Candies and Clovers

Chapter one

   It was early Tuesday morning, when I woke up to a strong stench filling up my room. Swinging my feet off the side of my bed I jumped down getting ready to walk my dog, Lucky, like I do every day. As my feet touched the ground, they felt warm and wet. I looked down and realized I had stepped right into a fresh pile of dog shit. That's where the smell was coming from. I fell back into bed and wrapped my blanket around me for a second, the warm embrace slightly comforting as I let my foot hang off the bed wondering why I even woke up this morning.

  I hopped to the bathroom trying to be quiet. I was going to put my foot in the tub when I heard snoring coming from the other side. I opened the curtain to reveal a drunk man passed out in the bathtub he reeked of beer and vomit. Making me feel sick to my stomach. I sighed, closing the curtain and watching my big dog run up the stairs, his big stupid long legs looking like they would trip him, and his tail going a million miles per second. I put my foot in the sink rinsing it off and looking at myself in the mirror. My bedhead wasn't bad, my bangs needed to be fixed. But first, I had to get the shit out from between my toes.

  I closed my door I checked the time it read 5:30 the time I always leave to walk Lucky but today I'm still in my PJs with a wet, cold, foot. I sighed and sat down with my back on the door letting my hair fall against my knees. I started to quietly cry into my lap, getting my pyjamas wet. Lucky was behind me scratching at my door. I had stuff to do, so I stood up and opened my door as he ran to lick the salt off my face. Once he was happy with how clean my face was he got up on my bed and watched me open my closet.

  I grabbed a short pink pastel skirt from the rack and jumped down to the end of the closet to grab a cropped white and purple checkered crop top and some white knee-highs with little cats on the top of them from my sock bucket. I threw it all on real quick and fixed my messy dreads trying to flatten my bangs with a comb in the mirror. I worked on my makeup in a light pink and baby blue mix across my eyes then there was a soft knock at my door. More like a small thud. It made me jump and my hand moved making a line of eyeliner going up my face. "Come in?" my little brother Headly opened the door. I opened my arms as he ran into them crying. Lucky opened his eyes and sat up from his nap on my bed looking at us, tilting his head to the side until I pulled headly onto my lap holding his head in my hands and rubbing his back. Lucky laid back down to continue his nap.

  Headly held me tight and played with my dreads in between his fingers. I picked him up and took him back to his room tucking him into his bed and kissed his head. "I'll tell dad your sick go back to sleep alright? Keep quiet though. I'll lock your door." he nodded softly already drifting off to sleep and closing his eyes as I stood in the doorway. I slowly closed the door. I locked the knob and pressed my head against the door.

  I held the knob in my hands and jiggled it slightly, making sure it was locked. I suddenly felt hands on my hips and soon a pair of warm lips creeped up to the side of my neck. "Oh my... what do we have here...?" a man's voice whispered against my ear. I elbowed him, trying to hit a soft spot in his ribs, trying to hit as hard as I could. I heard a thud as he hit the ground turning around. It was the man from the shower. He still smelled like vomit and beer. "Why do you keep freaks like this around?" I murmured as I touched my face, remembering the line of eyeliner making a path to my forehead. I needed to get the feeling of his breath off of my ear. I walked to the bathroom checking the tub and the closet before I closed the door. I looked into the mirror again, letting out a sigh at the mess my face was. Even after my makeup.

  I wanted to just wash the eyeliner off and head out on a walk with Lucky, but I felt sick just remembering what just happened in the hall. I made up my mind. I got into the shower. Turning the water to as hot as I could take it. Feeling my skin burn under the water made me smile. An hour later I got out and wrapped myself in a towel to step out of the shower taking a deep breath of the hot air in the room, I smiled and scrubbed my face trying to dry my hair with the damp towel as I grabbed the clothes I just had. I slipped them back on to my now red skin.