P O S T E D ✓

Janitor's Closet

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I flopped down on my bed exhausted. My eyelids felt as though someone had tied weights to them and my muscles were most surely shutting down. There was no way I was getting up anytime soon nor did I really have the desire to get up off my mattress, which was beginning to make me feel like I was floating on a cloud and coercing me into falling asleep in its embrace.

After the bus arrived back at school from the art trip it was well after 6 o'clock in the evening. We hit a good 3 hours worth of traffic on the way back to Clear Water. There was some pileup on the highway where a truck had tipped over in the middle of the road and formed a barricade, then a couple of other cars had smashed into the body of it too. It wasn't clear who or how many people had been hurt in the horrible accident, but there were many police cars and two ambulances at the scene so I was guessing some injuries were serious. When we got back to school I said my goodbyes to Sarah, Finn and a couple others. In the rush to get off the bus I had almost forgotten my bag from the gift shop.

With a kink in my neck from trying to sleep on the bus, I returned to an empty house and note informing that my mother would be away over the weekend on business. I don't know where Gabe was; although it wasn't like he lived with us thank the gods. I couldn't handle his dull presence around me 24/7 and I definitely couldn't handle it in times like this when my mother was away and I would be forced to socialize with him alone.

Not that there was much wrong with him other than the fact that he was a bore and rather annoying with his sloth-like actions. My mother could do so much better; I never understood why she went for men like Gabe, not particularly handsome or smart or anything really. She had never once dated a man that was worthy of her, at least not since my father. Perhaps that was why she never reached that high with boyfriend standards. My father had been undeniably handsome with his dark chocolate hair and green eyes. He was your dictionary definition of tall dark and handsome as well as his charming personality and his great dedication to his work.

He and my mother had been high school sweethearts that met in the Chemistry lab their sophomore year. The true love story that everyone always swore never existed or survived in real life. When I was young I would brag about their story, so sure that they had made it and proven society wrong. They let their fairytale slip through their fingers. The fighting slowly built up till screaming matches were every night.

I had been both relieved and heartbroken when my father moved out. I came home from school, boxes outside the house being loaded into his SUV full of his belongs. A suitcase and a duffle bag with the contents of his closet on the porch. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes and tight lips. His eyes had become glassy as they landed on me walking up the driveway. He opened his arms and I ran to him without hesitation, wrapping my arms tight around him as the tears flowed freely. I didn't blame either one of them. I never thought that when my dad kissed my forehead and stroked my hair that day, it would be the last time he did so.

"I love you, Kitten." He had whispered. It didn't occur to me as he got into his car and drove away I wouldn't see him for over 5 years possibly ever again because I didn't think he had plans to visit anytime soon. I don't know why he never spoke to me again. I waited. I really did wait by the phone for weeks on end for it to ring. I checked the mail for a letter every day, even on Sundays when I knew nothing came.

Perhaps my mother dated men who were the opposite of Mathew Montgomery on purpose. She avoided anyone who reminded her of her ex in any way.

I sighed. Anyway, after I got home from school I had to figure out what to do for dinner. Since my mother hadn't told me in advance of this trip I hadn't planned anything to cook so I just order some Chinese food and said be done with it. Now it was 9 o'clock at night, my stomach full and my homework done.