Set in Sand (Sequel to Set in Stone)

Chapter 2

I entered the Laundromat with my basket of clothes. I walked to my usual washer and threw my clothes in. Since the electricty wore out, we didn't have automatic washers. We'd have to spin a handle on the back by hand. So I stood there and spun the handle, observing around me. The floor looked like it hadn't been washed in a week. there were dirt tracks all over the white and yellow tile, making it look like a brown instead. 

"Hey!! Come back!! You have to pay!!" I turned to see the man at the cash register chase a lady as she ran out the door and down the street. Times are tough, and life is hard. I really couldn't imagine staying like this forever.. I would love to travel. Especially like Caleb. Wherever he came from, he's very lucky to have traveled this far. Travel is a high luxury here. The average person doesn't travel but a town or two away from their hometown. And it's an even greater luxury to own a car. Some people in our town own 1960-1970 cars, because they weren't electronic, they still run. They just need gas for them, which is also super expensive. 

"Urgh!!" The cashier seemed frustrated. "People are so desperate that it drives them insane- breaking rules, doing immoral things. What has our world come to?"

And that's the question we're all asking. After 10 minutes and a hurting arm, I took my clothes out of the washer and put them into the dryer and began to spin them around again. I was in the middle-class. I wasn't rich; we didn't own a car, but I also didn't need to steal to survive. After another 15 minutes, I was done drying the clothes and put them back into my wicker basket.

I walked up to the still kind of frustrated cashier. "Hi." I laid my money and enough to cover the lady that ran out.

"This is two loads worth of money, Miss." He said to me as he took the money.

I turned to push the door open with my back. "Keep it. You need it more than I do." 

He smiled and was giving many thanks to me as I walked out the door and continued on towards my house. Those are the kind of things that keep me going, that help my life seem worth something. Even in this corrupt world.

"Oh! Look who it is!" The last voices I wanted to hear rang through the air.. "If it isn't it Ariel?" I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even see Seth, Clarisse, and Erica sitting on porch steps by where I was walking. These are the people who make my life worth nothing. "Coming from doing your laundry? Too bad you don't have the money to have your own washer and dryer. You have to go to the cheap laundromat. You know what I hear too? That guy rips people off! He charges twice as much as any other laundromat. Greedy, old bastard. Oh.. I'm sorry, Ariel, did that offend you? Seeing as.. well.. you don't have a real father or a mother."

I learned to block it out. I've wasted too many tears over them. I heard footsteps come towards me as I kept making my way down the street. I was almost to my house.. just a few more steps. I didn't want to start running and make the person behind me run either though..

They got closer though and I just surrendered. A hand pushed me from behind and knocked me down and all my clothes onto the pavement. 

"Didn't you hear me?" It was Seth, and he stooped down to get in my face. "You can't act like you don't care, because everyday you wake up thinking about it. Everyday you know that without your little father's friend, you would be alone."

"What the crap are you doing!?" I heard a voice from behind me. It sounded unsually familiar. I glanced behind me and it was Caleb.  He got closer; Seth still crouching down in my face.

"This little orphan girl had fallen down and I was trying to help her up." Seth stood up as I started gathering my clothes from the ground.

Caleb stepped in front of me and pushed Seth back. "It would be smart to not open your mouth because when you do, all I hear is a baby crying and vomiting. Because that's all your doing. Your just a hurt little baby, who can't change his own life because it sucks so you're just going to make someone else's worse."

"Well, you see, it works doesn't it." Seth got up in Caleb's face. That's when Caleb pulled an arm back and just slugged at Seth's face. 

To stay out of it, I ran towards my house with my basket of clothes. I heard a whistle shriek through the air. It was a street police. I hurried into the house and closed the door. Shaking my head, I wondered how interesting this would be to explain to Dad.. Oh yeah, your real son is in town and caught me being bullied and the police saw Caleb punch Seth. I don't even think my dad knew I was being bullied. I set my basket down on a couch and plopped down. 

A few minutes later, as I was still resting on the couch, Caleb came in. I heard him walk through the front door, close the door, and his footsteps stopped.

"Why do you let him do that to you?" I heard his voice directed towards me.

"What else will I do? Tell him he deserves to suffer the worse disease possible. Hope he gets leprosy and has to leave town. That's what I wish would happen. But words don't do anything except fuel a flame.."

"You're so vulnerable." Caleb said.

"What would happen if I stood up for myself, Caleb? Nothing. Because that's what I'm worth. There is no point because everything he says is true. He just voices my own thoughts for me.." I started towards the stairs as I said this and scurried up to my room.

"Everyone is worth something, Ariel!" He yelled up to me.

I rolled my eyes.

I don't know what they teach in your town, but in my town, it doesn't work like that.