Rio McConnor. Definitely not your average seven-year-old. She was a
troublemaker from the start, always getting in trouble with her parents,
mostly because of her huge attitude problem. Even for her young age, she
never let anyone push her around. She was very independent for her age.
Rio always stood up for herself. Because of older kids constantly picking
on her, she made her parents let her take up karate.
Rio kept to herself a lot, especially when her parents were home. She never told anyone anything except for a certain young boy named Monkey D. Luffy, who was always cheerful and ready to cheer anyone up who needed to. Rio on the other hand, was cheerful occasionally and was not good with cheering people up.
Rio had her own fashion and she was fine with it. She wore hand me downs from older cousins since she was an only child. Her parents never wanted to buy her new clothes she was just going to grow out of. She had bluish green eyes and brown hair that reached her shoulders.
She had just started first grade and with high markings, I might add. She had only one friend in school. A girl her age named Jenna Caldron. Rio rarely invited Jenna to her house, because of her parents, but instead spent most of her time with her friend.
Rio's parents wouldn't be considered 'parent of the year' material. Her father was a garbage man who usually spent all of his pay on alcohol, coming home drunk occasionally. He rarely spent time with his daughter. Rio's mother was a little more involved with her child's life. Except when she was with her husband, then it seemed as though they had no daughter, which Rio was growing accustom to.
She seemed not to mind in front of her parents and Jenna, but when she was alone, she usually ended up crying herself to sleep at night. She always wished someone would come and take her away from this place.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rio McConnor, get your ass up right now!" her mother shouted from downstairs.
Rio slowly sat up in bed, dreading to walk down the steps to the kitchen. She scooted off of her bed and jumped down onto the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly walked down the steps to where her mother was sitting. She reached the kitchen and looked around. Something was missing.
"If you're wondering where your father is, the stupid bastard never came home last night." Rio's mother said, lighting a cigarette.
"Where is he?" Rio asked.
"How the hell should I know?"
Rio walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She picked up the phone dialed a number. "Is Jenna there?"
"Hold on." Jenna's mother said.
"Hello?" Jenna asked.
"Hey." Rio replied.
"Hi Rio. What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Listen, do you think I could come over your house for a little bit?"
"Yeah ok. Do you need a ride?"
"If your mom doesn't mind." Rio said.
"No. I'll be there in a little bit."
"Ok. Thanks Jenna."
"Bye."
The two hung up the phones and Rio walked back through the kitchen up to her room to change. She threw on a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a t-shirt that was two sizes too big for her. After tying her shoes, she walked back downstairs.
"Where are you going?" her mother asked, stopping Rio.
"Jenna's." Rio replied.
"I don't recall you asking me."
"I didn't think you'd care." Rio added.
"Well, you're not going." Her mother said.
"Yeah I am, mom."
"Rio, I'm your mother and-"
"So start acting like one." Rio said and walked to the front door and outside, shutting the door behind her. She walked to the edge of her yard and sat on the curb to wait for Jenna.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rio? What's the matter?" Jenna asked. "You don't look good."
"Nothing. I'm fine." She told her friend. "Thanks for coming to get me."
"Hey, you know I always will." She reassured Rio as her mother pulled into Jenna's driveway.
"Rio, I gotta show you the tree house!" Jenna said.
"You mean it's done?" Rio asked, excitedly.
Jenna nodded and took her friends hand, leading her to the backyard to see the recently finished tree house Jenna's father had completed for the two.
Rio's eyes grew bigger as she laid her eyes on the tree house. The two girls ran to it and began to climb to the top. Rio made it to the top first and looked out at the view.
"Wow! You can see so much from up here!" she said.
"So, what do you wanna do?" Jenna asked.
"Let's play pirates!" Rio exclaimed.
The two spent the rest of the afternoon searching for buried treasure and walking the plank. Rio had forgotten all about her problems at home until Jenna's mother called to her. "Rio, I'm gonna take you home now." The two girls jumped down from the tree house and began to walk to the car. Rio was quiet the whole way back to her house.
The car came to a stop in front of her house. Rio opened her door and stepped out of the car. "Thanks Mrs. Caldron." She said.
"Anytime, Rio." She replied.
Rio slowly walked up to the front door of her house and opened it. Jenna's mother pulled away after Rio stepped inside and closed the door. She heard yelling from upstairs.
"Where the hell were you?" she heard her mother shout.
Rio was about to answer when she heard her father.
"I got held up at work!" he shouted back.
Rio quietly crept up to her room, trying not to make any noise.
"You're a damn garbage man! How can you get held up at work?" her mother shouted. "And where's your pay check? Let me guess: at the bar with more than half of it from before? Am I right?"
Rio was walking past her parent's room when she heard a loud smack. Her mother gasped and began crying.
"You don't talk to me that way!" her father shouted back.
Rio ran to her room, locking her door behind her. She sank down against her door as tears silently ran down her face. She sniffled and heard her parents continue to fight, now out in the hallway. Rio covered her ears, trying to block out the yelling. She stood up and walked over to her window, opening it. She climbed out of it and sat down on the roof outside her window. She looked up, watching the stars. She really wanted to go back to Jenna's house, but she couldn't get out of her room. The only way out of here was to jump. She stood up and walked to the edge of the roof. She looked down at the ground, which was a good twenty-five feet down. She braced herself and jumped, making a wish:
"Please, someone take me away from here."
Rio kept to herself a lot, especially when her parents were home. She never told anyone anything except for a certain young boy named Monkey D. Luffy, who was always cheerful and ready to cheer anyone up who needed to. Rio on the other hand, was cheerful occasionally and was not good with cheering people up.
Rio had her own fashion and she was fine with it. She wore hand me downs from older cousins since she was an only child. Her parents never wanted to buy her new clothes she was just going to grow out of. She had bluish green eyes and brown hair that reached her shoulders.
She had just started first grade and with high markings, I might add. She had only one friend in school. A girl her age named Jenna Caldron. Rio rarely invited Jenna to her house, because of her parents, but instead spent most of her time with her friend.
Rio's parents wouldn't be considered 'parent of the year' material. Her father was a garbage man who usually spent all of his pay on alcohol, coming home drunk occasionally. He rarely spent time with his daughter. Rio's mother was a little more involved with her child's life. Except when she was with her husband, then it seemed as though they had no daughter, which Rio was growing accustom to.
She seemed not to mind in front of her parents and Jenna, but when she was alone, she usually ended up crying herself to sleep at night. She always wished someone would come and take her away from this place.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rio McConnor, get your ass up right now!" her mother shouted from downstairs.
Rio slowly sat up in bed, dreading to walk down the steps to the kitchen. She scooted off of her bed and jumped down onto the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly walked down the steps to where her mother was sitting. She reached the kitchen and looked around. Something was missing.
"If you're wondering where your father is, the stupid bastard never came home last night." Rio's mother said, lighting a cigarette.
"Where is he?" Rio asked.
"How the hell should I know?"
Rio walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She picked up the phone dialed a number. "Is Jenna there?"
"Hold on." Jenna's mother said.
"Hello?" Jenna asked.
"Hey." Rio replied.
"Hi Rio. What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Listen, do you think I could come over your house for a little bit?"
"Yeah ok. Do you need a ride?"
"If your mom doesn't mind." Rio said.
"No. I'll be there in a little bit."
"Ok. Thanks Jenna."
"Bye."
The two hung up the phones and Rio walked back through the kitchen up to her room to change. She threw on a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a t-shirt that was two sizes too big for her. After tying her shoes, she walked back downstairs.
"Where are you going?" her mother asked, stopping Rio.
"Jenna's." Rio replied.
"I don't recall you asking me."
"I didn't think you'd care." Rio added.
"Well, you're not going." Her mother said.
"Yeah I am, mom."
"Rio, I'm your mother and-"
"So start acting like one." Rio said and walked to the front door and outside, shutting the door behind her. She walked to the edge of her yard and sat on the curb to wait for Jenna.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rio? What's the matter?" Jenna asked. "You don't look good."
"Nothing. I'm fine." She told her friend. "Thanks for coming to get me."
"Hey, you know I always will." She reassured Rio as her mother pulled into Jenna's driveway.
"Rio, I gotta show you the tree house!" Jenna said.
"You mean it's done?" Rio asked, excitedly.
Jenna nodded and took her friends hand, leading her to the backyard to see the recently finished tree house Jenna's father had completed for the two.
Rio's eyes grew bigger as she laid her eyes on the tree house. The two girls ran to it and began to climb to the top. Rio made it to the top first and looked out at the view.
"Wow! You can see so much from up here!" she said.
"So, what do you wanna do?" Jenna asked.
"Let's play pirates!" Rio exclaimed.
The two spent the rest of the afternoon searching for buried treasure and walking the plank. Rio had forgotten all about her problems at home until Jenna's mother called to her. "Rio, I'm gonna take you home now." The two girls jumped down from the tree house and began to walk to the car. Rio was quiet the whole way back to her house.
The car came to a stop in front of her house. Rio opened her door and stepped out of the car. "Thanks Mrs. Caldron." She said.
"Anytime, Rio." She replied.
Rio slowly walked up to the front door of her house and opened it. Jenna's mother pulled away after Rio stepped inside and closed the door. She heard yelling from upstairs.
"Where the hell were you?" she heard her mother shout.
Rio was about to answer when she heard her father.
"I got held up at work!" he shouted back.
Rio quietly crept up to her room, trying not to make any noise.
"You're a damn garbage man! How can you get held up at work?" her mother shouted. "And where's your pay check? Let me guess: at the bar with more than half of it from before? Am I right?"
Rio was walking past her parent's room when she heard a loud smack. Her mother gasped and began crying.
"You don't talk to me that way!" her father shouted back.
Rio ran to her room, locking her door behind her. She sank down against her door as tears silently ran down her face. She sniffled and heard her parents continue to fight, now out in the hallway. Rio covered her ears, trying to block out the yelling. She stood up and walked over to her window, opening it. She climbed out of it and sat down on the roof outside her window. She looked up, watching the stars. She really wanted to go back to Jenna's house, but she couldn't get out of her room. The only way out of here was to jump. She stood up and walked to the edge of the roof. She looked down at the ground, which was a good twenty-five feet down. She braced herself and jumped, making a wish:
"Please, someone take me away from here."