Opposites

0.1

        It was the last month of senior year. I was going to go to community college in the state of New Jersey. I lived in a small town in New Jersey. Today was a Saturday. My alarm was blaring through my tiny room in our two story house. I hit it with my fist and the sound ceased. I groaned and got up out of my comfy bed. My Led Zeppelin shirt was wrinkled from sleeping in it. I looked in my mirror and sighed. I brushed through my blueish, green hair. I loved the color and always continued to dye it that way.

I applied a dark purple eyeliner to my eyes and some mascara too. I pulled on a shirt that had rips all over it. I nodded in appreciation at my outfit. I slipped on some converse and pulled my long hair into a ponytail. I grabbed my phone and my earbuds as I walked downstairs. Mary and Jake were sitting on the couch watching tv. Jake was my older brother who had custody of me since my mother had committed suicide and my dad became an alcoholic. My grandma originally had custody of us both until Jake finished college.

Jake was now twenty eight and I was eighteen. My grandmother had died around when I turned sixteen. Neither of us talked much about it since she had practically always been there for us. Our family was quite amazing at stuffing down feelings and ignoring them. I got caught up in my own thoughts until Mary asked me a question.

“Cali, do you want breakfast? I made some muffins.” Mary was my brother’s wife. She was twenty five and very kind to me. They had now been married for two years.

“Um, sure. I’m gonna be out for a little while if you don’t mind.” Jake waved his hand at me as if signaling it was all right.

I often stayed out of the house in the mornings to just ride around the town or clear my head. I grabbed a muffin and my skateboard and walked outside. I scarfed down the muffin and set my foot on the skateboard. The wind was humid and the sun was shining too bright. I skated down the street past my tiny house. We lived right on a back road in a tiny town. I passed the diner I worked at and began to turn around once I reached the private school on the street corner.

A few preppy, rich kids were hanging out in the front of the school. I recognized them as the group I usually waited on at the diner. They paid the most tips. One of the girls began to point at me. I groaned and turned around only to see Mason right behind me. Mason. I tensed up and I immediately skated towards the preppy teenagers.

“Cali, wait up!” I heard Mason calling after me.

I skated as fast as I could down the street. Mason was running after me. I kept turning my head to see where he was. My shoe lace got caught in the skateboard’s wheel and I tripped off of the board. I closed my eyes as I expected to hit asphalt but, instead I ran into a guy. I desperately tried to free myself as Mason got closer. I struggled to get up.

“Are you all right?” The guy asked me. He didn’t seem to mind that I had just caused him to slam into asphalt.

“Uh,” I was about to pick myself up but Mason did instead.

“Cali, I know you heard me. Why haven’t you answered any of my calls?” I could tell Mason was drunk as usual. His clothes were covered in dirt and blood from whatever mess he got himself into the previous night.

The boy I ran into got up. The preppy kids stared at Mason and I. I ignored Mason but he just gripped my arm tighter.

“Stay away from me, Mason.” I said through gritted teeth.

“Baby, we know we can’t stay away from each other.” he chuckled.

“I said to stay away from me!” I clenched my fist and struck Mason across the face. He let go of my arm in a daze. I quickly skated away as I heard the bystanders whisper about calling the cops. Mason had already begun to start chasing me.