One cup. Two cups.
Red cup. Blue cup.
Dark and blonde roast.
Shot of expresso.
Venti Skinny White Chocolate Mocha. Double shot. Whip. No foam.
I unknowingly began to speak a completely different language. This is the stuff they should really be teaching in schools. Talk about life preparation. As the Starbucks barista handed me my order with a tired smile, Anthony stared in bewilderment.
"What the...." I cut him off before the swear could escape his lips. "Shhh. Hush child. Not before my morning coffee." With the wisdom of a thick, white whipped cream mustache, I pressed a lethargic finger to my brothers lips. "It's 6 am and I'm out of bed. This. Is..."
*Sip*
"...a miracle."
*Gulp*
"Don't push it."
Ant nodded his head in understanding and began to rummage through his backpack.
Papers, playboys, candy wrappers, and empty cigarette packages were tossed about impatiently until he found it.
A cluttered document was laid neatly in front of me, provoking my head to throb once again.
"What's this?" I blatantly asked. Anthony look at me. Examining me as he proceeded with caution. "Well... You see..", he stuttered, "...my mother wants to see me."
I nearly choked at the thought. Mother. His... MOM? The same woman that allowed him to STARVE while she decided to jump from man to man, bar to bar, each night? The sorry excuse for a "mother" that allowed the palm of her hand to strike the skin of her baby boy repeatedly. Each hit increasing in intensity until pieces of flesh began to rise with her hand as it recoiled for the next blow.... And now she..(wait for it)
"WANTS. TO. SEE. HIM."
WHAT A RIOT!
I scoffed at the black blotches on the page without thinking. Looking up at the expression on Anthony's face I realized I had offended him. Realized we all yearn for the love of our parents. Wether or not they're completely wackos (which I've usually found to be the case). Rubbing my sunken eyes, I searched for words to say.
"Maybe one day sweetie", I said sincerely, "When she's a little better, okay?".
I took my last sip of the caffeinated redemption and helped my brother gather his things. Within a matter of minutes we were rushing off to school, hand in hand.
YOU ARE READING
Broken
Teen FictionNicole Lopez is a teenaged girl trying to keep her head above water after recently realizing what it really is to drown. Faced and forced to deal with problems that go well beyond her years, Nicole begins to lose hope. Maybe there isn't a point? A r...
