Breaking Glass

Chapter 3

*Her school*

The day went by quicker and I thought and without realizing it, I was already halfway through the week. We just finished a small assembly about bullying, we have these kinds of assembly's all the time, either about being drug free, respect, or just plain old pep rallys.

All of the high schoolers sat in one corner and all the middle schoolers in the other, there are only 54 students in my graduating class, since the small area.

When the bell rung for all of the kids to go home a stampede decided to appear. Sticking against the wall, sliding against it to avoid being trampled by the kids who were desperate to get home, to play games, sleep, eat, etc.

I was the last one out of the gym, meeting my mother in the schools parking lot, she had a grim look on her face. when I shut the door she immediately pulled out, not giving me enough time to buckle my seat belt. I gripped the arm rest tightly as she swerved out of the school zone, almost running over a few kids walking home.

"Mom! slow down, you're scaring me!" I shut my eyes until I felt the car jerk to a stop, signaling that we reached the stop sign just before the road leading to my house. I heard soft crying and opened my eyes, looking over and widening my eyes when I see that she was crying resting her head on the black steering wheel.

"Mom?" I reached forward and laid a shaking hand on her shoulder, t\she stopped crying but she looked up at me with a broken expression.

"He's leaving Ara, your father called me this morning and told me that he was done." I pulled my hand away and folded it with the other in my lap, looking down and sighing. My parents have been separated for a few months now, my mom being the optimistic one always thought that he would come back for her, saying that he didn't mean to break her heart and desert me. Despite all those months I have never hated my father, he was my role model, but just thinking about how he left me without a goodbye kills me inside.

We used to be such a happy family, normal photos where I sat in front of them on a small bench, there smiles warm, but thinking back in it, I wonder if anything was real.

Their hugs, soft butterfly kisses, their love for me.

She leaned back and let put a short laugh "That bastard actually called me! Do you realize how pathetic that is?" All I could do was nod as she continued her rant. She looked at me and shook her head and pressed on the gas pedal, turning onto our street.

"He wants to talk to you, in an hour." I turned to her and opened my mouth to speak, but acted like a goldfish and spent the next few minutes opening and closing it. When we made it to our house she sent me up to my room to get dressed in something presentable for when he arrives.

When I walked into my room I felt the tears spring to life, all those painful memories, the kind where I knew my father was happy.

When he pushed me on the swings, taught me to walk, be there for me when I fell down and hurt myself. He would always call me princess, hug me tightly as I let the strong smell of his old spice deodorant and axe waft over me.

Remembering all those short little stories that he would read to me before I fell asleep, doing his fatherly duty and checking in the close and under the bed for monsters.

Wiping my eyes with the palm of my hand and walking over to my closet and pulling out one of my stretchy white sundresses, stripping from my clothes and pulling it over my head and down my body.

I pulled on my brown sandals and walked back down the steps to meet my mom in the living room. She was sitting down on the black sofa with a small glass of wine in her hand, her hair was in a large messy bun, revealing her small face as she tilted her head back and downed the drink, grimacing as she sat it back down.

"Mom, I haven't seen yo drink in, well, never" she looked at me and groaned, turning back around and pouring another glass of her sweet cherry wine, downing that one too as she stood up and took them into the kitchen.

She sat the glass down in the sink and filled it with water and put the wine back up as she turned and faced me again.

"You weren't supposed to see that." I stood in the doorway as she leaned against the island, her elbows resting on the graphite counter and her forehead in her hands, her index fingers rubbing her temples as she shut her eyes.

"Well, I did." I let out a long sigh as I leaned against the doorway, getting distracted with a small string that is short enough to get a hold of, but just that perfect length to where you can't pull it off.

I let it go when I heard a small knock on the door, my mother straightening up as she fixes her white blouse and taking her long auburn hair out of its loose hold and letting it cascade down her back, shaking her hand through it as she raises her arms out "Do I look okay?" It took a minute for me to answer her, which made her self conscious and begin to put it back up.

"Mom, you look fine." She gave a small smile and grabbed my shoulder "Thank you baby, ready?" I give a small nod as we walk out of the kitchen and to the small hallway the our front door was in.

Stopping and letting her wipe her hands on her short pencil skirt my mother reaches for the small golden knob. I look down and grip my left forearm and sway awkwardly on my feet before stepping closer and looking straight into the eyes of the man that left us.

"Hey princess."

"Hi daddy."