Back To December

Chapter 2

Not everybody likes the cold. But I do. I love it so much that I'd eat icecream in such a freezing weather. But that's just me. Bells on the other hand is among those cold-haters.

"Bells, what are you upto now?" I ask her with a sigh.

She's staying at my house as her parents left town and will be back in a week.

"What? Nothing! Why do you always assume that I'm upto something?" I hear Bells muffled voice underneath all the crap she's lying in on the bed.

"You're under almost a thousand blankets." I point out in a flat tone.

"Well, blame it on December girl!" Bells yells out angrily.

I roll my eyes at her obvious hatred for december "Whatever, I'm out."

Suddenly, Bells sits up straight and throws all the blankets away and faces me with a frown "Where are you going?"

I could hardly recognise her, looking at her disheavled hair and her red nose, suggesting that she's caught cold.

"Somewhere, aren't you cold anymore?" I ask frowning at the blankets scattered on the bed.

As if suddenly remembering that she's feeling cold, Bells picks up all the blankets and toss them over her shoulders and around her, with only her face in view. I shake my head at her. Typical Bells.

"So, where are you going?" Bells questions again. I sigh, knowing Bells, she wouldn't let me go without giving her an answer first.

"To the library." I state.

Bells gives me a deadpanned stare "You do realise that it's almost midnight?"

"So?" I retort back.

"Well, the library would be closed by now Kiki." Bells says, using my nickname.

I turn away from her in frustration "Damn it Bells, stop interrogating!"

When she doesn't reply I take that as my cue to leave and walk towards the door.

When I'm about to open the door Bells stops me in a soft voice "Stay safe, alright?"

I nod my head not turning back then walk out, closing the door behind me.

Mission one accomplished!

Now for avoiding my mother. I tiptoe downstairs and walk towards my mother's room. Her door has been left ajar, so I peep inside, only to find her sleeping. With a relaxing sigh, I quietly make my way outside.

It's not every night that I escape the house. Just when I'm feeling down. Today, I'm feeling down. So, I walk towards the nearby park. It's a safe neighbourhood, so I don't have to worry about being mugged or raped or worse, murdered.

After 10 minutes of walking, I reach the familiar park and head towards the swings. There's no one around. Everyone leaves when it gets dark and that is when prefer coming here, where no one can see me when I'm at my worst.

Swinging back and forth, I think back to what Melinda told me earlier that makes a few tears leave my eyes.

Walking around the mall, I stumble into someone, due to my clumsiness and apologize.

"Urgh! Watch where you're going you filthy rat!" A familiar voice screeches and after getting myself together I turn to face Melinda.

I frown at her "I apologized didn't I? Learn some manners!"

Melinda scoffed "Like you'd know, your father was never around to teach you manners, now was he?"

As she said that, I grit my teeth, trying to ignore the hurt that swirled within my chest. Without another word, I walked away. I always do.

It was expected though. It wasn't something new. Melinda was a bitch who lived her life torturing and taunting others. Everyone knew that.

It shouldn't get to me but it always does. My father was a sore subject for me. It was rude of her to being him up. Not many knew about my father but Melinda does, considering how she had been our neighbour before.

My father left me when I was seven years old and I was left with no clue as to where he might be now. I wipe the tears angrily for crying over someone that abandoned me. But it always crushed me deep inside whenever someone mentioned him.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice someone sitting in the swing beside me.