Rant

Chapter 2

Sometimes you realize too late that...

... you've been wandering with a stranger.

Fifth time this moring that I've hit snooze on my alarm. I can't be bothered to wake up.

Last night, I tried to finish my rough draft for Honors English. I wrote two paragraphs and a bunch of random sentences. By the time I achieved this goal, it was 3:00am. My eyelids kept closing, so I chose to sleep at three in the morning, wake up early, and finish my essay.

As you can see, my plans took a turn. It is 10:45am and I refuse to get up for my Honors Speech class. I won't make it on time, so I might as well stay in and finish the damn essay.

Usually I'd be happy to miss a class, but because tuition cost more than my life and Mr. Hernandez is my math professor, I can't help but feel guilty for being absent. This is the only class I feel happy attending. All the other remind me how dumb and unorganized I am.

I grab my laptop from the floor. I open it and log on. Since I overslept, I have enough energy to bullshit the rough draft. It wasn't till 1pm where I was able to finish my rough draft. I tried my best to submit the draft, but realized too late that the deadline was 9:30am. Fuck.

As I lay down my laptop, my phone rings. I pick up my phone and see my mom's collar ID on the screen. This is when things go downhill.

"Hey, mom," I greet.

"Jayden," my mom says.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to check up on you."

My mom used to never call me. It used to be the other way around. I moved out of my mom's house after graduating High School. During my first semester of college, I would call her everyday to make sure she knows I'm doing fine. Now that I live with Catherine, she calls me.

"I'm doing fine. How about you?" I try to steer the conversation away from me.

"I'm good. Where are you? Are you in college today?"

"No, not today. I slept in because there wasn't going to be any important material today."

"You should've gone to class either way. Why did you sleep in?"

"I couldn't bother waking up."

"Jayden you're too tired. You work and study too much."

"I guess."

"You shouldn't be living with Catherine. Has your uncle told you what Catherine said about you?"

"What do you mean?" This is where I fall deeper down the hill.

"She says she's upset with you because you don't pay her." My jaw drops and my eyes widen. I felt my heart drop at that moment. "She also said you don't help her around the house and she feels completely revoked of her privacy."

This is a studio apartment. The only space I have is her small couch in the corner. I do admit it I clutter, and rarely help her clean, but how can she say that I don't pay her? I work twenty hours a week to pay her.

After a few seconds of silence, all I could say was, "I do pay her."

"How much?"

I pause and think. If I am honest about how much I pay Catherine, she will be upset and force me to move back with her or my uncle's house. With what little hope I have, truthfully I respond, "$400."