The Hard Knock Life

Part 6

I was still in my room after Aiden left.

I heard a knock on my door and stumbled awake, meaning, I'd probably dozed off from daydreaming for hours.

"Come in." I said.

I had been laying on the opposite side of my on my bed, so I had to turn over when the person came in. It was August.

"Hey." He said, looking around my room.

"Hi.." I said.

"Can I chill with you?"

"Why?"

"Cause it's your birthday tomorrow. I figured we could stay up till twelve."

"Are your chores done?"

"Yes, are yours?"

"No, why?"

"It's like, eight o'clock."

"What?!"

I jumped out of bed and ran to the first washroom I saw.

"No one's home so you're good for a while." He called out to me.

I opened the cupboard and took out the Comet cleaner to start on the bath. I scrubbed the tub without much trouble and then started on the tiled wall. I wanted a break because my arms were tired but I had to push myself to keep going before mom and dad came home.

I scrubbed and scrubbed till I couldn't scrub anymore. My arm dropped from the wall and ached in pain.

1....2.....3.....4.....5, I thought about counting to ten so I could continue in good shape. 8....9....10...but my arm still ached.....11.....12.......13.....14......15....maybe twenty would work. 16.....17.....18.....19....20.

It still didn't work but it was an improvement and I had to keep going.

"August, can you blast some music!" I yelled out.

I didn't know if anyone else was home but I didn't really care. I later heard the radio come on and it motivated me to keep going.

I finished it faster than I expected and before I realized how fast I was going, I'd already almost finished the last washroom.

"Abigail..."

I turned around and saw August holding the house phone out to me.

"Hello?" I said, after taking it from him.

"Abigail."

"Yea?"

"Why'd you leave school?"

It was Eli.

"I was having a bad day."

"You know, you really need to stop making that excuse; it's making me really agitated."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"No! You need to stop, Abigail. Stop leaving school. You're so lucky I'm the emergency contact because anyhow mom or dad found this out, you'd get beaten so hard. Whatever it is that happens at school...suck it up. Honestly, you need to deal with it. You can't just run away from your problems..."

I can, actually, I've been making plans to, I thought.

"Okay, I'll try to toughen it out."

He hung up without saying goodbye.

I sighed and kept cleaning.

"I don't do it intentionally..." I said to myself. "It's not my fault I go through what I go through." I began scrubbing harder. "Why do I even go through what I go through? Why is this my life? Why can't I just be rich with a loving mother and father that I don't.....have to be afraid of? Why can't I be like everyone else with loving parents?"