Disaster Usually Follows

Chapter 1

Pic of Maddie^^^ played by Selena Gomez

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I was walking down a narrow hallway. Lockers lined up on either side. I was carrying my books and and no one else was around. Suddenly, I felt someone push me from behind. I fell forward, starting to drop my things when the floor fell beneath me-

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WHAM!

Something landed on my bed with a thud. I woke up with a jolt, looking around for the source of the noise. My brother Johnny continued jumping happily on my bed, oblivious to the fact that I was now glaring at him.

"Maddie, It's time to get up!" he said, bouncing with too much energy for someone in the morning. I groaned and looked over at my alarm clock.

5:50 a.m.

"Johnny!" I whined.

"It's only 5:50 bud! We don't have to get up for another 20 minutes!" I said with as much patience as I could muster.

Johnny immediately stopped jumping and flopped down next to me. He leaned over my face and made a sad puppy face with his big brown eyes.

"But I'm hungry!" he said with a pout.

Sighing, I ruffled his head and slowly pulled back my covers.

"Yay!" he said, jumping off my bed and out of my room without a glance back.

Slowly, I got dressed in my jean shorts and blue American Eagle t-shirt. I pulled my hair back into its usual brown ponytail, letting my natural waves hang down and brushed my teeth.

By the time I got downstairs, Johnny was already in the living room watching Nickelodeon.

"What do you feel like eating, Bud?" I asked him, using his favorite nickname.

He thought for a minute and then a full grin broke out on his face.

"Can I have an omelet?" he asked so politely I had to laugh.

"Sure, just make sure you're all ready for school," I said, walking into the kitchen. I heard tiny footsteps race down the hall and up the stairs by the time I had gotten the eggs out of the fridge. Smiling to myself, I mixed the ingredients together.

Something yellow caught my attention out of the corner of my eye and I turned towards our island in the middle of the kitchen. It was a sticky note from my Dad.

Maddie,

I will not be home tonight. Watch your brother.

Dave.

I couldn't help but snort. Dad wrote it like I didn't already take care of Johnny every day, which I do. If I don't there's no one else. When I was 11, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and died. She had chosen to have Johnny instead of chemo even though she knew it would cost her her life.

My dad had shut himself out from the entire world, including his own kids. He was a lawyer and took many cases out of the state. Once he had to go to a different country for a whole week. He seemed to blame mom for her decision but had no one to take it out on so he chose Johnny. He barely even looks at him and half the time pretends he isn't there. My grandma (on my dad's side) had come to take care of us and tried to help him, but after she died he just shut himself away even more and the role of protector fell to me.

I taught myself how to ride a bike and used my meager allowance to drop Johnny off at daycare while I was at school. By the time he was ready for kindergarten, I was using a skateboard and pushing him in a stroller in front of me. Even though my childhood was all but deprived of me, I still found ways to make it better.