candyapple {book 1}

CHAPTER SIX

September 14th, 2016

Dear Diary,

I woke up this morning to mom shaking me. Apparently, a loud bang woke her and she was worried. I mean, I'm fine so... anyway, I'm actually pretty excited for school today. Josh is bringing me coffee, and we all know that coffee is a blessing when you're tired. I should get up, there's no need to go back to sleep for another thirty minutes.

I groaned as my knee cracked when I stood up from my bed. I needed a new mattress, but that was out of the question finance-wise. If mom had resorted to dealing, there was no way we could gather up enough money to buy a better mattress for me. A soft meow coming from the windowsill made me laugh, effectively reminding me of Peanut's attitude. Even though she was impatient and extremely dramatic, I wouldn't trade her for the world.

I uneagerly began my makeup routine, silently loathing myself for staying up so late. When I picked up my eyeshadow pallete, I felt an urge to use nude colours and a few light pinks to create a natural look, which was unusual for me.

Brushes down and makeup away, I pulled open my dresser drawer. I cringed at every glance of the dresser. I had gone through a fangirl phase and stupidly covered my dresser in stickers of my old favourite artists; ones who were now hated by a majority of the population.

After letting myself have a moment of regret, I continued on my search for a suitable outfit for the day. I had to keep in mind my plans for after school and rolled my eyes at my lack of athletic clothing.

In the end, I chose to wear black leggings and a light pink tee, with my white converse to complete the look. Once I had put my necklace on, I grabbed my bag and went to the kitchen. A pitter-patter of paws bouncing on the hard-wood floor caught my attention. As I turned around, I saw an extremely disgruntled cat running to catch up. She meowed in annoyance as she made her way past me and onto the countertop. I shook my head at her antics and began preparing her breakfast. Once Peanut was eating and no longer upset, I searched through the pantry and fridge for my own meal.

I sighed as I realized I would be going without breakfast, but it hadn't been the first time and certainly wouldn't be the last, so I shrugged it off.

When Peanut was finished eating, I rinsed out her dish and went into the living room. This time, the TV was on and at a reasonable volume. Sat on the dirty brown couch was my mother, mindlessly watching the morning news.

"Another opioid death. Poor guy was found unconscious on the sidewalk outside of fifty-four. They think it happened after it closed and no one is coming out sayin' they saw anything." she whispered, staring blankly at the screen. She sighed, turning the TV off and standing up.

"Where were you going after school again?" she asked, a soft look on her usually careless face. I told her, to which she sighed in relief.

"Stay away from fifty-four. And Sound; in fact, stay out of Main Street completely." mom lectured. I nodded in response, promising her to stay away from the places she mentioned. 54 and Sound were the two, and only two, nightclubs in the town, and Main Street was overall just a sketchy place. Luckily, the place I would be after school was on the other side of town, out by the car dealers; the outskirts of town.

Mother told me to get my shoes on. She was leaving for Edmonton early, causing me to be early for school. Another thirty minutes of sitting in an empty school, all by myself.

Once I had collected myself, we went out to the car. It took a few seconds to start and a light told us that it needed an oil change.

"Teddy can deal with the oil change" my mom shrugged, pulling out of the driveway and into the street. It was quiet outside; the sun not even risen yet. Only a few houses along the way had lights on. Our small town in the morning was an eerie sight. Like a ghost town, not a soul was to be seen. The moon combined with the old street lights created a foggy look along the ground and in the air.