"We bought you a plan ticket so that you can fly home, since your mother can't come and get you." Mrs.Saxton explained.
I didn't really care who 'we' was, I just nodded and got into her SUV. She had giving me some new clothes to change into before we left since it would be kind of odd having a teenager dressed in orange and a doo-rag on a plane.
I mumbled a thank you as she drove me to the airport. I got out of the SUV once saying goodbye to Mrs.Saxton. I looked at my ticket, gate 14. Once getting my bags tagged and sent to be put on the plane I found gate 14. I had flown once before so I wasn't nervous.
I was glad my ticket was first class. It was less crowded up there so there were less people glaring at me. I was use to it, when adults see a rough looking teen guy, they asume he is up to no good.
I fell asleep after take-off and the flight attendant woke me up when they landed. I stumbled off of the plane into the airport. I got my bag and called a cab. As the cab got closer to town I began recognizing old friends walking on the streets.
I paid the cabby when he parked in front of my house, with some money Mrs.Saxton had given me. I got my bags from the trunk and look at my house. It was more rundown then when I had seen it last. I walked up the front steps and opened the front door. I could hear the radio coming from the kitchen.
"Mom?" I called, no answer.
I searched around the house trying to find her. I finally found her passed out cold on the bathroom floor, an empty bottle of vodka beside her. She was a mess, hair tangled, makeup smudged. I picked her up off of the floor. She was lighter then I remembered, or maybe I am just stronger from digging. I set her down on her bed and she didn't even stir.
My room looked the same as I left it, just dustier. I went into the kitchen to get something to eat. I found some bread but it was so old there was stuff growing on it. I found my jacket in the closet and left. I walked to the corner store and found some of my old friends hanging out there.
I had to explain where I had been for so long and so on.
"We are going to a party tonight, lots of hot girls are gonna be there." Eric said laughing.
Normally I would have gone with them but the only girl I was thinking of was Brandy.
"I don't think so guys, I have stuff I have to get done." I said.
Once I got some food to last me the weekend I headed home. It was late by then and I kept glancing around. I lived in the rougher part of town and I was no stranger of getting jumped. Luckily most people were out partying since it was Friday. The lights were on in the house so Mom had to be up. I sighed, I had been hoping on eating then sleeping but I doubted I would now.
The second I opened the door the yelling started.
"Where the hell have you been?!" She yelled at me.
"Out getting food." I said pushing past her into the kitchen.
"Don't walk away from me, you left me when you screwed up and got sent to jail." She yelled.
"I didn't get sent to jail, I got sent to camp, don't you ever listen?" I asked frustrated.
"Don't use that tone with me. So while I was here suffering you were having fun at a camp?!" She yelled.
I hated it when she was drunk, she always got so mean. I could have responded to that but I didn't, there was no point.
"You haven't changed a bit, I thought that camp would teach you something." She said.
"It did teach me something, it taught me that I don't belong here with you!" I yelledss
I stormed out of the room before she could say anything else. I heard glass breaking, she was throwing another temper tantrum. I locked myself in my bedroom. I went to sleep with my stomach painful with hunger.
Saturday and Sunday passed slowly. I stayed in my room and only came out to get something to eat. My mom locked herself in her room and the only sound I could hear was the clinking of bottles.
When Monday came around school was horrible. Teachers glared at me, they knew where I had been. Kids gave me nervous glances in the halls. I hung out with my friends but it just wasn't the same as before. I didn't talk much, I kept thinking about my friends, Magnet, X-Ray, Zigzag but most of all Brandy.
The days passed slowly, I kept thinking in my head 'I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here'. I knew it was only a matter of time before I started breaking the law again.
Thursday, after school, I started trudging home when something in the corner of my head made me stop. I look up and blinked a few times wondering if what I was seeing was real.
Brandy was leaning on the side of a jeep smiling at me. I walked over to her, a huge smile on my face. Before I knew it she had her arms around me and was hugging me so hard I thought I was going to break.
"I had to leave, I had to see you." Brandy whispered to me.
"Let's leave." I whispered back to her.
"What?" She asked looking me in the eye.
"I can't stay here, I will break." I said shaking my head.
"I thought you would never ask." She said smiling. "Where will we go?"
"Somewhere, anywhere." I said smiling.
She drove me home and I go my stuff. My mom was passed out drunk again. I hardened my heart and closed the door behind me. If she cared about me why would she get drunk all the time, so why should I care about her?
I didn't really care who 'we' was, I just nodded and got into her SUV. She had giving me some new clothes to change into before we left since it would be kind of odd having a teenager dressed in orange and a doo-rag on a plane.
I mumbled a thank you as she drove me to the airport. I got out of the SUV once saying goodbye to Mrs.Saxton. I looked at my ticket, gate 14. Once getting my bags tagged and sent to be put on the plane I found gate 14. I had flown once before so I wasn't nervous.
I was glad my ticket was first class. It was less crowded up there so there were less people glaring at me. I was use to it, when adults see a rough looking teen guy, they asume he is up to no good.
I fell asleep after take-off and the flight attendant woke me up when they landed. I stumbled off of the plane into the airport. I got my bag and called a cab. As the cab got closer to town I began recognizing old friends walking on the streets.
I paid the cabby when he parked in front of my house, with some money Mrs.Saxton had given me. I got my bags from the trunk and look at my house. It was more rundown then when I had seen it last. I walked up the front steps and opened the front door. I could hear the radio coming from the kitchen.
"Mom?" I called, no answer.
I searched around the house trying to find her. I finally found her passed out cold on the bathroom floor, an empty bottle of vodka beside her. She was a mess, hair tangled, makeup smudged. I picked her up off of the floor. She was lighter then I remembered, or maybe I am just stronger from digging. I set her down on her bed and she didn't even stir.
My room looked the same as I left it, just dustier. I went into the kitchen to get something to eat. I found some bread but it was so old there was stuff growing on it. I found my jacket in the closet and left. I walked to the corner store and found some of my old friends hanging out there.
I had to explain where I had been for so long and so on.
"We are going to a party tonight, lots of hot girls are gonna be there." Eric said laughing.
Normally I would have gone with them but the only girl I was thinking of was Brandy.
"I don't think so guys, I have stuff I have to get done." I said.
Once I got some food to last me the weekend I headed home. It was late by then and I kept glancing around. I lived in the rougher part of town and I was no stranger of getting jumped. Luckily most people were out partying since it was Friday. The lights were on in the house so Mom had to be up. I sighed, I had been hoping on eating then sleeping but I doubted I would now.
The second I opened the door the yelling started.
"Where the hell have you been?!" She yelled at me.
"Out getting food." I said pushing past her into the kitchen.
"Don't walk away from me, you left me when you screwed up and got sent to jail." She yelled.
"I didn't get sent to jail, I got sent to camp, don't you ever listen?" I asked frustrated.
"Don't use that tone with me. So while I was here suffering you were having fun at a camp?!" She yelled.
I hated it when she was drunk, she always got so mean. I could have responded to that but I didn't, there was no point.
"You haven't changed a bit, I thought that camp would teach you something." She said.
"It did teach me something, it taught me that I don't belong here with you!" I yelledss
I stormed out of the room before she could say anything else. I heard glass breaking, she was throwing another temper tantrum. I locked myself in my bedroom. I went to sleep with my stomach painful with hunger.
Saturday and Sunday passed slowly. I stayed in my room and only came out to get something to eat. My mom locked herself in her room and the only sound I could hear was the clinking of bottles.
When Monday came around school was horrible. Teachers glared at me, they knew where I had been. Kids gave me nervous glances in the halls. I hung out with my friends but it just wasn't the same as before. I didn't talk much, I kept thinking about my friends, Magnet, X-Ray, Zigzag but most of all Brandy.
The days passed slowly, I kept thinking in my head 'I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here'. I knew it was only a matter of time before I started breaking the law again.
Thursday, after school, I started trudging home when something in the corner of my head made me stop. I look up and blinked a few times wondering if what I was seeing was real.
Brandy was leaning on the side of a jeep smiling at me. I walked over to her, a huge smile on my face. Before I knew it she had her arms around me and was hugging me so hard I thought I was going to break.
"I had to leave, I had to see you." Brandy whispered to me.
"Let's leave." I whispered back to her.
"What?" She asked looking me in the eye.
"I can't stay here, I will break." I said shaking my head.
"I thought you would never ask." She said smiling. "Where will we go?"
"Somewhere, anywhere." I said smiling.
She drove me home and I go my stuff. My mom was passed out drunk again. I hardened my heart and closed the door behind me. If she cared about me why would she get drunk all the time, so why should I care about her?