Blackwell Academy

Ch (1)

         C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! I chanted to myself. Damn. That was the 9th race I had watched between two raindrops on the window of the library. As always, every raindrop I wanted to win, lost. I rarely came here to read usually I came to just step away from my life. I hang out here and wait until it's my curfew to head back. It used to be just my grandpa and I living at the house but then my father lost his job and mom died shortly after I was born. My father thought it would be best for me to live with grandpa since he was traveling all the time for work.

It wasn't long before my father joined us. He lost all his money and needed a place to stay for a while so my grandpa offered and he accepted. Of course he would have been foolish not to. I would have gotten a job but it's slim pickings around here and my father refused to have me work at the run down gas station on 2nd and Miller. Plus he would have felt guilty having his only daughter help him foot the bills although I really didn't mind. He also wanted me to devote most of my time to my studies so I could graduate and leave this place. Now that I think about it, I don't know why my father never remarried. When my mom died I guess my father didn't take it all that well. I would also never be able to remarry if my soulmate died - the one I was supposed to be with forever. What a horrible thought.

I checked my watch. Time to start my journey back home. I grabbed the open books (that I didn't read) on the table I was sitting at and threw them in the bag that is now over my shoulder. I always open and leave the books there so people don't come around asking questions for why a 17 year old girl is just sitting all by her lonesome watching raindrops race each other on the window of the library.

My life is somewhat mundane. If I'm not at home, I'm at school and if not school then the library. My father and I have a decent relationship. We aren't close but we aren't not close. I'm just waiting for the day I graduate and then I can get out of here. I need to get out of here.

After school, there's college. I have no idea what to even major in but any excuse to get me out of this town, I'll jump on. As humans we search for any escape from reality, something to make us feel alive. I crave that. To live a life full of adventure and passion. One of these days I know I'll find it. My purpose in this life.

I hate thinking about how mom died. Although I didn't know her, I still feel connected to her in so many ways. A car accident took her away from me, made me realize how fragile we really are. I've seen pictures of my mom and she was beautiful. She had long brown hair, olive skin and these warm brown eyes that just always seemed to smile.

I got blessed with my mother's eyes but I got my father's red hair, still long though just like her's.
I was average height but had curves that I knew I also had to thank mom for.

I manage to make it home without getting jumped.
I check the time again. Shit. I'm late getting home. I ran up to my porch, the light was off. That means everyone was probably sleeping. Good thing I have a key, I thought to myself. Right when I was about to slip it into the lock, a woman opened the door.

I stared at her for a good minute, dumbfounded. She looked back at me reflecting the same look.

"Who are you?" I asked a tad too harsh. Seriously though, I wanted to know why this young woman was opening the front door to my house especially in a bath robe and at almost 10 o'clock at night.

Her dumbstruck face had now hardened.
"I'm-" she paused putting a hand on herself as if to really emphasize her point. "Gabe's girlfriend. Who are you?" She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, as if she had any right to be questioning me.

"I'm-" I started, mocking her movements with the hand gesture. "His daughter. Where is he?" I was beyond mad and maybe a little hurt? I never thought my father would ever get with somebody else. I guess you truly don't know people, even if they are your loved ones.