Shot Down

Chapter 1

Her continuous coughing scared me. The more she coughed the worse she got. I walked into her room with water and her medicine. She was buried inside of her covers. "Ma, it is time to ta-" I was interpreted by her cough. She has been lacking in sleep because of this. She doesn't have insurance nor enough money to pay a hospital bill. She slowly sat up and her breathing started to get louder. Tears started to form slowly in my eyes seeing her in this state. I handed her the medicine as she put the pill in her mouth, grabbing the cup and sipping the water to help swallow the medicine. She handed me the cup and smiled, "I love you baby girl." She said softly, following a cough.

"I love you too, ma." I replied placing a kiss on her cheek. She laid back down and I covered her with the covers. I softly closed the door as she let out another awful cough until the walls and closed-door drowned the sound. I walked into the living room and my father was sitting in a chair, his feet up on the coffee table, cigarette in his hand and watching The Price is Right. "Did you give her the medicine?" He asked me noticing my presence but not looking at me. "Yes." I replied sitting down on the couch.

"I don't see the point of giving her that," He said taking another puff and blowing the smoke out "she is just going to die anyway." Once those words came from his mouth my heart broke a little. I knew he was telling the truth, but I didn't want to face the facts. "How could you say that? She's your wife, you're supposed to care for her." I yelled at him. He looked at me with a furious look on his face. He stood up on his feet walking towards me. He hovered his body over me which made my heart beat fast. "What makes you think just because she is my wife I care?" He questioned.

"Just like you being my daughter, I don't give a fuck about either one of you!" He yelled in my face, placing the cigarette on my forehead. I screamed as I smacked his hand. The burning pierced through my skin. He threw the cigarette onto the floor and walked out of the house. I went into the kitchen gathering a rag and some ice. Putting the ice into the rag, I placed the rag on my head as the coldness soothed my forehead.

The tears that didn't come out earlier finally came out and I just dropped to my knees. I couldn't control my emotions at this moment. I was tired. I was tired of this feeling. Tired of feeling like I'm doing this by myself. I'm mad at my father. Someone that use to be the father of the year until my mother got sickly and he was paying bills by himself. I was sad for my mother, knowing that she just might not make it.

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I was getting behind on school. This was my senior year and my grades were dropping. I was missing 2 credits and I didn't have the money for credit recovery or summer school, nor did I have time for night school. I entered the house from school and my father was yelling. He was pissed. When I walked in the door his attention turned to me. My mother was in the living room holding a paper with tears coming to her eyes. "What is this?" My father snatched the paper from my mother; holding it up to my face. It was a failure notice. I was speechless. I knew he wasn't going to hit me in front of my mother but I knew it will be coming. "It's not as bad as you think." I try to convince them.

"How is it not as bad as we think? You're failing."

"Baby girl, what is going on with you? You're smarter than this." Their words all mixed in as they yelled at me. I knew they were disappointed and angry. Before all of this happened I was an honor student in all AP classes. I sighed as I had no response to their questions. I already knew they were going through a lot and I didn't want anything else on their shoulders. "I promise I'll make it up by next semester." I tried to tell them anything so that they wouldn't be to upset. My father shook his head as he helped my mother back into the room.

I turned back around heading out of the door. I was going to walk to my friend Summer's house. I always knew that she could put a smile on my face. She knows exactly what I'm going through. When I was walking to her apartment, that was only a few blocks down from my house, I passed by the same group of dudes that sit posted up at the end of a dead end. "Hey ma, when you gone throw that ahh?" One dude hollowed. They all turned my way and started saying dumb stuff, but one dude that just looked. The same dude that never acts foolishly with them.

I walked up Summer apartment stairs to hers. I knocked on the door and she answered. "Hey, Doll Face." She smiled as she answered the door. "Hey, Sweet Heart." I said walking into the apartment.

"What's up?" She asked as she locked the door.

"My parents got a failure notice from the school." I told her right away. She was speechless. I guess she didn't know I was failing either. "How?" She asked answering my question.

"All of the stuff going on at home I guess I'm putting school last." I tell her. She just looked at me. "How about we go somewhere to get your mind off of this?" She changed her facial expression to a smile grabbing my hand and heading out of the door stealing her mothers' car keys.

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