Violet

Chapter 44: Someone That I knew

I rushed down and shook her, thinking she was dead. I took a deep breath when she groaned and turned to look at me. The fire from the candle brightened our faces. I tried pulling her off the glass which resulted into her falling into me. I held her up in my arms, but her weight was just too heavy.

"Lets, ugh, get you to the chair," I said, patting her on the shoulder. The alcohol from her breath pinched my nose. Thank goodness she got off of me because if she hadn't I would have suffocated. She unevenly walked over to the couch and waved her hands for me to come forward.

I sat next to her, not knowing what to do, regretting my decision of coming down stairs. He head fell back against the couch. "Why am I here," she whispers. "Why?" She drags the word, saying it like, "whyyyyyyyyy," but louder this time.

I don't say anything. I let her finish talking. "Why am I walking around in circles. You know? I never wanted to be a bad person and I'm not. I love you. I love Mariel, I love my husband. Fuuuck, where is he?" She slurred.

"I think I'll go to bed now," I stand up.

She randomly started crying. "Why are you leaving me? Why does every fucking person want to leave me? Just-" she waves her hand. "Leave, abandoned me. You don't know what it feels like."

That hits me harder than it was supposed to. I do know what it feels like to be abandoned. She was alone. Even though she was doing this to herself, she couldn't fight it by herself. She was at war with her own soul, losing herself while the world around her just watched.

I sat down next to her, bringing her to lean on my shoulder. I felt extremely uncomfortable, but she needed me. She needed someone. "It's going to get better," I said, patting her shoulder. "You just have to give it time."

"Hmmph," she groaned. I saw her dozing off.

After three minutes, I escaped her grasped and went back into the room with Mariel. She was still asleep. I laid back in bed, staring at the wall thinking about what had just happened. I clenched the blanket underneath me, squeezing it as the tears ran down my face.

I couldn't help it. In that moment, I felt more alone than ever. I squeezed the blanket harder each time I thought about how crazy my life was. It was hard to believe that all of this was happening. In that moment, I felt like I belonged in a crazy home. Who knows, maybe I did. I just had no clue what was happening to my life. Thinking about the outcome was worse.

I eventually stopped crying and cried myself to sleep. I didn't have nightmares this time. Just dreams of being in space and walking on the moon.

***

Mariel and I went to school together the next day. When we sat at the table, I noticed she was smiling. "Tell me," I said. "You seem like you're in a good mood."

She looked at me. "My mother gave me a hug this morning, poured out all her liquor bottles and told me that she would try harder." Mariel shrugged. "She said just to be there for her. I don't know what that was about."

"Mariel, that's a start," I said, smiling. I continued smiling, thinking if it was me who gave Mariel's mother a little boost.

"This is the first time she's done that," Mariel said. "She even called numbers to homes that could help. I hope this is real."

"Me too," I said as Ryan sat down beside me.

"Hey, you," He smiled at me, then waved at Mariel. "What are you two all smiles about."

"The cafeteria doesn't taste like crap today," Mariel lied.

Ryan laughed. "Whatever. Listen, there's a concert tomorrow at Green Way Park. You guys up for it? It's free and me and a couple of my buddies are going."

"Oh, who's playing?" Mariel asked.

"Blood Simple," he smiled.

"That's a yes for me," Mariel high fived him. Boy, was she in a great mood.

"Violet?" He smiled.

"Sure," I said. I was in no rush to go to aunt Denise's house. Who knows, maybe I could spend the night with Mariel again. It would probably be a no since I waited until the morning to call my aunt Denise who didn't sound so concerned."

"Yes," Ryan's fist pumped into the air. "See you guys then!" He then got up and disappeared to who knows where. As he left, Devin and two other boys approached us.

"Hey Dev," I said to him. He looked tough and not like the Devin I knew before at. He left his geeky look since he's been with the, well, higher than us students.

"Hey," he gestured his chin up at me. "Me and the guys were wondering if you two wanted to sit over at our table."

"It's lonely over here," one of the boys next to him said. "Come sit with us. It's only a few of us."

I was going to say why not, but Mariel shook her head as I got up. "Come on, Mariel. I haven't talked to Devin in a while."

She rolled her eyes and picked up her tray. "Fine," she sighed.

"Good! I just want to catch up with my old friend." Devin said, smiling at me.

We sat down at their table across from two girls and three other boys. Devin and his friends sat around Mariel and I.  All of drifted off into conversation for a few minutes when two girls walked up behind us.

"Cheers to alcoholic mothers!" The two of them said. I looked up and saw that both girls had two open milk cartons of milk over our heads.

The cafeteria erupted in a loud, "woooooooooah!"

Before I could do anything else, chocolate milk poured into my hair and down my face. My hands stuck out, cold from the milk soaking my clothes. Devin and his friends started clapping and laughing.

 I faced Devin. "That's not funny!"

"You and your weird friend need to go clean up," he laughed.

Before I could say anything, a teacher called the two girls that soaked us. Mariel got up and ran out of the cafeteria. People laughed at her and clapped. I got up too and made my way to the bathroom before the tears came. When I walked into the bathroom I found Ryan there and he was talking to someone.

Someone...that I knew.