Keep Me Awake

Chapter 1

I watched the rain fall from the top of the window to the bottom. It was raining. Like all of my days. My mom turned up her country music, and the awkward silence was unsettling me. "I love you mom," I whispered as her eyes focused on he road.

"I love you too," She smiled slightly before it faded, her concentration focusing on the road. The rain wasn't heavy, but it was enough to turn the wipers on. "Aren't you glad?" My mom suddenly blurted out. "We've been all over the place, we can never find a place to settle..." She chuckled. "I know this is the last place we will move to. I can promise you that," She smiled" I returned her smile with one that I always loved to use. You could never tell I was smiling, but it looked like my cheeks were puffed or chubby. I looked back on the road and saw the rain has stopped. We drove a bit faster, since we moved from out of the countryside, we moved out into the city. As we kept driving, I felt my eyelids begin to become heavy. I leaned my head against my seatbelt and began to doze off, drifting off into sleep.

•••

I woke up to see my mom shaking me, her face gentle and soft as she told me we were here. I sat up and left the car, looking around where we were. We were standing in front of a large apartment building that towered over us. It gave me chills but that's only because I hate heights, and picturing myself standing on the higher floors gives me the chills. Mom smiled and she motioned men to come out and help us unpack. We began to carry our things one by one. She carried the boxes that weren't fragile, but were towels and blankets while I carried a few things from my room. My mom and I took the elevator, and it turns out we were on the 5th floor, the highest level. My mom saw my reaction and she smiled. "Don't worry, you'll live,"

We walked over to a door that said 150 E. I put down my box and helped her unlock the door, the frame making a small squeak but the apartment had a welcoming vibe to it. I smiled. The men walked in and began to place our furniture in specific areas while I packed my boxes in the corner of my room. The men carried a few items to my room, my bed, desk, chair, and toy box. I've had it for a while, so don't judge me. I've been describing this apartment for a while, so I'll tell you why we moved. Get some popcorn and snacks, 'cause this might take a while.

•••

I moved because of many reasons. When I arrived in the old town, it wasn't just me and my mom. It was my dad and brothers, Michael and Tom. Those brothers of mine were always the ones to protect me, since I was always bullied. My dad, Alex, was the one who was always on business trips, and never had time for his family. I could understand, though- my family and I was very poor whenever he had weekly breaks, we would always celebrate and go out to go shopping or something.