With a groan, Addy woke up. Looking around, she noticed it was dark outside. How long have I been lying here? she wondered.
Moving quietly, she got up and started walking back to her room. Her whole body was aching, but her face and ribs hurt the most. Reaching her bedroom, she quickly shut the door and turned on the lights. Slowing making her way over to the dresser, she looked at herself in the mirror.
She saw herself, her plain, old, regular, boring self, staring back at her. Her oval-shaped face, her ice-blue eyes, windows to her frozen soul, her messy hair, falling past her modestly filled out chest to the soft curves that made up her thighs. There was a bruise beginning to form on her right cheek where her dad had hit her, though thankfully none of the glass shards had reached her face.
Wincing slightly from the pain, she took off her shirt to see the damage he had done to her side. Looking closely, she could see no mark, although she knew from experience that it didn't mean it wouldn't pain her tomorrow.
Slipping out of her clothes and into pajamas, she shook her head. At least I won't have to think up a lie to tell my dad about the cuts.
Addy lay in her bed, thinking about what tomorrow would be like. She looked around at her threadbare room that she knew so well. The old mahogany dresser, the off-white lamp, the tan carpet, and the baby blue walls reminded her of happier times when she was a child, before her dad drank and ruled his house with an iron, drunken fist.
Turning restlessly, she prayed that something good would happen to her tomorrow, her first day as a sophomore at Pines Grove High. Well, she thought, finally slipping away to sleep, whatever happens will be better than today.
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Beep! Beep! Beep!
With a exhausted grumble, Addy turned over and hit the Off button on her alarm clock. Not yet. I'm not ready for this.
Dragging herself to the shower, she turned the water on, making it as hot as possible. She flinched when the steaming water hit her cuts, and she looked down remembering. Quickly shaking herself of the memory, she got out and toweled herself off, wandering over to pick something to wear.
After ten minutes of debating against this pair of jeans and arguing with herself about why she should wear this shirt, she ended up with a forest green turtle neck and a dark-tinted jean. Throwing her sneakers on quickly, she grabbed her backpack, already packed yesterday, and headed out to catch the bus.
Grabbing a seat in the back, she dug in her backpack for a book to read and finding it, stuck her nose into Blood and Chocolate. She was so engrossed by Vivian and Adrian, that she barely noticed when the bus arrived at school. Stumbling off the bus, she ran to her first class, desperately hoping she would make it on time.
Plopping into her seat as the late bell rang, she glanced around, hoping she wouldn't know anyone in her class. Looking around, she found she didn't.
"Alright class, welcome to your first class as sophomores. My name is Mrs. Rossi. I have some information packets I would like to hand out to you. We'll go over them today, and I'll have you bring them back tomorrow with your parent's signature. Now then, who would like to read?" One kid in the front raised his hand, labeling him forever as a teacher's pet. "Yes, you?"
"Mrs. Rossi's English 2 Class, Year Long….," As the kid droned on, Addy tuned out, thinking about later today and what she could do to stay away from her home. She could go and hang out at the mall, but then she might run into someone she knew and have to interact. She could go to Starbuck's, but that ran the same risk. Maybe taking a walk around a nice, abandoned park…
Riiiiiiiing!
"Well, Class, that's it for today. Make sure you bring back your forms with a parent's signature tomorrow!" Mrs. Rossi yelled at the class as they stampeded to get to the hallway and to their next class.
Addy didn't even wait for the teacher to finish her sentence, she was already out the door and looking at her schedule for her next class. Hmmm. Mr. Johnson for Chemistry. Isn't he the one who looks like a pig?
She walked into class and looked around for an empty table. All the tables looked alike with black, shiny tops, a sink to wash beakers, and two chairs. She found an empty table and sat down. Trying to drown out the chattering of the two skinny blondes next to her, Addy dug around in her backpack for a notebook and pencil.
She was just pulling out a pencil from the bottom of her backpack when she heard, "Uhh, hi. Is this seat taken?"