Fake Smiles and Kisses

Chapter 5

I wake up to the sound of someone hitting my window. I groan loudly and get up, looking out my window to see a smiling Ash sitting on the large ledge of my window. My window was easy to get to so I could usually depend on Ash climbing up every morning. Mostly to wake me up since I had a bad habit if sleeping in and ignoring my alarm.

I open my window to let Ash come in. She comes in but her long brown hair hair is messed up and it has a few leaves in it from the bush below my window.

I smirk. "You might want to fix your hair."

"Whaaa..?" She walks towards the mirror and takes a peek at herself. "Shit. The things I do for you, Nick"

"Last I checked it was your decision to climb up to my window. You do know we have a front AND back door, right?"

"Yes, captain obvious I did know that. I like the spy element."

"Yeah that's totally working out for ya."

"Shut up. It's fun."

"My mom still wonders why you climb up so early. Speaking of which, why are you always early? Do you wake up at 5 or something?"

"Nooo...." She looks down sheepishly.

"Soooo?"

"5:30"

"THAT'S IT. I DISOWN YOU. THAT'S WHEN OLD PEOPLE WAKE UP FOR THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL! WOMAN, YOU NEED SLEEP!! Is there something you aren't telling me? Are you actually 93? That plastic surgery is really working out for you. You totally look like a high school student...." I try my hardest to give her a stern look while holding back laughs.

She looks up at me, trying to give me a mean look but fails horribly at it. We both end up laughing.

"Okay you seriously need to get ready. Go go do your stuff! I will pick ze outfit and makeup."

"Fine."

"Oh and by the way, good job with Austin. I heard he had to sit out at football practice because of his nose. Good going girl. I'm really proud of you." She stops and smiles at me a small sad smile. She nows how much pain I've been in over him and what he's done to me over the years. "Although... I think he also deserved a kick in the nuts. A few times." She smirks.

"There's always a next time."

"Touché."

I laugh and wall across the hall to my bathroom. My mom had one downstairs adjoining her master bedroom. Luckily she had let me decorate my bathroom and bedroom a few years ago. I had been begging since I was 10. She only agreed because dad had convinced her by tickling her until she finally relented. That was when we were a happy family. We had went to Home Depot and bought turquoise, dark blue, and black paint. The bathroom was painted turquoise sky blue. My room was painted a light turquoise sky blue and a deep blue. One wall had galaxy wallpaper on it. That was where my bed was leaning. The rest of the room had purple, black, white, and green, to go with the galaxy. I had white furniture. On the ceiling I had painted it black and put glow in the dark stars all over it. Ever since I had just left those up. I loved imagining I was looking into the starry sky at night. It gave me peace on the bad nights. Before my dad died.

When I heard the arguing, the crashing, and the banging downstairs.

Now my mom and I barely speak, except maybe the usual small talk. How are you? Any homework? Can you go get something for rme? Do this do that. Be this be that. That's it. Then she goes to work. Ever since dad died she has wrapped herself up in her cases. She is a lawyer. She's always in our small town newspaper for her big wins but she never seems to pay attention. She comes home and always closes herself in her room. I sometimes hear the sobs between the walls. I just put on my headphones on and turn the music up to full volume to tune the sadness out.