My car was colder then then outside when I got in it. I cranked the heaters up trying to warm it up as fast I could. My mom told me once to name the car because the car doesn't like being called it. I believed her but I could never come up with a name. I just wasn't creative like that. I threw my bag into the passenger seat and turned up the radio to whatever I left it on. I always wait until most of the cars pulls out just incase I freaked and slammed on my breaks. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. I could already hear my bed calling my name. I heard a beep and jolted up right and saw a weird truck sitting to my left. The driver signled me to go but I told him he could. But he kept waving me out until I gave up and put my car into drive. I pulled out of my spot and started flooring it down the empty road. I looked up in my rearview mirror to see the truck following me. Maybe it just went the same way, I thought not trying to over analyse like I always did.
I pulled into my driveway which was nothing but gravel and leafs. The trees hid my house so maybe the truck behind me thought I was just going into the woods. I parked my car and looked up at my dingy gray house. My shutters were falling off and the porch steps were crooked. If I knew any better I would have said this house was abanded but of course I knew my mother was locked away snorting or drinking something. I grabbed my bag and ran through the rain feeling it weigh down my hair. As soon as I got inside I felt the draft I didn't earlier. There wasn't much funiture so the house was always cold with drafts. I bit my lip and rummaged through the fridge but found nothing but some old milk which I dumped down the drain. Dishes were piled around the sink instead of the actual sink. My mother was the lazist bitch I ever met. I let the water fill the sink while I piled the dishes into it. I had to let them soak to get all the grim off of them. I sighed and pulled down my grocergy money jar that I ket hidden in the bottom cabnits.
I only had about seventy dollars saved in the old pickle jar so this weeks grocergys would be short. I slipped the money into my bag and turned the tap off. I closed my eyes just to rest a minute and felt how heavy my eyes were. I needed to get home fast so I could just pass out already. I went down the hall to try and get my moms attention. I smelled the weed seeping up through the slit under the door. I held my breath and knocked gently. I opened the door just big enough to fit my head in. My mothers room was a absoulte mess with all the clothes and bottles on the floor. The bed wasn't made and its coveres were thrown around. My mother was staring out the window with a distant look on her face. My mother use to be beautiful with her long curly black hair and strong feautures. But over the years all the drinking and drugs had ruin her beauty and turned her into a hag.
"Mom I'm going to the grocergy store, want something speical for the week?" I asked to be piolet but I already knew what she want that I couldn't get.
"The usual," she grunted and trugged over to her bed and plopped down throwing the bottle to the floor to reunite with all of its friends. I sighed and shut the door. I went back down the hall to find my ballet shoes. Once they were on I ran back through the rain and to my car. My hair was now longer then normal and heavier form all the rain water in it. I cranked up my hit and backed up out of my spot. I floored it down to the store just wanting to get this over with. The roads were becoming fuller with all the kids going out to party tonight. Of course I was never invited and in all honesty I didn't care. I'd rather be curled up with To Kill a Mockingbird anyways. I turned into the grocergy stores empty parking lot and grabbed a broken basket.
I started throwing in things that I needed to survive in that house, peanut butter, bread, orange soda, and water. I grabbed a few packs of meat to actucally have a real dinner one night. There was no more eggs left when I got to that section so I just headed to the check out counter until I ran into a wall. Or what I thought was a wall. I rubbed my stomach where the bar went into and looked up at the person I hit. Paul Smith stood in front of me with the same dazed look he gave me in class.
"I'm so so sorry," I said trying to get around him to just get the hell out of there. But he put his hand on my cart keeping me from going anywhere.
"Annalisa," he said my name for the fourth time that day. I glared at him and stood up straight.
"Look I'm not in the mood for this so just tell me what you want," I partically yelled getting frustrated with the fact that he only said my name and nothing else. I bit my lip to silence everything else I had wanted to say.
"I-I'm sorry, my names Paul," he outstreched his huge hand for me to shake but I didn't take it. I looked up at him which strained my neck. I was still wanting for him to explain why he's been acting so weird.
"Its fine, you seem to already know my name," I sighed when I answered back rudly. I never meant to act like this but people just got under my skin. They always have and probably always will.
"Do you want me to help you check out?" He asked me when he noticed where I was heading to. I saw his nametag over his heart and nodded. He pushed my cart over to his counter and started ringing up anything.
"Whats a girl like you shopping on a friday night? Why aren't you at a party or something?" Paul tried to make convostation when he was about half way done with my grocergys. I sighed and looked down at my feet.
"No one usually invites me and I wouldn't go even if they did because its just a bunch of stupid people getting drunk to have fun, you don't need to be drunk to have fun," I said stubbornly and stated grabbing a few bags to put them into my cart.
"I would invite you..." Paul mumbled almost to low for me to hear. I knitted my eyebrows together and started counting the money.
"Its 87 Annalisa," the way Paul said my name made my stomach flip. Maybe because no one ever called me by my name.
"I only have 70," I whispered as I started thinking about I what we could surive without that week. I was about to pull out a few of the sodas when Paul talked.
"Its not much of a diffence so its fine," he said with a small smile on his face. I looked up and bit my lip.
"I don't want to get you in trouble," I said as I picked up the bags with the sodas in them. He put them right back in my cart and gently grabbed my money out of my hand.
"Go on," Paul winked letting me leave the store not paying the entire price. I bit my lip and nodded in thanks. I ran throw the parking lot to my car to get out of the cold. Thankfully it had stopped raining. I sat in my car thinking about why he was so nice to me. I had went to the same school as him for years and he never noticed me before. Why now?