The Adopted Voight

Anger Issues

Adeline Rae Carson

“Happiness is not something ready-made, it comes from your own actions”

I slump down on the couch as I finally get home, feeling exhausted.

This isn't how I wanted my first day back at school to go.

Mrs Smith's words at the start of the day keep playing in my mind.

The condescending way she said it.

How dare she accuse me of being on vacation!

Being in so much pain that it hurts to even take a deep breath is not being on vacation.

Having your face and body filled with bruises and cuts is not being on vacation.

Anger rises within me like a beast and the happiness I felt an hour ago at the thought of seeing Hank, going home, and making brownies has vanished.

I don't want to be alone.

I want Hank.

His presence always calms me and makes me feel safer.

Thinking about Hank makes me suddenly remember that I haven't called him to tell him I got home safely yet.

I grab my phone as I call him.

"Hey, kiddo, you made it home alright?", Hank questions and in the background I can hear lots of people talking.

He must be really busy.

"Yeah, I'm okay", I answer.

"Good. It's crazy in here, Addie. I'll probably end up coming home late. There's food in the fridge and make sure to go to bed early since you woke up early today. Don't wait up for me, okay? I'll check on you when I get home", he replies.

"Ok. Have you eaten? Do you want me to make you something and bring it to the District?", I ask, knowing that if it's really busy then he and the team probably wouldn't have eaten anything.

"No, it's fine. I'll order something, it's too hectic in here for you to even come in. How was school?".

"It was ok. Make sure to eat something", I say, not wanting to bother him with the details of my day that is probably insignificant compared to what he's working on.

"I will. Bye, kiddo, I love you", Hank says.

"I love you, too. Bye", I say as he hangs up the phone after.

I sigh as i consider what to do next.

I don't feel like cooking or baking anything today and there's probably leftover spaghetti in the fridge from yesterday to eat for dinner.

I don't feel like doing any homework either.

I just want to lay down and watch something to distract myself from Mrs Smith's words repeating in my head.

That's the thing with me.

When something or someone bothers me, it takes me a long, long time to forget about it.

It also affects me deeply.

Mom always said that I felt too deeply and that I was too sensitive.

It's only the negative emotions, particularly anger, that I feel too much though.

Maybe I have anger issues.

I never act severely because of my anger, though.

We normally imagine people with anger issues as people who are overly aggressive and get into fights often but what about the people who bottle everything up, never get into fights, never express their anger and let it slowly destruct them until the bottle overfills and they start destroying themselves instead of ever expressing their anger externally?