The Last Laugh

Chapter Five

"What are you doing here?" He looks confused and steps around me stepping backward onto the bus. "Getting on the bus. I'm going to visit my sister at work?" He looks utterly confused as to why I would question his actions but before I could even respond, the doors blocked my view of him. Before I knew it, I was the idiot girl staring at a road.

Quickly snapping myself out of that trance, I continued my journey home. Knowing full well that I would do nothing as soon as I stepped through that door. I would curl up into a little emotional ball and cry myself to sleep. Okay, I probably wouldn't cry. Not intentionally anyway. If a tear happened to fall however, that's out of my control.

I don't understand the concept of tears. Whenever we feel an emotion very strongly, we cry. Think about it, every emotion you can think of, it gets to a point you will end up crying. Happiness, Fear, Sadness, Anger, Excitement, Worry, Pride, Stress, Love, Relief, Confusion, Surprise, Anxiety or Anticipation. Crying is a way to relieve any emotion that you're feeling. It's almost like crying is your maximum point.

I used the cold wind to my advantage of drying up my eyes to not let them fall so soon. I'm tired of spending days like this. Holding back how I'm feeling (although, seeing a random stranger crying in the middle of the street is a bit strange. No pun intended.) but other than my new found option, I have no one. I haven't really got any friends, sure I talk to some people occasionally, but I wouldn't count them as a friend. I sure the feelings mutual.

As planned when I walked in to the door, I walked into my room, kicked off my shoes and face planted my bed, devouring myself in the warm blanket that was dispersed across my sheets. luckily though, before I knew it my mind had stopped playing it's despicable thoughts and left me with nothing as my heartrate slowed and I fell into slumber. I wanted nothing more than to rid of the thoughts that constantly trickle through my mind at all parts of the day. Poisoning my mind with the doubts and rejections of will. I found that sleep was the only thing I could rely on to pause my wrecked mind from spreading this poison onto anyone else that I care about.

The next time my eyes had opened, they fell upon my mother's smile. Calmly informing me that there was food made and ready for me to devour if I wished. Of course not eating a thing all day, my stomach answered the question before I did. Disrupting the momentary silence with a growl. Prying myself free of the covers I follow her lead out of my room and into the dining room where the rest of my family gathered around, all awaiting my arrival before shovelling their own faces with food. Of course, I was short to follow.

The dinner wasn't as awkward as I'd expected it to be, occasionally the clinking sounds of cutlery hitting the plates was overruled by the familiar voices of my family members. Discussing each others day and any other topics that branched off. Unfortunately however, the conversation eventually turned in my direction as quickly as the wind.

"So Ali, how was your day?"

I finished my mouth full of food before answering the question "Yeah, It was okay. Uneventful." My family all exchanged glances as if they were in on a secret I was yet to be told about. "What?' my fork hanging loosely in my hand, I was sure that one slight tap to the elbow and it would fall out completely. "I just thought you'd want to talk about why you were out today? Meeting up with possible friends?"

I let out a short laugh and continued eating my food. "Yeah, I wish. It wasn't as exciting as that." Thankfully my family left it as that and let me eat the rest of my food in piece.

Somehow, instead of my thoughts drifting to the therapy lesson like I had expected them to, they ended up remembering standing on a certain someone's foot. Suddenly my hands reached to my cheeks to sooth the ache that I realised was occurring. When my hands reached my face however instead of feeling the muscles loose and relax as per usual in my grumpy moods, they were met with tense cheek muscles, contracting toward my ears.

I was quick to force myself to be blank again. I hit a brick wall then. For some reason that task was harder than I thought. Okay. Ali, focus. Clear your mind. Breathe in, out. In. Out. In. Ou- I jumped at the loud noise that bounced of my poster covered walls. Looking down at my phone that apparently now has psychic powers.

A set of unknown numbers float across the top of my screen. It only took a second of answering to realise who the number belonged to. "Hey, is this Allison Strange?"
"Yes, speaking who's this?" I ask already knowing the answer "uh it's Travis, the guy now with a sore toe."

"How did you get my number?"

"Well, long story short I know people."

"Are you a drug dealer? If so please hang up right now."

"Oh okay, cya then."

I let out a scoff, but it was interrupted by his laugh. "I'm kidding Ali."

"Oh, okay. Good to know."

-

My eyes were extremely dry and I was now laying on my bed with my legs up against the wall. A yawn makes it's way up my throat, "WOW, I am so tired right now. And it's only," I remove the phone from my face to check the time. I swing my legs and off he wall and sit bolt upright, "3:48 am!" I whisper shout. I hear his voice a little bit more distant, "oh shit, you're right."

"Well, um, goodnight then?" The words forming more of a question,

"Yeah uh, goodnight."

Once again I pull the phone from my face, my finger growing ever so closer to the little red dot. "Ali?" I furrow my brow. "Yeah?" "Do you wanna hang out tomorrow, if you're not busy?" I look at my calendar and twist my mouth to the side. Well, I finish work at 4 if that's still alr-" "Perfect, yeah that's a good time. Meet at the restaurant."

"Okay I'll see you-" the end tone rings in my ear before I can finish my sentence. "Then."