Natalie rolled over in her bed, the light of the sun coaxing her out into the world, the same, sick world that she had hated for years. She didn't feel the urge to get up anymore; every day was a struggle, and nothing made it better.
Well, Henry made it better. A lot better. But ever since he took a part time job at the music store, he wasn't around nearly as much as Natalie needed him to be.
Around 10:30, Natalie finally found the tiny amount of strength required to get out of bed. She zipped on a hoodie over her pajamas, then slowly made her way downstairs.
Please be okay today…please be okay today… Natalie thought as she glanced around the corner into the kitchen. But sure enough, there were three plates set out on the table. Dan, her dad, sat in front of one of them, slowly eating the eggs and toast. The same meal was on the other two plates: one for her, and one for him.
When her mom was still at home, she never made him breakfast. But Dan made an extra plate every once and a while, leaving Natalie to clean it up later.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Dan said, glancing up briefly. Natalie nodded in acknowledgement, remaining silent. She grabbed her plate and took it back up to her room.
She had sworn off drugs ever since her mom left, but every day became harder and harder to stay away. She longed for the distraction the drugs gave her, the instant buzz that took her away from the nightmare that was her life. But Henry made her swear, so she kept her promise. But there were some days when she had to fight the temptation to go to a party, to ask the druggies at her school for a taste, just a small portion of what she wanted so badly.
But she kept her promise. For him.
She still kept a straight A report card, even if it meant staying up til 6 in the morning to get the work done. She didn't even notice the exhaustion anymore. It was just part of her life. The constant feeling of being unwanted, unneeded – that was normal. It was just her life.
In the silence, Natalie's phone buzzed to life with a series of short vibrations. Henry, the screen read. Natalie smiled – he was the one spot of light in her day, the only thing that kept her going. Sometimes she feared that he would leave her, that he would finally realize how truly insane she was. But he stuck with her, holding her when she cried, talking her out of ending everything. He was the love of her life. But she was scared that the feeling wasn't mutual.