Remi Never Smiles ✔️

Chapter 1

Being a Higgins meant nothing to me. The only things attached to this name are despair and hopelessness. My family, or lack thereof, was in shambles. I would have been long gone by now if not for my brother and Nick, my best friend.

My 10-year old brother, Michael, hasn't slept a full night since my parents were happy together. My parents hate each other now, but they stay together because of me and Mikey. I never understood why though. To them, we're useless and worthless little nothings that ruined their lives and sucked the life out of their marriage.

My best and only friend has to battle with his own issues, like his anxiety, some small anger issues, and me. I'm a handful, yet he still puts up with me. He had to keep me from taking my life more than once this week and he will probably continue to do so afterwards. I've done the same, but it's not as bad with him. He just thinks too much sometimes. If we didn't have each other, we'd think ourselves to death.

I have two tormentors at my school. Not including their jock and popular friends, they are Zoe Peters and her boyfriend Geoff Lewis. They made it their personal duty to make my life even more shitty than before for a good 3 years. I would refer to them as hell spawn, but that's an insult to Satan. They mainly just use my mental health, lack of social life, and family issues against me. I don't blame them much because I do the same.

~

"Remi!" my little brother screamed, waking me up for the second time tonight.

I looked at the red numbers of my alarm clock in exasperation. 4:00 AM, it blinked. I sighed and got up, putting my pajama pants on, and went across the hall into his room.

I walked over to his bedside table and clicked on the little soccer lamp. He looked up at me with teary eyes and scooted over on his bed so I could lay with him. I did just that and pulled the blanket over us.

"What is it this time?" I mumbled, wrapping my arms around his tiny frame.

"Nightmare," he muttered.

"About?"

"Mom and dad drove us off of a cliff because we were late to school. It didn't seem real until you died." What an active imagination for a 4th-grader. It's not totally unbelievable, though.

"I'm sorry, Mikey."

He sniffed and snuggled closer to me. "Can you stay in here with me?" he asked. I had said no when I got up at 2:00 AM, but he was persistent.

"Mike-"

"Please? Just for tonight."

I sighed and gave in, clicking off the lamp and falling asleep next to him in the twin-sized bed. A few hours later, I heard his alarm beeping. I shook the sleeping boy and told him to get dressed for school before I walked back to my own room.

As I was about to pick out my outfit for the day, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Tell me everything's going to okay," a familiar voice told me. It wavered in its usual fear.

"Everything's going to be okay, Nick," I repeated to my best friend.

I heard him take a deep breath before speaking again. "What's up, Remi?" he asked.

"Nothing much," I answered pulling a black button-up shirt and some blue jeans. "Just picking out an outfit for hell and trying to ignore the crick in my neck."