Title Pending

Chapter 8: Here we go

At this point I've just accepted it. I'm tired of constantly fighting my mom. It's like we're both pushing opposite sides of a wall, and it won't move because no one ends up "winning." Well guess what, she wins this time. Purely because she's an adult and she's the parent, and therefore, she has the power. I want to fight whoever decided that adults are always above children in society, because they don't take into account how immature some adults can actually be...

It's Thursday afternoon. I probably just failed my English II exam, because I didn't read the book and didn't even try to answer the prompt. I just wrote a bunch of shit about my parents because I have nothing left to lose at this school. The teachers hate me, the principal hates me...there are some solid classmates around, but I'm about to lose all of that.

Audrey and I head out to the student parking lot. I try to pretend it's a normal day and I'm not about to go to some boarding school in the middle of nowhere come Saturday. Bianca texts and says she got stuck in afternoon detention for being "too romantic" with Trey in French class.

"So what do you wanna do?" Audrey asks. "I know we gotta pick up Stephie and Brett, do you wanna go to chick fil a after?"

I roll my eyes and sigh, frustrated. "No, I don't want to go to Chick Fil A. I'm going to the hospital to see my brother. Come or don't come. Whatever."

Then I just realize I did and said all that out loud. Shit. I was losing my cool.

"Um, okay, sorry..." she says defensively. "Are you mad at me? Just tell me if you're mad at me, I don't need this passive aggressive crap."

I figure now is a time as good as any. I give Audrey the cliff-notes version of the story, knowing she will have a million questions.

"Were you going to tell me? Does Bianca know? Why are you letting your mom force you to go? You can report her, or get emancipated, or literally just refuse to go. What is she gonna do?"

I can feel the rage reaching a tipping point, and I know I have to end this exchange before I explode...but I can't help myself. "You know what? I really don't need this from you right now. You're a really shitty friend and all you care about is your clothes and your hair and all this bullshit drama. This is why I didn't want to tell you!"

Audrey pauses for a second, clearly trying to craft a good comeback. At this point, a few onlookers have started eavesdropping and whispering. "Well at least I don't dress like a dude every day and at least I can actually stand up to my parents!"

A teacher rushes over and pulls me to the side. Of course it's me and not her. Now she's left with all the eavesdroppers to gossip about me. This young-looking male teacher that I've seen a few times starts giving me "the talk" about communicating calmly, being a "poised person", all the shit I've heard a million times from teachers. I feel my system calming since I'm away from Audrey. All I want to do right now is pick up my siblings and go to the hospital. I keep saying "yes sir" in hopes that he'll shut up and let me go. I head to my car, and when I get inside, I scream at the top of my lungs. It's extremely therapeutic.

On the way to the hospital, Stephie complains about leaving her classmates and teacher, and Brett listens to music on his headphones. When we get there, Will seems to be having a good day. He's running around in the playroom, playing tag with another patient. He excitedly introduces us to his friend Cameron, who's being treated for Leukemia.

I'm honestly glad that Will is staying at the hospital instead of going back and forth between there and home. He doesn't need any extra stress right now. And thankfully, I haven't seen that one crappy nurse who got the chemo dates wrong and then was a bitch about it. Maybe she got fired.