The bed creaked as Abigail tried to get comfortable, as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she stared around the room, taking in the unfamiliar contour of the walls and the ceiling. It just wasn't the same. She shifted so that she lay on her back, staring up at the peeling paint on the ceiling. This was her fifth night in the new house, and sleeping wasn't any easier than it was the previous nights, in fact, sleep hadn't been coming easily to her since she had learned that she would be moving. She sat up and glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table, its bright red numbers blaring out the time; 3:47am. She watched the end number change from 7 to 8 to 9. She wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon.
Abigail stood up slowly so as not to rouse her mother in the room next door. Quietly, she shuffled her feet across the carpeted floor, nearly tripping over an unopened box. She flicked on the light, flooding her room with an artificial, yellowish glow. She sighed; even the lights weren't the same. She crossed the room and opened her laptop and turned it on, a sympathy gift from her mother. She slid out the chair from the desk and sat down, staring impatiently at the screen as it started up. When the start page greeted her, she opened her internet browser and tapped her fingers on the desk as she waited. The homepage to her e-mail pulled up and she signed in, she needed to get her feelings out and who better than her best friend?
Hey Carli,
I miss you so much already and it hasn't even been a full week, how can i survive here without you?
She paused, the curser flashing, waiting for her to type more.
2morrow is the first day at my new school (*cringe*) and i dunno if i make it through the day....my mom is trying to be supportive, but everything is diff since, u kno, and well she's busy w/ her new job anyway. She bought me this laptop as like a consolation. AHAH, yea right! Like this can make up for it. i wish i was still w/ you, in my home, with my mom, the way it was....i want to forgive her, but there's something, one small part inside me seems like it will nvr be able to.
Her fingers danced across the keyboard as her feelings started to spill out, she just couldn't stop, all the pain she had kept bottled up until now just bubbled up and overflowed. And all of a sudden, she was crying and angry at the same time, tears blurring the screen. But still, she typed on. She only stopped when there was nothing left to write, nothing still trapped inside of her, she finished the e-mail just as she heard movement from across the hall.
i miss you Carli, i just need to know that throughout everything that has changed, this, us, hasn't, thx for reading. I love you. <3
~*Your Abby*~
She hastily pressed the send button, urging the little loading circle to finish. It sent and she started to panic as she heard the creak of a bed, if her mother saw her awake at this time, on the laptop, she would be dead. There was no time to turn off the laptop, so she slammed it shut, hoping her mom wouldn't notice the faint light radiating off of it and the power light flashing if she came in to check on her. She ran to her bed, and started to get under her covers until she noticed that her light was still on, she almost laughed at her stupidity and she quickly debated in her mind the chance of her making it to the switch before her mother noticed. She decided to risk it and ran to the light; she pulled the switch down with a flourish and returned to her bed, stubbing her toe on the same box she had tripped on earlier. She winced as she got into bed, rubbing her toe under the covers. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her heavy breathing, her heart was beating fast, both with the adrenaline of possibly getting caught and the effort of her scramble around the room. Not a moment too soon. The door to her bedroom slid open a crack. Even though her eyes were closed, Abigail could sense her mother's presence and she breathed a sigh of relief as the door gently closed behind her. She couldn't help but smile to herself, close one. She turned to look at the clock again, 4:13am, still three hours to go until morning.
"I guess three hours of sleep is better than nothing" she murmured to herself. And she closed her eyes, and for once, sleep came easily.
§
The alarm clock buzzed loudly in Abigail's ear. Groggily, she reached over and slammed her hand down on the dream bar, silencing it. She shifted her position, curling up within the warmth of her blanket. She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.
What seemed like seconds later, a soft knock intruded her dreams. "Time to get up honey."
Abigail covered her ears with her pillow, trying to drone out her mother's wake-up call.
"Come on, Abby, you don't want to be late."
Abigail groaned. That's right, first day at school, well, first day for her at least, to most others, this would just be another Monday.
She dragged herself out of bed, stifling a yawn as she stumbled down the stairs. A bowl of cereal was already waiting for her on the counter.
"Morning mom" She mumbled, her eyes drooping.
"Morning, we'll be leaving in about an hour."
Abigail nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table. She had to make an effort not to fall asleep as she ate her cereal which was quickly becoming soggy; apparently 3 hours of sleep was not enough.
§
By the time it was time to leave, Abigail's fatigue had been replaced by anxiety. On the drive there, she sat solemnly, silently staring out her window. All too soon, their car pulled up into a vast parking lot, alive with vehicles and students.
"Are you okay?" Her mother asked, looking through the rearview mirror to see her face. "You're awfully quiet." Abigail could hear the concern in her voice but it made her feel like a baby, the way she was talking.
"I'm fine mom."
"Do you need me to come in with you?"
In a way, Abigail wanted her mother, she needed support right now, but she knew that if she asked her to come in, it would make her look bad. "That's OK mom."
"If you're sure...don't worry about today honey, we already sorted everything out with the school, everything will be fine."
Abigail so hoped that this was true, but she knew that life wasn't as simple as that, especially in high school. She opened her door and slung her bag over her shoulder. "See you, then." She called, slamming the door behind her. She watched her mother drive away. Suddenly, everything around her grew louder, everyone was moving faster, it was like a protective bubble had been lifted from around her. She took her phone out of her bag to check the time, as she walked up to the main doors. Taking a deep breath, she reached forward, when her hand touched the door handle, butterflies erupted inside of her.
"Just breathe, Abigail. She whispered to herself. "Just breathe."
YOU ARE READING
(You are Never) ALONE
Teen Fiction"Sometimes, when you're trying to find yourself, it takes more than just yourself to do it." It's a story about love, about hardships, about hope, but most of all about finding yourself especially when you never thought it was possible. Because ever...
