The Self-Harmed

~The new place~

The apartment manager unlocked a door, and pushed it open. He had a round belly, smelled really bad of old person, and he was a pervert. He asked if me and mom were sisters and when we said no he seemed to not be interested in us.

"Well there you go." He said. "So are you single?"

"Uh," Mom began.

I snatched the keys from him, "Thanks."

He wobbled down the walk way. I looked at mom.

"Come on." She laughed slinging an arm around my shoulders, as we headed inside.

When I first had woke up that morning, Mom was still sleeping. She had spent the night in my bed, something she hadn't done since I was five. I walked to the window, and saw a moving truck, backing into our drive way. This was it. The dawn of a new start. The guys packed everything into the truck, and then drove it to the new place. They had moved everything in, while Me and Mom talked with some girl Named Cora who was going to help with selling the house.

At the Apartment office when we first pulled up, Mom had coxed me out of the car and into the front office with a milk shake. That's where we had met Fred, the pervert.

"So what do you think?" Mom asked, as I brushed some leaves off the patio table.

"It's cute you know?" I sat down in a chair.

Picture this okay? A pool area in the middle, and then it surrounded by back yards. The gate leads right to the pool area. The back yards rather have those brown plastic privacy dividers shoved between the chain link fence, or heavy green tarps. Our back yard was the only one that didn't have anything to block out the views of the neighbors.

"I know it's a big change from the house."

"Hey, at least there's no mysterious stains on the carpet."

"And there's no yellow on the tile." She added.

We laughed, and she sat down in the other chair.

"Nice view though."

"I wonder if the pools clean." I picked a lint ball off my shorts.

The two middle straps of Mom's chair snapped. Her skinny legs flew into the air, and she fell through the chair, onto the floor. We were both laughing.

"Oh my god!" I stood up. "I can't breathe!"

Hey, what if mine broke too?

"Help me!" She laughed, kicking her legs.

"Okay ready?"

"Yeah."

I picked up the chair so she was now on her feet. She looked like a little sand crab. She grabbed onto the table and I pulled on the chair. Nothing happened.

"Pull harder."

I pulled harder and the chair came off. I fell back, the chair flying over my head as Mom fell down in front of me.

"You okay?" She asked, looking at me over her shoulder.

"Yeah." I nodded, waving away the smell of dust.

She pulled me to my feet and then dug in her pocket for her phone. I walked over to the fence, and put my fingers through the holes. I looked at the still water of the pool.

"Come on Charlie. Don't be afraid." Dad called from inside of the pool waving.

I slowly walked to the edge, "I'm scared Daddy."

"I'll catch you I promise."

I held my breath and jumped in.

"So." My thoughts were interrupted, by a girl with a small round belly.

A girl with black hair tied up with a bandanna and red lips followed her out of a gate.

"What did Mikey say?"

"Not much, which really freaks me out." She looked up, and waved at me. "Hi!"

"Lola!" The girl with the belly said, yanking her arm down.

"What Rose?" Lola seemed a little shocked.

"That's the crazy girl."

"Aren't we all crazy? Bye." Lola waved.

I waved back.

"Hurry!" A Boy with black hair said.

Lola, Rose, and I looked down to were he was pointing. There was a big man, and I shit you not covered in hair.

"Hey!" He yelled.

"Sasquatch!" Rose yelled, tossing her Ben and Jerry's ice cream. "You better open up that gate wide Mikey! Fat Prego's comin' through!"

Lola and Rose grabbed hands, and ran to the gate. Mikey slammed it closed and Sasquatch looked a little disappointed.

"Hey!" He pointed at me.

Not today! I spun around and ran inside, slamming and locking the door. Sasquatch shook his head and went into a yard. What in the hell?

"Okay, that was the school." Mom came out of her room. "Are you okay?"

"Never better."

"So they need you back by tomorrow at dinner."

"Okay."

We used the rest of the day, and the next to unpack everything. I left my room packed up still. It's not like I was going to be living here.