Growing UP#Wattys2017

6

The message read "Hi Harry, this is Lex" and the time was around 5 sunset,

I stared at the phone screen not knowing what to do, when the backlight went off I dropped the phone and got back to my sweet fantasies. My mind drifted slowly with the tides of fantasies to a real dreamland- where her giggles echoed and flavoured my dreams.

As I slept I felt some strange warmth beside me and the movements under the sheet, I opened my eyes to see Lilly creeping to sleep by me.

"What's wrong, hun? " I asked quizzically for it was in the middle of the night.

"I can't sleep, can I lie by you?" She charmed me with her voice, I couldn't pull myself to argue.

"Oh yeah come here" I invited with open arms.

After some reasonable amount of time she asked "When will we see Reese again?" It was as if she was reading my thoughts, I suppressed my smile and pretended to be in deep sleep- faking snores.

She giggled "I know you are not asleep, hihi"

Then I tighten my grip around her and whispered into her ears "Let's sleep okay, you've got school tomorrow "

"No tomorrow is Saturday and there's no school on Saturday" She argued, even getting up to sit on the bed.

"Umm yeah but you've still got to sleep, we will talk about it tomorrow okay?" I persuaded.

"Promise?" She agreed reluctantly and got under the sheets.

Lilly was the adorable type that could always lend you a smile when you were down on one. The fact that she was getting along quite well with Reese was a good start.

My circles of females were increasing drastically, I thought to myself I had to hang out with the boys more often- then I remembered Aiden invited me to the training court on Saturday. Most of the boys in the neighbourhood and some from my school played basketball on Saturdays.

I picked my phone to set an alarm and I saw three more messages from Lex, and one from Reese.

Reese: Goodnight (with a friendly kiss emoticon)

I replied but obviously she was asleep, so there was no response.

Lex : [Three new messages]

The silence was getting so discomforting for me too so I replied "Hi" and got back to what I had intended from the start- the alarm. It felt as if I was ignoring Lex and that was kinda rude still I felt within me that I will get into so much trouble if I continued with her- one from Reese about the gossip and maybe from Archie.

It wasn't her fault she just wanted friendship just like everyone else still I had doubts

I spent half of the eerie night listening to the crickets and staring blankly at the ceiling of my room, my life was taking a smooth quick turn that I was so scared. Since that night when my dad never returned it has never been normal- we had to relocate and I have always had to console my mom and see the tears drain from her pain-striken  heart. She wasn't the only victim of his disappearance, I also had to sit outside staring at the road and wishing he will appear out of his hiding.For what it's worth, he was a happy man who walked home cheerfully to his son and pregnant wife after a long day.

Everything was normal until that early morning when the policemen knocked on our door, I remember everything as if in slow motion- the gentle thud on the door and my mom opened the door and invited them in, I wasn't supposed to be awake at that time- I just couldn't sleep.

A manly voice puncturing the silent morning "Mrs Tucker, I am agent O'Connor from the New Orleans PD" he said showing his badge.

My mom was still staring in anxiety and confusion, what could go worse? Her husband doesn't return one night and the next morning there are police people at her door. She braced herself on the handle of the door, ready for what was coming to hit her. Her whole body growing cold and staring anxiously into their eyes.

I was standing behind the opened door to my room and staring at my pregnant mom whose grey nightie which danced in the cold morning wind. Everything else grew pale when all of a sudden she broke down and fell on her knees onto the carpet wailing painfully. I guess she didn't brace herself hard enough for this.

She turned to look at my door with the tears in her bloodied eyes, her body was all pale and blood drained as the tears rolled down her cold cheeks. When our eyes met , I quivered out of shock because I had never seen her this lifeless. It was as if she was dying from her inside- in fact a part of her withered and died that day.

I was pulled out of that horrible memory when Lilly nudged me, she was still asleep and the dawn was too young. I looked at her affectionately and felt pity that she didn't get to see her father.

[Thank you very much for reading to this point I hope you enjoyed it- comment and vote]