And today I learned, that it is, in fact, a dark world.

Chapter 3~All alone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     We buried my mom only seven days later. No one was at the ceremony except my brother and me. It made me mad to know that not one of her siblings even bothered to say goodbye to my mom or call us to tell us everything's going to be alright or send money to help us pay rent and buy food. Shawn had to get another job and is thinking about quitting college to help save money. I told him no but all he replied back was that he could go to school later. Our lives have been torn apart and flipped upside down by one man. How can one man do this much damage to not only one life, but three? How can he sleep at night, knowing what he's done to the ones he'd loved? How? Why did he do this to our lives? Why did he run away and then come back only to destroy us more? Why? Neither of us knew the answer. I just know that it will take a long, long, long time for us to even begin reasoning with my father.

     I have to go back to school soon. I was given permission to take two weeks off of school, and I was given all of my homework, in which, I have already completed it all. I wouldn't have even done my homework or go back to school if Shawn hadn't told me that Mom would've wanted me to just pick up the pieces and move on. There was a reason he'd said that, in those words. It was because that was what my mom had said in her will, just pick up the pieces and move on, but don't forget me. I will treasure those words forever. Never forgetting them is what will keep me strong, healthy, and more importantly, alive.

     In the days left of my time I've taken off, I haven't done much except think. My mind did exactly what I told it to and forgot about Daren. Actually, I forgot all about it until I saw him once again, when I went to turn in my homework to the school office. It turns out; Daren is not only the summer office aid, but the office aid year-round. I got unlucky when he decided to talk to me. He didn't ask much except why I'd been away from school. I didn't answer him because I didn't think he deserved an answer. He'd been nice to me then totally, completely rude. After I didn't answer him, he just sighed and took the papers I'd been holding out to him since I'd walked through the door. Then I walked to my car, jumped in, and just sat there wondering what I should do now, because I really didn't want to go back home quite yet. My mind wandered for a bit, and then I realized that someone would have to go to the supermarket sometime soon. As I was calling Shawn to tell him that I was going to the grocery store, someone knocked on my car door window. My windows are tinted, so I couldn't see who was knocking, as I rolled it down. To my surprise, it was Daren.

     "Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked.

     "I have my reasons, and if I'd been that way to you, you'd be acting just like me." I remarked.

     "What?! What in the world did I ever do to you? Huh? I was perfectly nice to you and all you did was sit there!" he yelled in Kelsa's face.

     That comment made me cry. How could he not remember? Sure, he'd been nice to me when we met in the office, but when else? The want to just drive away was overpowering. All that anger she'd had since her dad left was built up, and if she didn't leave, she would take it out on Daren. Yeah, Daren needed some of it, but, no, definitely not all. I'm a bigger person than that. So I rolled up the window, put the car in reverse, checked to make sure I wouldn't run over Daren, and left.