BROKEN SILENCE

Chapter Three

5 Years Later

The camera flashed. A cold wind crept up my arms, I stood uneasy. Hannah's curly dark brown hair blew in the wind, looking beautiful. I looked up at her, then down at my straight brown hair that sat limp on my shoulders.

"Show me something beautiful, girls!" The man behind the huge camera yelled. Hannah turned and began running, her laugh echoed across the ongoing field of daisies. I held my sisters hand as we ran for what seemed miles, in only seconds. When I looked behind me, the camera man was far gone. My heart stopped.

I woke in the middle of the night, forcing the blankets off my body and sitting up straight. I hadn't caught my breath when my parents came rushing through my bedroom door. My mom ran to my side, dad was right behind her.

"Riley, was it another dream?" My mother asked, moving my hair out of my face. I nodded, still breathing heavily, not able to speak. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Just go back to sleep, you're okay." She forced me down slowly, making sure I was comfortable. My dad looked at me with concern, then pushed himself off his knee to stand up. I turned my head to the side, facing the door. My mothers words were blocked out when I saw my baby sisters head peeking through the doorway. The heartbeat in my chest slowed down and filled my ears with its sound. A tear fell off Mia's cheek and hit the cold wood floor. I promised her no more crying in the middle of the night, and I broke that promise.

 The next morning, I woke up to my younger sister screaming like her strawberry blonde curls were being ripped out of her precious head. Mia does this at least 6 times a day, so I don't really worry about it. Although, there's a part of me that likes to think one day, her curls really will be ripped out of her head, and I'll just ignore it.  I'll go in her room to see a single lock of hair lying on her butterfly shaped rug in the center of her room, and Mia will be gone. But then there's a much larger part of me that knows she's just being an annoying brat that wants everything her way. 

I finally pulled myself out of bed to see what Mia was yelling about this time, because my thoughts haunted me. The 6 year old was sitting at a barstool in the kitchen, throwing a tantrum because mother had poured her a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, when she really wanted a bowl of the ever so cherished, Fruity Pebbles. I sat beside her and grabbed the box of Honey Nut Cheerios, then began to pour it in my bowl.         

"Suck it up and eat." I said to her, stuffing my mouth with cheerios. Mia rolled her eyes and marched upstairs. Shortly after, I went to my closet and tried my hardest to find an outfit without seeing the box on the very top shelf. The white box sat there mocking me, holding many memories I never want to regain. I finally built up the courage to ignore it, and decided on my outfit for the day. I put on a loose blue shirt with fake buttons down the middle, and two pockets mirroring eachother on my chest. The sleeves were pulled back to my elbows with a button. After that, I slipped on some black skinny jeans, and a pair of brown combat boots. My light brown hair was in its usually messy, straight hairstyle that reached the middle of my back. 

I took my seat at the very back of the bus, alone. I could hear Mia's obnoxious yells all the way from the front. Mia's hand swatted a smaller girls shoulder, and she was sent to the front of the bus to sit with the bus monitor. I watched her curls bounce as we went over a speed bump. She crossed her arms and pouted until we got to her school, and ended up leaving the bus with tears streaming down her face.  I thought maybe her behavior on the bus was a kindergarten thing, but apparently not. On her first day of first grade, Mia managed to leave a bruise on a younger girl's shoulder, scream at the top of her lungs 7 times (maybe 8, I put on my headphones), and have the bus monitor escort her to class. 

Usually, I would be the last one off the bus. Today was different, I just wanted to get in the school and get this day over with. I pushed my way through all the kids as they stood. When I finally got to the steps of the bus, a hand touched my back, and I knew what was coming. My knees hit the ground before my feet, which I wouldn't expect when I were to step off a bus. Often, I'd just casually step off and have the rubber of my shoes touch the concrete. I'd go on with my day like regular, I probably wouldn't even think of that moment ever again. But I'd definitely remember this moment. 

I turned to see a blonde haired boy, a brown haired boy and a black haired boy. These boys weren't strangers. Two of them happened to be brothers, Parker and Austin. Although, most people wouldn't even notice Parker existed. The other was Jake, the guy my best friend Leila, had a major crush on. And right then, I could've sworn Austin laughed so hard he ran out of breath and passed out. Jake probably ran to his side as like he were going to die too. Parker probably shrugged and went on with his day, I don't know why he'd care about that self-observed jerk he regretted to call his brother. 

Of course, that didn't happen. Austin and Jake made sure they laughed loud enough that other people would come around to see what they were laughing at. Tears started forming in my eyes; I tried to blink them back but they insisted on escaping from my tear ducts. As soon as I felt one touch my cheek, I quickly wiped it away and stood up. Parker and I's eyes met, I'd never really looked at him before. As I said; no one really noticed him. Even though it was only a second, possibly two, that we were looking into eachothers eyes, feeling pain for eachother, it felt like a minute. I had time to notice every single feature on his face; his blue eyes complimented by his black flippy hair, his freckles on his cheeks and nose, his perfectly shaped pink lips. Then, I had to break up our short fantasy when I realized tears were dripping onto my shirt. I pushed my hair back and turned away, hoping he'd run to me and grab my shoulder. 

"Riley! Wait!" he'd say, "Can I walk you to class?" 

Nope, just silence.