an only child living with my dad.

I had asked my parents once why didn't they have any more babies and they replied they were happy with me. I then later found out it was because mum couldn't have any more children, it was because she got sick.

Eight months ago mum had died from breast cancer and I guess a part of me went with her.

I never used to the quiet or shy girl, I loved being around friends each weekend or going to the odd party or two but that all stopped the moment she slipped into a coma and passed away, I wasn't expecting it to happen so suddenly, they gave her 5 years the most, and within 6 months she died, I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do with her.

I didn't expect it, I wasn't at all prepared and I had no idea what to do next.

My dad wasn't coping well afterwards, he just stopped working and soon turned to the bottle, drinking himself into his own comatose state each day, thinking that would numb the pain and take it all away, taking the heavy reminder away that his wife had died and wasn't coming back.

They had made plans to renew their vows, recommitting their love to each other in front of friends and family, but they didn't get to do that, she had died two weeks before that day.

The first time I had found dad passed out really scared me, I had walked inside from school and there he was, laying on the couch with his mouth open and eyes shut tight. I simply placed the blanket up over his body and cleaned up all the empty beer cans and the whisky bottle that was hanging out of his hand.

Four months later he had snapped out of it and changed, he no longer drank, he went back to work at his job in the police force as a detective and everything was like it was previously, just that now he cries more often and works a little more.

“So how was your weekend?” I looked up and realised James was walking beside me, his blonde hair fanning slightly across his face as the breeze picked up.

He and I had been best friends for years, his mum was actually best friends with mine so we spent quite a lot of time together growing up.

“Good, just stayed home” I kept my eyes ahead on the pathway.