"What are you reading?" Cara asked her Mum.
"Oh nothing really," Manny answered putting down her book. Cara looked at the cover. She wished the words made sense, but every time she looked at them, they went all blurry. There were pictures of this tall guy with dark, curly hair.
"What are you staring at kiddo?" Manny laughed at her daughter.
"Oh nothing really," Cara told her Mum.
"Well, I've got to make dinner," Manny got up and walked into the kitchen. Cara turned on the television. There wasn't really anything on, Cara just flicked through the channels. All the other kids at school had cable, but they didn't. Cara wished they could, everyone was always talking about shows she couldn't watch. Every time Cara asked, her Mum just told her they didn't have enough. Manny spent most of their money on paying for Cara extra tuition lessons. Cara had Dyslexia and was really struggling at school because of it. Manny worked so hard to keep Cara in extra tuition.
Cara turned the television off and lay back on the couch. She was fifteen, she was born when her Mum was fourteen and her Dad was fifteen. Her Mum was only twenty-nine now; it seemed way too young to have a fifteen year old. Apparently her Dad had been around heaps when Cara was a baby, but he was gone now. Cara didn't even know who he was. Her Manny wouldn't tell her. Manny never said anything about Cara's Dad now; she used to say little things when Cara was little. She'd tell Cara about how Cara had her father's good looks, his curls, his hazel eyes. Cara missed when her Mum told her about her Dad. She couldn't even remember him. Manny interrupted Cara's thoughts.
"Cara, dinner," Manny yelled from the kitchen. Cara got up and went into the kitchen. She looked at the kitchen table; at her dinner.
"Baked beans again!" Cara groaned. Oh how she hated baked beans.
"It's all we've got; pay day isn't until next week. Sorry babe," Manny smiled sadly at Cara. Cara sat down and looked at her Mum. She would have been an actress, she would have been famous. Cara felt so bad that her Mum never even got a shot at her dreams because she was looking after her daughter.
"The tuition is working right, it is helping, right?" Manny asked Cara.
"Yeah, I suppose; but I'm never going to be able to read! I am so sick of failing book reports, because I couldn't find the audio version!" Cara moaned.
"Yeah but Car, it does help doesn't it?" Manny asked again.
"Yeah I think so," Cara answered.
"Okay good," Manny said nodding. The two girls sat eating their dinner.
"Cara, get up!" Manny yelled.
"No…" Cara groaned.
"Cara, you have school in twenty minutes!" Manny hissed.
"What! But my alarm!" Cara hissed rolling out of bed.
"The power went out overnight, clock reset its self," Manny told Cara.
"Wait, so you over slept too?" Cara asked.
"Yes, and I'm late!" Manny hissed. She then ran out of the room. Cara got up off the floor and started running around her room looking for her clothes. She grabbed a bra off her desk, hoping it was clean and put it on. She picked a top off the floor and pulled it on. She grabbed her jeans, but they wouldn't do up.
"Crap!" Cara hissed. "Mum! My jeans won't do up!"
"Jesus Christ, use mine!" Manny yelled back.
"Where are they?" Cara asked.
"On the couch, I think!" Manny yelled. Cara ran out of her room into the living room. Manny's jeans were on the back of the couch. Cara pulled them on. There was a click of heels as Manny entered the room. She was stressing out; she grabbed her bag off the couch and her keys from the kitchen table.
"Let's go babe," She said to Cara. Cara picked her bag up off the floor and followed her Mum out of their flat.
Cara hated how badly her Mum drove when she was stressed. She tailgated, she sped, she cut in front of people and honked everyone. She pulled out the front of Degrassi Community School. Cars got out of the car just as the bell went.
"Love you babe," Manny called as she drove off. Cara rushed up the steps and into the school. She had English with Ms Kwan. Could she possibly have a worse teacher on the day she's late? She headed to the English rooms. When she got there she went into the room.
"Nice of you to join us, Miss Santos," Ms Kwan glared at Cara.
"Sorry Ms Kwan," Cara whispered.
"See me after class, now take your seat," Ms Kwan instructed her. Cara sat down at the back next to Sam Hall. He raised his eyebrows at her.
"What happened?" He whispered.
"Another black out, the alarm unset itself; Mum's late too," Cara answered.
"Rough," Sam whispered. "And now you've got the wrath of Kwan on you too!"
"Shut up Sammy," Cara whispered back.
"You're a bright girl Cara, why are you always late?" Ms Kwan asked.
"I'm not bright," Cara muttered.
"Having Dyslexia doesn't make you dum," Cara looked up at Ms Kwan.
"Yes it does, I can't even read!" Cara snapped.
"I taught both your parents, and now I'm teaching you; you're actually quite a bright family you know," Ms Kwan.
"My Dad isn't part of my family any more. He left us!" Cara snapped. She turned to leave.
"Cara, you still haven't told me why you were late," Ms Kwan reminded Cara.
"We had a black out overnight, the alarms didn't go off. Happy now?" Cara snapped. She then turned and stomped out of the classroom. Sam was waiting for her outside. He grimaced at her.