When A Book Is The Escape

There is so many. So many to choose from. Big. Small. Thick. Thin. Just one of the few reasons I love this place. The place where I spend all of the hours in the afternoon. Many afternoons reading books.

This place isn’t my local library or bookstore. I’m not allowed to go there.  Its my room. I have a two-meter tall wooden bookshelf filled with so many books. Picture books to novels to information.

This is my escape. Escape from the world. Here nobody can find me. Nobody would want to. Nobody would try to.

“Get out of your room and do something for once Spencer!” My step-mum Liz yelled from downstairs, I just ignore it now.

Pressure is everywhere.

I regret going to school everyday.

Who knew that a concrete jungle full of snotty rich girls and aggressive boys could be so bad? If only I went to Hogwarts, you know there maybe I would fit in, but even there people would still tease me and think I'm weird. Personally I think I’m just Luna Lovegood in disguise. I mean she’s obviously a lot cooler and prettier and… you know… a fictional character.

It is no better at home. My dad left 4 years ago. He left for the war. And has never been back since. He hasn’t come back just like in those books.

With my dad leaving it meant I had to be left with my horrible serpent I call “mum”. She’s not my mum. Not really. She’s my step mum just like the one in Cinderella she’s horrible to me, my real mum passed away when I was 6 I’m now 14. 8 years without a real mother figure. I sometimes think I’m the reason my dad left was because I remind him of mum. She had blonde curly hair and brown eyes. Just like me. At least that’s what Liz told me.

“Honestly Spencer if your sitting in your room reading one of those stupid books! I’m going to burn them all!” Liz screamed from the bottom of the stairs. She’s used that against me before. But she never has. She wouldn’t dare. Actually she probably would. She can get my non-treasured books as they are in easy access on my shelf. I hide the ones from my mother, as they are the only things I have left of her.

It got darker and darker as the night rolled in. That is when I moved my reading from my windowsill to my bed.

I looked at the clock on the wall.

“Crap!” I shouted in a whisper, so Liz couldn’t her me from the room next door. 12:05 in the morning. I have to get up in the morning. I have to get up to go to the jail I call school. I guess I just got lost in an another book again I guess that’s my escape. People, normal people say “I escape the world when I’m listening to music” or “I escape when I’m doing sport”. I guess I’m not normal. No normal person would read a book in a day. 

“Spencer! Don’t be so lazy! Get up and make your self pretty for school!” Liz shouted at the bottom of the stairs.

I slipped my clothes on and grabbed my second hand bag that is all ripped up and ran down the stairs and grabbed an apple, and walked out the door.

“Bye Liz” I said softly but loud enough for her to hear. I walked slowly to school. Just wondering what part of me.

I finally got to the concrete jungle. The first thing I saw were two of the most popular people eating each others faces. Ugh yuck!

“Get a room.” I mumbled under my breath the last thing I want is for them to hear me.

Today was an unusual day. It is now lunch and I haven’t had a word spoken to me. Maybe it would be a good day. Maybe it would be my lucky day.

I spoke to soon. Mackenzie and her crew started throwing things at me. Anything they could find, food, rocks, sticks anything they could get their hands on.

“Where are all your friends?” Mackenzie asked slyly “That’s right you don’t have any!”

My knuckles were turning white as I was gripping the book tighter and tighter.

But I couldn’t say anything back. I wouldn’t say anything back. In fear of them bringing up my mother. My real mother. That’s the last thing I want to happen. They’ll take any chance to make fun of me for that.

“We’ve gone through this before Spencer! You answer me when I ask you a question!” Mackenzie screamed pulling me up by my arm.

She grabbed my book.

“New book? Aye” she asked slyly

“Y-yes” I replied in a stutter

She ripped the cover off the book and threw it on the ground. A smirk came across her face.

She went to punch me, but the bell rang.

“Save by the bell loser” she said as strutted of.

3 years left with her. Left with them. Then I’m done with this school. Done with them.

“Hi liz” I said while walking up the stairs. But as usual she is asleep on the couch with cooking shows. You would think she would learn something from them. I pulled out the ripped book and some tape and started to tape the pages back into there place and choose a new book to read.

I started to wonder. Wonder what would have happened if my life were different. If my mum hadn’t died when I was 6. If I didn’t have an awful step-mum. If Mackenzie and her friends were actually nice to me. If I didn’t classify as a ‘nerd’. If my dad weren’t in the war.

I snapped out of my thought to a car out the front of my house.

“Dad?” I said with confusion.