Not Important

What family?

I wake up, groggily, and find that my back is aching, as well as my arm that I must have slept on. I can only open my eyes half way, as the light is too unbearable. I look at where I am, and realise that I fell asleep at the table, on top of a sheet of paper.

I had spent all night and most of the morning trying to call everyone my dad knows. I called all of his friends, and you would be shocked to know how popular he is amongst his friends. I had called them all. Every single friend of his in the little phone book that I carry around with me. I even called my uncle, and he said he hadn't heard anyone.

I look at my phone to find out that it's Friday. At least the weekend will be here soon. Then, I can sleep a little longer, if I can get to sleep that is. My dad is still lost. Last night, I walked around, trying to find my dad. I asked the neighbours if try had seen him, knowing that they wouldn't be bothered that my drunken dad is missing, possibly glad that he wouldn't be annoying them all the time. No one had seen him, and no one cared.

It's six o'clock. I had been asleep for three hours. Knowing that I won't be able to get back to sleep, I get ready for school. Once I'm ready, I remind myself that I still have homework to do. So, I open my textbook and start on maths.

The doorbell goes.

I run to answer the door, thinking dad would be on the other side of the door. I was absolutely wrong.

"You didn't come last night", Nikki growls, glaring at me.

Before I can answer, she punches me in the stomach. Hard. I double over, feeling the pain rush through me.

"Oh. And the guys wanted me to give you a little encouragement to show up tonight", Nikki says.

And before I even looked up to see what she was doing, she had taken a knife and sliced my arm. The pain was one I had felt before. Being part of a street gang, and stealing from wealthy families will get you a few cuts and bruises, and worse if you don't look out.

But, having not been in the gang for a year, you tend to not remember how bad the pain actually was, especially if you try to block it from your mind. I hold my arm with my other hand, moaning in pain.

"Come tonight, White. If you don't, I can assure you that I will make your life a living hell", Nikki hisses in my ear, before walking off into the streets. I shut the door behind me, feeling the pain minimise to a small ache. I get the first aid equipment box out, and disinfect my arm. I wrap a bandage around it.

Going back upstairs, I change my top as I had somehow gotten blood on it. After doing this, I look at my stomach to see a small bruise forming there. It might seem like nothing, but she has a good punch, one that has bruised my bones before.

After doing my homework, I think about dad. Dad. I have called all of his friends, everyone he knows. Where the hell is he? When I called him yesterday and he thought I was Maria, he said that he was going to meet her on Friday. Today. But, I don't know where. I don't know where she lives anymore! And what if he's staying there now? What if he's left me here?

...............

I ring Mark and ask him if he could give me a lift to school today. He said yes, so now he's going to be here in ten minutes. As soon as I put my phone down, I am, again, thinking about my dad. He must be with a friend. If he wasn't, then he wouldn't be able to get beer, because he doesn't have any money.

That's it! He has old friends that he hasn't spoken to in years, or so to my knowledge of his friends. I have their phone numbers in our old phone book. I made sure to put everyone's phone number we had down in there, so we would be able to contact them if anything, because we had to sell mobile phones years ago. I take the phone book out of the drawer, and look through it. There's at least fifteen more phone numbers in this book that belong to my dad's old friends. Other numbers belong to my old primary school, the chippy, doctors, and dentists.