Between The Rails

Misery

"Who is Alfie?"
"Just a friend,"
Just a friend? Doesn't look like it from what you've been texting."
"Mom-"
"No, you're are not going on a date next week, and I don't want you to be dating anyone,"
"But mom,"
"I bet this is why your marks have dropped, just go to your room!"
"But-"
"GO!"
I run upstairs tears rolling down my cheeks, sometimes my mom can be so annoying and mean and I just can't stand it. It's not my fault I don't have good grades, she's the one who made me take all academic courses. It's hard, I'm not good at math and science and stuff, well I used to be, but now I'm in high school, and midterm exams were a disaster, I'm just not used to all this pressure.
I leave the house early to get to school just to be away from my mom for a bit. All weekend, my mom has been so irritating. I see Alfie and walk over, ready to tell him about my mom and her reaction to seeing our text messages. But he starts talking as soon as I walk over. "Hey! So are we on for Friday? Can't wait!" I panicked and say, "yes definitely can't wait where are we gonna meet?" "I can pick you up-" he starts to say as I interrupt and say "no! And don't text me, tell me at school tomorrow ok?" "Sure," he says confused and I speed walk toward my class, looking back every few seconds.
It's Friday and I still Haven't called off my date, and it's to late now, mom's been making my grounded life a living hell, it's actually like I'm in prison, she's cut me off from all electronics and taken everything interesting from my room. She brings up my meals to me when it's time to eat and then I don't see civilization until school or the next meal, she tells me when I can leave for school and if I'm not back by 4:00, she adds another week onto my grounding.
It's 7:45 so she should be coming with my breakfast any minute. I hear a knock on the door and I run over and unlock it, she hands me a bowl of bran cereal and asks me how I'm doing, I tell her fine and I lock the door to go sit at my desk. Bran cereal, maybe it's just me, but I haven't eaten a meal I actually like since the day I was grounded.