The Neighbor

Chapter 2: Rainy Days

"Danny!"

I sat up and pushed my black hair out of my face. I looked at my alarm clock and saw it was 7 o'clock; I was three hours late. I jumped out of my small, squeaky bed and made my way across the splintery floor. My bedroom wasn't actually a "room", more like a closet. It was small and had rough wood floors and fading flower print wallpaper. My bed was a small, crooked cot with sheets that were so dirty they were turning yellow. I had one trunk filled with my small amount of clothes and one poster of a kitten saying, "Hang in there." 

"I'm trying, "I said to the kitten. I had been sleeping in the small closet for two years, ever since my father had left. 

"Danny!" my sister shouted again. I snapped back to reality and ran out the door. The shock of light contrasted to the darkness of my closet. I ran down the stairs blindly and tripped on the last step.

"Watch where your going, "my brother complained as he steppped over me.

"Sorry, "I said quietly, even though I knew he was too focused on his phone to hear me. I got up and touched my right eye gingerly; I could all ready feel another bruise forming. 

"Danny!" my sister shouted again.

"Heard you the first time, "I muttered.

"I wouldn't talk back, Daniel, "my brother, adding the Daniel because he knew it bothered me when people got my name wrong. But I knew better than to correct him and say Danielle. 

"Danny! Make me breakfast!" my sister shouted. 

Amazing how a 17-year old can whine like a 5-year old, I thought. I grabbed all the ingredients for pancakes and set to work pouring and mixing. I was almost done mixing the batter to a thick liquid when my mother entered the kitchen.

"My breakfast isn't done yet, "she said.

"I'm sorry, "I said, "I woke up late." 

"That's quite all right, "she said. I was shocked, she didn't care! But I didn't let on; I just kept stirring. My mother grabbed a newspaper off the counter and began to walk to the living room. But when she passed behind me she stopped and plunged my head into the pancake batter. "Oh, "she said, "my bad." 

"Gross, "my sister shrieked, "I don't want your gross germs in my food!" I washed off the batter in the kitchen sink and made a new bowl of batter. When I finished my family's breakfast I ate a granola bar and went back to my room. I grabbed a white tank top and black jean shorts from my trunk and put them on. I covered my new black eye with eyeshadow and applied lipstick. Then I ran back down the stairs and found I had ten minutes to get to school. I grabbed my navy and white striped bag and ran out the door. It was at least 90 degrees, as it usually is here in Honolulu, and the white sand was warm. The waves were huge and I could all ready picture myself surfing on them tonight. The only problem was the clouds. There were black clouds tracing their way towards our island. 

If I hadn't had to go to school I would have gone surfing like most kids probably would, but I couldn't skip; I cared too much. I ran down the sidewalk, saying hi to some of my homeless friends, and to the school. I sprinted up the concrete stairs and pushed on the doors; they were locked. 

"NO!" I cried. What are you going to do? I thought, you can't miss a day of school! I was attempting to think of some plan to get into the building and coming up with absolutely nothing. I was about to give up and go home, maybe go surfing, when the doors opened. 

"Need some help?" the janitor asked. 

"Yeah, thanks TJ, "I said. He laughed at his ridiculous nickname. I had called him TJ, standing for The Janitor, ever since he first started working at the high school. I hadn't known his name at first so I called him TJ and it kind of stuck. He was pretty much my only friend in the school. Sad, I know.