Imperfections in the Rain
"And that's all we have time for today!" Merri-Lee Marvil, the aging talk show host smiled brightly, flashing her pearly whites at the audience. "Put your hands together one last time for the Block family!"
Applause resonated throughout the television studio and I squirmed uncomfortably on the couch, sandwiched between my older brother Matthew and my mom. I should've been used to being in the spotlight now, being born into a picture perfect American family living under the scrutiny of millions of people, but I still didn't like appearing on national television and having to pretend. As the cameras were switched off and people started filing out of the studio, I followed the rest of my 'perfect' family backstage to retrieve our belongings. We exited from the back door of the studio and there were two limousines waiting for us. We stood under the small ledge of the roof watching as rain pelted down on the pavement, as if daring us to dash the small distance to the car doors.
"Why are there two cars, Mom?" I looked up at my mother's heavily made up face, standing out against the gray backdrop of rain clouds.
"Massie, I have to go to New York for a quick company meeting to finalize our new line of cosmetics and your father needs to meet with a client to schedule recording times. Don't worry dear, it'll be quick, and plus, you'll have your brother and Inez." She leaned down to give me a hug and my nose was overwhelmed by the stench of her expensive perfume. "We'll be back in about a week."
Both Matt and I rolled our eyes. We knew that 'a week' coming from our mother's mouth was more like a month in reality.
"Please stay..." I whispered quietly as I looked on hopelessly. My dad shot me a sympathetic smile, letting me know that he wished he could stay here with us, before following Mom into the first limousine.
"Well, I guess that just leaves you and me, squirt," Matt said sarcastically, ruffling my hair and leading the way into the other car.
"I guess so," I sighed dejectedly, settling into the plush leather seats of the limousine and clumsily combing my hair back to normal with my fingers. I grabbed a diet soda from the mini-fridge and took a sip of my drink before leaning back into the headrest, trying my best to fall asleep for the ride back to Malibu.
I felt myself being shook awake, slowly regaining consciousness, and saw the familiar house out of the window.
"Home sweet home, huh?" I commented bitterly as I slipped out of the sleek black vehicle and sprinted to the safety of our porch, before I realized that my brother wasn't behind me. Or in front of me, for that matter.
"Matt?" I shouted into the rain at my brother, who was still sitting calmly in the backseat of the limo, watching me lazily.
"Go on, Mass. I'm going to hang out with some friends. I'll be back before you know it. Ask Inez to make you some food if you're hungry." He said apathetically, before closing the door to the limo.
I watched him leave until the car became nothing but a speck of black on the horizon, then I went inside, hoping that Inez had been cooking. I pushed open the door connecting our dining room to the kitchen and found Lalaine leaning on the island, watching American Idol on the small TV we had put in there for her.
"Hi Inez," I greeted warmly, looking forward to be able to finally enjoy some company.
"Hello Massie," She replied, not even looking up from the television screen. So much for that.
"Could you please bake me some cookies?" I asked politely, brushing off her cold greeting.
"Go bake your own cookies, kid. Today's my day off." Inez waved me away impatiently.
"What? I don't remember Mom or Dad giving you the day off..." I said, bewildered. Inez never got a day off. She was like our second mother.
"Well they're not here now, are they? So I don't have to do anything." Inez finally glanced up at me in exasperation. "Now go off to play or whatever kids these days do."
Warm tears welled up in my eyes as I saw that she was serious, and this was not some joke she was playing on me. I had always thought of Inez as someone kind, caring, and empathetic, but then I realized that I had never been alone with her - we were always in the presence of my mom or dad. That was when I understood just how little I knew about the people living in my house. I walked dejectedly up to my bedroom and plopped down on my beanbag chair, listening to the pitter-patter of the heavy rain outside and thinking about how sick I was of living in a family where nobody cared.
My mom could care less about what happened to me, as long as I made public appearances when she wanted me to and acted like I was the happiest girl in the world. Dad would always be the nicest out of the bunch, trying his best to actually keep me happy, but his attempts were futile. Matt did try sometimes, but he had his own life as the typical popular jock and barely ever had time for his baby sister. It was strange how I had never thought about my life like this before, but it was probably because of the strong wall I had built to surround my feelings. I tried my best to live my life in the moment and not think about deep things like this, but it was all starting to catch up with me. I had always known I couldn't mentally outrun my problems forever.
Just then, a loud burst of thunder sounded simultaneously with a bright streak of lightning and the house went dark as the rain started pouring down like never before.
"Inez?" I shouted out in a mixture of surprise and terror, never having experienced a blackout before, being used to the nice warm California weather.
"Just stay put, Massie! It'll be over in no time! Matt should be home soon too!" Inez's voice echoed back up from the kitchen and I brought my knees up into my chest, trying to comfort myself.
Why did everyone in my family seem to think that time passed a heck of a lot slower than it actually did?
Fed up with just sitting there and accepting that my life is just how it is, I threw on a warm hand-me-down sweatshirt from Matt and scrambled down the stairs. I flew through the kitchen and out the back door, ignoring the worried calls of Inez behind me. Oh, so now she was worried.
I took the familiar path through the woods behind my house - thank God that the streetlights were still working - and just kept on jogging towards my destination. I pulled the warm fabric of the already soaked sweatshirt closer to my shivering body and ducked my head down to prevent the rain from getting into my eyes. As I saw the scenery of overgrown trees and dead leaves whip past me in my peripheral vision, I could feel how enhanced my senses had become. I felt every drip of water slowly make its way from my forehead down to my cheekbone then from my chin to the ground, I could smell the damp greenery all around me, and I had never felt more free.
I had no idea why I hadn't taken up running before, but it made me feel so carefree and hopeful, like I could just reach up whenever I wanted to and touch the sky. The wind whipping past my face and streaking my hair behind me helped me forget all of my problems and just feel like the little kid I was supposed to feel like. I've always felt like I was being pushed to grow up way too fast. When kids my age were stealing each other's crayons, I was modeling a children's line for my mom's company. When kids my age thought the other gender had cooties, I was being featured on the song of one of my dad's clients. A lot of my classmates were envious of my life and how I lived, but they'll never understand that I didn't get to choose my lifestyle. In fact, I envy them more than they'll ever know, I'm jealous of their childhood and innocence and everything else I'll never get to experience.
As I thought about all this, I had finally arrived at the old merry-go-round some distance behind my house and sat on the edge of the chipping metal, dragging my boots through the sticky mud. I climbed into one of the prettier carriages, though all of them looked pretty worn down, and listened to the satisfying squeak of the metal as I sat down in it. I pulled my knees up to my chest in my favorite thinking position and watched as rain flooded the fields across from the merry-go-round. Another flash of lightning brightened the dark gray afternoon sky and a flash of realization hit me. For once, I was completely alone - more alone than I've ever been - and I didn't mind. Not at all.
I thought about how I had always thought my problem was being lonely, but maybe it was just the fact that I couldn't accept that I was alone. I couldn't change how anyone else acted, but I could change my own attitude toward everything. I had always expected my family to be like everyone else's, with loving parents and overprotective siblings, but if what I had was different, then I just have to deal with it. I may just be eleven years old, but I am capable of standing up for myself and it was about time I started showing it. With this in mind, I climbed down from the old merry-go-round and said a quick thank-you to the horses drawing my carriage, 'cause I'm pretty sure they had helped me reach the inevitable conclusion I had drawn. My eyes were blinded from the now omnipresent rays of sunshine and I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head.
I walked brazenly into the cold rain that was now just a soft drizzle and trekked down the small trail back to my house. When I arrived, I swung open the door boldly, delicate raindrops dripping onto the floor from my soaked body, and walked into my house, ready to live my life for myself - and no one else.
Lalaine appeared from the dining room with a curious expression on her face. "So where've you been, Massie?"
"Oh, just around."
A/N: Yay another story recycled from my English class! :P This one was actually supposed to be a short story so it probably makes more sense than the last one. Also, in case my writing is too fail and you don't get the ending, Massie replies like that because it's supposed to symbolize how she just doesn't care anymore, you know? Anyway, again, check out the 2011 Clique FF Awards at forum . fanfiction . net/forum/The_2011_Clique_Awards/101708/ and maybe nominate some of my stories? (; I promise the next story I post will be more legit x)