alternative

Family & Freedom

Alternative
Chapter 9

I made my way to the silver van that had been in the family since I had been born. I could make out someone driving, someone in the passenger seat, and then lastly a person in the back seat.

For some reason I was really confident about this.

The door slid open and my worried mother came rushing out of the car, into my arms to give me a large hug.

"Are you alright? Oh my god! You look so skinny! Come on, get in the car, we are taking you to your house for the night and then we are back home tomorrow afternoon!" She hurried me into the car, acting as if the slightly chilled air was going to affect the cancer anymore.

I got into the back seat next to my sister, she gave me a big smile.

That was when I realized that my parents hadn't given her the news yet, and I knew that I would most likely have to be the one to do so.

"So can I spend the night alone?" I asked, my father immediately gave me a death glare in the rearview mirror so I decided to explain myself.

"It's just I've been surrounded by doctors and nurses for the past few days, and before that I had class all the time. I just need to be alone for a bit.." I carried on, that didn't seem to give my father any reason to allow me to.

"You should've thought of that before you went to that party! What were you thinking?" He shouted, I could tell he had been bottling up his anger since he had received the news, "the whole entire town is going to think MY daughter is a drug addict now!"

I rolled my eyes subtly and sighed, he would never understand no matter how much I would explain. So I decided not to.

"What? You're not going to fight back?" He seemed mad that I didn't give him a counterargument, how childish.

"Leave her alone Kenneth," my mother cooed, "dear we are just worried about you, have you been turning to drugs and alcohol for your problems,"

"Totally, can't you tell I'm into cocaine?" I replied, my father had never stopped the vehicle so quickly before.

My head slammed up against the back of the chair, and the three of us girls all gasped.

"You will not speak to us in that way! You're not stepping a foot in our house, for all we know you are a addict! You got your wish, stay in your shitty apartment," my father never cursed, but when he did it meant he was pissed.

It felt good, knowing at least a fourth of your family hates you.

My sister seemed so shaken up that she began to cry, I patted her on the shoulder and smiled at her. I wanted to show her we didn't have to be affected by negative people such as our father. It didn't really work because she kept crying.

•••

We pulled up to my apartment and I got out with a simple "See you soon."

I slammed the door and clenched my wrist with the bracelet on it, if only a Alan could be here now to give me some of his wise words.

Slowly but surely I got up the stairs to my apartment and unlocked the door.

It felt so incredibly comforting to be able to be back in a familiar place, the first thing I did was take a shower.

I walked into the bathroom and pulled out two towels from the cabinets, once I stood up I was faced with a mirror right in front of me.