The Stripper Alliance

Chapter 20

The bright sun forces me out of my bed. I remember having a horrible nightmare. I had just gotten out of the hospital and my parents had made the horrible decision to file for divorce.

            I roll out of bed. I don’t want to go to school, but I think that I have to. It’s kinds of required by the United States of America. Stupid, government.

            I roam around my room, just trying to find the perfect outfit for school. I find a nice black t-shirt, a white mini skirt, and a checkerboard pair of Converse shoes. It isn’t the most stylish outfit, but it matches my mood. Groggy. I have no idea what happened yesterday. I feel like I’ve been drugged and I’m experiencing the aftermath.

            I begin to pull my robe off, then a person knocks on my bedroom door. I spin around and see my father standing in the threshold. He puts his hands up and yells, “Boy in the room!”

            I tie my robe back up, trying not to reveal any of my privates to my father. He sits down on my bed. I do the same. He pats my back and asks, “How you feeling buttercup?”

            I scrunch my eyebrows. I have no idea what he is talking about. Am I sick? Did I just go through a crisis? What happened? I laugh and playfully ask, “What are you referring to?”

            His face begins to gain a confused expression. His face almost mirrors mine, but there are probably two completely different things on our minds. He whispers, “About the news that you received last night. Is that bothering you at all?”

            I stand up and turn to face my father. I yell, “What news? What the hell are you talking about? I do not remember a single thing from last night. If you or mom could fill me in, that would be wonderful!”

            My father pats on the bed, gesturing for me to sit back down. I do as he says, only because I feel like I’m about to learn some bad news. He whispers, “Your mother and I getting a divorce. Does that ring any bells?”

            Everything in my sight goes blank. I feel like I am about to faint. The room starts spinning, my head is running in circles. I have no clue how I should be feeling right now. I have never experienced a divorce. My friends have told me about their lives as children of divorced parents, but I never believed them. I though t that they were lying.

            My father grabs my arm. He knows that I go berserk when I learn of bad news. My forehead begins to sweat. A light vomit feeling grows in my stomach. I have never felt this way before. I have never felt like I am dying. This is something new to me.

            My dad tightens his grip on my arm. He lays me down on my bed. I still can’t see anything. I don’t like the way that I am feeling. He loudly yells, “Onyx, I’ll be right back! I’m going to fetch you a damp cloth!”

            My father runs out of the room, but I have lost all control of my sight. I don’t know which way he ran. I forgot where my door was located. I lay on my bed with my arms flailing and my legs flying every direction imaginable.

            I hear my dad come back. He is panting. He must have actually ran for once. I feel an ice-cold cloth being laid on my forehead. Next thing I know, my father is politely force-feeding me water and shoving pills down my throat. They must be ibuprofen or migraine pills. They may even be anger management pills to keep me intact.

            All my senses begin to rush back to my body. Words are no longer fuzzy, pictures are placed back into my eyes. My fingers are no longer clammy, and I can breathe through my nose again. I thought that I was going to die.