Start Again

2.Family and Friends

Senior year

As I sat back in class, doodling absolute nonsense on my notebook, I daydreamed about how good life used to be, and pondered on how it all changed; why it all changed.

Being the oldest child of John and Mary Stevens seemed like a simple thing. Your typical suburbia family. My mum, a second generation Mexican from America, met my father, a young, black Trinidadian, in med school, and it was love at first sight, or so they say.

They got married a year after graduating and had me, their little angel. Not long after, they had a second child: my little sister, Rosalina, when I was five. And that was it: your little, happy family of four, at least until recently.

About a month ago, I woke up to the sound of my mum screaming "I hate you!" at the top of her lungs. I quickly got out of bed and crept to my sister's bedroom and found her in the corner of her room, holding her knees, crying softly. As she looked up at me, her eyes appeared red and puffy through the shallow light of the hallway. I ran to her side and hugged her tightly, silently wishing for it all to be a bad dream.

"I'm scared Nessa. They're doing it again", she said amidst her sobs.

Our parents had been fighting constantly over those last couple of weeks, shouting at each other and throwing things all around. It was usually a kiss and make up situation, but it had never escalated to this level.

" It's okay Rosa, it'll be okay", I whispered to her continuously, but in that moment, I wasn't sure if it was more of her or for me.

We then heard stomping of feet and a slam of a door. I knew mom had left, but I didn't want to admit it. And I knew she wasn't coming back.

I was brought back into reality from my flashback when the ringing of a bell began, signaling the end of the school day.

I went straight to my car and quickly drove home, my favorite pop album lowly humming in the background.

I drove my car in the garage of our two- story townhouse, sighing as I looked to see it empty. As I opened the door, I pulled my phone out of my pocket as my best friend Jordyn's name popped up on the screen.

Since my mum's abrupt leave, she's been texting me every day at the same time to make sure I'm okay. I quickly send a reply before heading to the kitchen to find a snack, dropping my keys in the bowl by the door. I walk over to the kitchen island, only to see a note left by my dad, saying that he'll be home late.

I roll my eyes subconsciously as I grab a yogurt and head upstairs to my room. The simple red and white walls that greeted me as I opened my door seemed to sparkle as I entered, but I paid no mind to it.

I threw my bag on the study chair by my desk and flopped on my bed. I opened up  my laptop, only to have a notification ding on the side of the screen. I open it to see an email from school, saying that I have been recruited for the welcome committee and that I have been assigned a new student.

I sighed as I continued reading, gathering more information about what I had to do and what was required of me. I closed the tab when I finished and put on a movie on the tv across the room, silently falling asleep to the soft buzz of voices surrounding me.