Short Sweet Stories

Carry On

A girl sits at home.
The faint blare of TV floats upstairs, where her parents and siblings all sit together, engrossed in entertainment while she sits alone in the dark.
Curtains pulled, lights off, blanket pulled tightly around her, she let's the silent tears fall.
Her head rests on the pillow, the numbness in her soul the only comfort.
Images of today's event flashes through her mind.

"Eva" she calls, walking towards one of her few friends. "Whatcha doing later?"
Eva's eyes widen, glancing to the girl next to her.
"Um.." she trails off.
"She's busy" the girl next to her answers.
"Oh"
It's the fourth time she's made excuses to not hang out with her.
"I'll catch you later, yeah?"
Without waiting for a reply, Eva scurries off.

Ignoring the hurt, she starts walking towards the exit, spotting her other friend.
Opening her mouth, she takes a breath to call out, when the words suddenly lodge in her throat.
Swallowing, she carries on walking as her other friend strolls past, without so much of a glance. 'I guess she doesn't like me anymore'.

Limply, the girl pulls her legs up to her chest, hugging them tightly to her, a sob escaping her quivering lips as she hears her family laugh, something that she hasn't done in months.

"Are you still doing homework?" Her father asks.
Shaking her head, she replies, "No, I'm watching band interviews".
"You're still into that lame band?" Her older brother scoffs.
"They're not lame" she frowns.
"Not as lame as those clothes" her older sister laughs.
Cusiously she wraps her arms around herself, glancing down to check her clothes. She loved this style.
"Why don't you talk to us instead? You're always watching those silly videos". Her mum says.
"I like the videos" she mumbles.
"Why do you even like that band? They can't even sing".
The girl frowns at her sister.
"I love their music"
Her sibling snorts in reply.
"You have an awful taste in music" she states. "And clothes" she adds.

"Why don't you go out with your friends?" Her mum questions.
Squirming uncomfortably, she replies, "they don't have much time to hang out".
Suddenly her brother bursts out laughing.
"Even her friends don't like her anymore" he shouts with laughter.
She bites her lip and wills the tears to not fall.
Her mum slaps her chuckling brother around the head and glares at him, but doesn't defend her.
The room goes quiet.
"I'm gonna go upstairs" she whispers.
"No". Her dad states.
Blinking at him in confusion, she slowly sits back down.
"You don't spend enough time with your family".
"But I wanna listen to music" she argues.
"You spend too much time up in your room, why don't you wanna be with your family?"
The girl falls silent as everyone munches on their dinner.
"Maybe you and your sister could go shopping. Change of style.." she mum suggests, eyeing her youngest daughters clothes wryly.
Her sister turns her nose up at the thought.
"As long as she doesn't wear those awful bracelets".
Her brother chokes on his food with laughter.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she kicks the chair back and rushes upstairs.

Pushing her bedroom door open, she takes a deep breath.
"come back downstairs and finish your food please, you hardly eat anything anymore", her mum demands.
Turning around, she looks at her mum in the eye, silently pleading for her to understand.
"No" she sniffs.
"Why are there tears?"  Her mum asks, a frown perched on her forehead.
"You don't understand"
"Yes I do"
"No mum, you don't"
"I'm your mother, of course I understand"
Growing with frustration, she turns away from her mum.
"Please just...leave me alone" she whispers, silently begging for her to actually stay and prove that she cares.
The silence that followed concerned her, but when she turned back around, her mum was gone, the door shut.

Rubbing her red eyes, she reaches for her phone, unlocking it and immediately clicking on the saved link.
Plugging her earphones in, she turns the volume up to drown out the laughter from her family. Suddenly the screen bursts into colours, and suddenly her favourite band is staring back at her, big gorgeous smiles plastered on their faces.
Within seconds, the emptiness in her chest lifts slightly, and she can finally breath again.
She watches her favourite band on the small screen, the only light in the dark room.
Slowly, a small smile tugs at her lips as she watches the band. They laugh, talk, joke around, sing, but most of all, they bring joy to the girl.
Suddenly the numbness in her heart lifts, the power of that one band astounding her.
Tears of despair and sadness which her life brought, are replaced with tears of happiness by those few people who she's never met.

Her family did nothing. They just stood by and watched her drown in depression. Those friends who watched her anxiety grow stepped away, not liking the change in her.

They left her when she most needed them.

But that band that she's only seen on a screen, that band that she's only known for a few months, they brought light. They brought small smiles and giggles and fast heartbeats.

Those strangers gave her the strength to carry on.