Martinez Twins Fanfiction

Chapter 3

• • •

The next morning, I wake up with a fever of 102.3.

My dad is passed out on the basement floor, so I am on my own for the day.

I wrap a blanket around my body and make my way down the stairs. I don't need to take medicine for my congestion - the stench of whisky clears my nose right up.

I pick up the phone and speak to the school nurse in my deepest voice to explain that I would not be in today. Whether she believed my horrible impression of my father or that she was too lazy to argue, she hung up the phone without questioning.

I grab the box of mini muffins from the pantry and walk out back to the treehouse.

The air is as cold as every morning in Maine, and it does not help my fever at all, but at least I am away from the thick air of my house.

Weakly, I climb the ladder of the treehouse and flop into my bean bag chair. I wrap the SpongeBob blanket around my already bundled-up body and opened my laptop that I left out here overnight.

Tessa posted a new vlog. She says that the winner of the Team 10 contest will be revealed tomorrow. Tomorrow!

Part of me is excited, but the other part is worried. What if I don't get chosen? And worse, what if Sandra gets picked?

I shake the thought out of my brain. I just need to have faith.

I think of my mom. She never once doubted anything I did. When I was 4, and I had my first soccer game, she cheered for me although I could barely kick the ball. She believed in me, and even though I messed up and the other team scored a goal for the win, she was so proud of me.

I smile at the thought.

There is nothing I can do about the Team 10 audition now. My video is already submitted and now all there is to do is wait.

I pass the hours by watching Jake's old vlogs. By the time I pick my head up, it's already dark outside. I gather up my things and head back inside.

There's no sign of my dad and his car is not in the driveway, so he must be getting dinner.

Food is scarce at our house. With my dad spending most of our saved up money on liquor, we can only afford a few things from the supermarket.

Breakfast consists of muffins and bagels, which are cheap and the only things that don't require cooking or toasting (most of the time, we can't pay our electric bill). I generally skip lunch, except for the rare occasions that I can scrounge enough things together to make a full meal. If there is nothing left in the pantry, dad makes a quick trip to the grocery store to buy the cheapest foods on the shelves and stuff some of the smaller snacks down his pockets and socks.

Sometimes, if he finds a couple dollars laying around, he gets me a chocolate bar. But mostly, dinner consists of the same old expired chicken that is 45% off because the store is trying to get rid of it. Yum.

I sit down on the couch and wait for my dad to return home with my food.