Our Bittersweet Lives

[nine]

We visit May every day and see her slowly get better, and stronger and stronger. Her face gains more colour, her eyes sparkle again and most importantly, her hands have started moving wildly again when she talks.

She is just as happy and fun, and we can't wait to run and play with her again.

****

The first Monday at school when we know May is getting better, we all wait for each other at the gate, and then walk in as a five, our arms linked together and huge grins on our faces. As we walk into the corridors, everyone suddenly crowds and starts asking for all the details. We all just push through with a few smiles and make our way to our separate form rooms.

The second lesson of the day on Monday is maths, so I head over from the music rooms. As I climb the stairs to maths, I find my head spinning and my legs shaking like they are going to collapse. My lungs are constricting, tighter and tighter, my chest is on fire, what is going on ...

I pull myself up the last steps with the banister and stand at the top, panting and gasping for air. I get many strange looks from the rest of the students, but I don't care. All I can care about right now is getting my breathing back to normal and then getting to maths so I don't get yet another detention.

After a moment, my breathing has returned completely to normal. I'm surprised it happened so quickly, but I'm not complaining. I rush into maths, only a few minutes late, and slip into my seat at the back next to Zoe. I heave a sigh of relief, crack a grin at Zoe, and open my maths book.

****

Suddenly, the week has gone by, and it's Friday evening. I have plans to go out with Kate. We are going to a small cafe for dinner together, to celebrate. A few months ago, we entered a poetry competition together. We had to write a poem about a strong emotion; we chose fear. We got our results back yesterday, and mine and Kate's poem came third, so we thought it fitting to have a meal out.

When we are ready, we walk down to the cafe. We sit at the small round table with the checkered tablecloth and order our food. Them we sit and chat.

When the food comes, I only nibble at my sausages and mash. I have no appetite, which is strange, because normally I could eat enough for all six of us girls combined.

Couples and families are coming in and going out of the cafe all night, but just after 8:30, in walk people talking obnoxiously loud. In very familiar voices...
My mother and father. Drunk, by the looks and sounds of them. I don't know what they are doing in a small cafe like this, especially as intoxicated as they are.

"Taegan! Why are you here? And with which of your silly friends? Is it...Kitty? Katie? Kale? Kolly? Kiii-iia?"

"Mother, her name is Kate." I shoot an apologetic glance at Kate; thankfully, she appears to be trying to contain her laughter.

"Yes, that's right, Kate. Well, Taegan, we wanted to come and...wait, what were we here for, darling? Oh yes, to spoil your night! We have decided that you are not allowed to have fun anymore and so you have a 9:00pm curfew." My mother slurs.

My mouth falls open in shock and indignation. Kate also looks shocked, and then looks at me with sympathy. I glance at the hands on my watch; they tell me that it is 8:36. That means I have 24 minutes before this new 'curfew'. I sigh, and then look at Kate.

"Well, as I can't stay out much longer and we are pretty much done anyway, do you want to pay up and come over to mine?" I ask.

"Sounds good. I'm so sorry, Taegan."

We place our bills on the table and head out. Behind me, I can hear my parents saying,
"She doesn't deserve half of what she gets. Really, she should pay for everything herself. And we must give our beautiful older daughters the best lives, of course. Don't you think..."

I tune them out and shut the old door behind Kate. "Movie?"

Kaye nods enthusiastically and we head beck to mine. I apologise profusely for most of the night until Kate tells me that she didn't come back to mine to hear a pity story, she came to watch a movie with me.

****

I slowly feel my brain waking. Keeping my eyes closed, I stretch my arms above my head and yawn. Then I peek through my eyelashes and smile when I see Kate laying at the other end of the sofa, her legs entangled with mine and her head resting on the armrest. Unfairly, her hair looks beautiful, whereas I'm certain mine looks like I've been dragged through a hedge forwards, backwards and sideways about ten times like it does every morning.

I stay still for a while longer, until I see Kate start to open her eyes. I flash a grin at her as she looks my way, and say, "breakfast?"

She laughs, and asks if I ever think of anything but my stomach. I laugh too, and playfully slap her. Because we are the mature, teenage girls we are, this soon escalates into a fully fledged play fight with pillows and blankets which starts on the sofa and ends up rolling around on the floor. A few times I feel my breath struggling to come, and each time I laugh my chest constricts, but I don't let it detract from the amazing fun I'm having.

After cornflakes with strawberries for breakfast, Kate heads off and I head upstairs to do homework. My parents have yet to emerge. I'm sure they are hungover. I hope it's painful.

At my desk, I pull out my green revision ring binder, coloured pens and paper and then get to work revising for a science test that's coming up.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know. Its short, it's bad, and it's been forever since I updated. I promise it will be better next time. I'm sorry about not much action. The next chapter will be better, honestly.
Thanks for sticking by if you are still here. Sorry again it took so long.

~Tiff xxx