I wake up feeling stiff all over and pull up my shirt to reveal two blue and purple bruises. Great. I look over at my alarm clock and see that it's only six a.m. You know what they say early bird gets the worm -well McDonald's. I get up and stretch as far as I can without hurting myself. I walk down the hall to the bathroom and out on concealer; you're probably wondering why I'm not putting on everything else on like the eye shadow. Well- I hate make up with a passion. It's degrading and God awful to apply twice a day. But if I don't at least put on concealer Jeb gets mad, and when Jeb gets mad I get hurt. And if you're wondering why the hell I don't just go over to the phone and call social services is because I know some of the people looking for kids in foster care are abusive too; but at least here we have each other. I throw on my t-shirt that says, "I'm Blonde... What's your excuse?" along with dark wash skinny jeans and black converse then put my hair into a simple ponytail. I go the stairs and swipe my keys from a little bowl where we place things. I walk outside and have warm air hit me it feels good so I stand there for a moment with my eyes closed before I remember that I have to pick up McDonald's for everyone. I start my car and music starts blaring on the radio, I start dancing a little and am about to sing when I reach the place where you take your order.
"Hello welcome to McDonalds how may I help you?" My friend Nudge says WAY too peppy for the morning.
"Hey Nudge 3 number 7's and one breakfast burrito. Please." I say tiredly. I hear her suck in a breath from the box thingy so I speak before she can go full on rant. "How much is that gonna be?" I ask.
"$7.54. Hey can you come to my house today 'cause I got to babysit a couple of neighbor hood kids. I wonder what their parents are doing. ZOMG what if they're on like a romantic getaway! Like a vacation! Have you ever been on vacation? I have but it was only for week and I was TOTALLY bored! But then my Uncle Greg gave me a brownie and I swear I saw a unicorn! It was so cool! But then I found out that they were pot brownies and I was like 'There's not a unicorn!?' so I threw a fit and-"
"NUDGE! No I can't come over, yes I've been on vacation, and people are starting to honk their horns at me so I gotta move okay?" I say. I hear a muffled "Yea." And sigh in relief, while pulling my car up the drive thru.
0.o.O.o.0
I walk up the porch steps and pray it's still before 7 so that Jeb is asleep. I carefully put the key in the lock and glance at the clock at above the shoe area. 6:49. Hallelujah! I slip in through the door and place the food on the dining room table that we never use. I go up stairs into Gazzy and Angel's room and slip the spare key that Jeb doesn't know I have in the lock. I open the door and smile at what I see: Angel is in Gazzy's bed huddled up to him like he's a life line. It's so cute I whip out my phone and snap a few pictures before going over and shaking their shoulders. "Hey guys," I whisper. "Wake up."
Angel turns over and looks at me. "Hey Max." She says yawning and stretching. "How come I'm not in my normal bed?" She asks.
I smile while ruffling her blonde curls and shake my head. "Gaz, wake up. I brought Mickey D's," I say to him while shaking his shoulder. He groans and rolls over.
"Angel will you do me a favor and start your bath?" I ask her. She nods and skips towards the bathroom in the room. You probably had no clue of this but Angel and Gazzy have the second biggest room in the house so it comes with a lock on the doors and a connected bathroom. "Ange, don't forget to lock the door," I say. She nods happily and I faintly hear water turning on. I turn back to Gazzy and give him a little scowl which gets wasted. "Get up, Gazzy." I say sternly. He puts a pillow over his head and snuggles deeper under the covers. "Do you want a repeat of last time?" I ask. He shoots up out of bed and looks at me wide eyed. You're probably wondering what I did that was so bad to make him shoot out of bed that fast well. Let's just say he got an unexpected bath shall we? "Thanks bud, pick out some clothes and eat breakfast. I'll let you know when it's your turn in the bath."
"Mmhn." He says dreamland still in his system. I chuckle softly at him and softly push him through the door.
I walk over to the bathroom door and knock softly, "Angel do you want me to help you?" I ask. I wait a moment then remember Angel always forgets that there's a door dividing us. "Angel there's a door I can't see if you're knocking." I say. Laughing at the memory of the last time I forgot to ask that question.
*Flashback one month ago*
"Angel do you need my help?" I waited a minute and heard nothing. Shrugging my shoulders I walked to the other side of the room picking out her clothes for the day: A white t-shirt with butterflies all different colors on the bottom with light blue denim Capri 's and light up sketchers for kids. Suddenly I heard Angel start to cry I rushed over to the bathroom and opened the door to find Angel shivering trying to dry her self off and failing horribly. "Angel what happened?" I asked my voice panicked.
"I-I was-s trying-g to d-dry myself-f off-f a-and I-I g-got cold-d and-d I st-started-d to c-cry." She said trying to contain her chattering teeth and sobs.
I grabbed the towel she was using and wrapped her up in a hugged her with all my might rubbing the towel up and down her sides getting the water off. "Angel baby it's okay." I said trying to calm her down. I wrapped the towel around her sticking her little head in the sock made for it and wrapping a new towel around her to cover as much skin as I could so the shivers would stop. "I asked you if you needed help why didn't you answer?" I said confused.
"But I did answer Max." I gave her a curious look. "I nodded my head up and down like this," she said demonstrating for me. "See I answered you."
I laughed a light laugh and shook my head, "Angel I couldn't see you. The door was in the way."
"Oh. Well I nodded my head then."
"I bet you did now let's get you dressed before the monsters come and eat you!" I said tickling her sides making her erupt into giggles.
*End of Flashback*
"Oh yeah, I need help." She says. I open the door and she ducks under a pile of bubbles.
I smile and pretend to think, "Hmm. I guess Angel's not here anymore and doesn't need my help." I say and walk toward the door. When I hear a small strangled giggle from behind me, "Angel where were you! I was so scared that I would never see you again and you went off to live with the mermaids!" I exclaim playing the game we play every morning. "Oh well I guess I gotta wash your hair now huh?" I ask getting on my knee's when I reach the edge of the tub. I grab the 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner that we "absolutely must use" in Angel's words because it smells like strawberries. I put some in my hand and play hair style with Angel for a few minutes where we both giggle at her Jimmy Neutron hair. "Head back," I say. Grabbing the plastic cup we use for rinsing out our hair. She leans her head back and I scoop up water to wash the bubbles out of her hair. "Okay sweetie lets dry you off." She nods and steps out of the tub. I grab a medium size towel with Mickey Mouse on it and dry her off. "Okay sweetie stay here and work on drying your hair with the towel." I say stepping out of the bathroom. I go to her dresser and pull out a pink shirt with flowers all over it with white shorts that reach the knees. I decide this looks cute enough and go over to the bathroom and let myself in where Angel's back is facing me and she is drying her hair. "Here you go sweetie." I say and place the clothes on the toilet seat lid for her.
"Thanks Max." She says, putting on her t-shirt.
"No problem honey," I say and step out of the bathroom to let her get changed.
I walk down the steps and see Gazzy finishing his OJ. "Hey bud what's up?" I ask him. His eyes are still a little glassy but not as much as they were when he woke up. He nods his head but doesn't answer my question. "How late did you stay up?" I say to him sternly making him realize that it's not a question it's a demand. I can be scary when I need to be don't judge.
"Umgh," he says groaning so I can't hear his response. I raise an eyebrow at him. "I stayed up till…10."
My eyeballs almost fall out of my head. "What?" I nearly shriek. He looks at me sheepishly and I sigh rubbing my temples. Why are they so difficult? "Promise me you'll go to bed tonight on time." I say. I only make him promise me this because if you don't go to bed earlier enough you hear things from my Dad's room that little kids do not need to hear. He nods his head slowly and wraps his arms around my waist. "Gaz, it's okay. I promise I'm not mad just surprised is all." I reassure him and can't help but think: I did good raising my siblings. I smile at the thought.
Angel skips in the kitchen and grabs her hash brown to eat first like always. "Morning, Gazzy!" She says happily. Her hair is still a little damp but has mostly dried. "Yummy," she moans eating her first bite of hash brown. I laugh a little at her. She looks at me funny, "What's so funny?" She asks. I shake my head and smile at her.
"Nothing Angel, nothing." I say still silently laughing at her.
"Okay…" She says cautiously as if we were mental. Scratch that. We are pretty much mental if you consider it, I mean look at us. I'm practically raising a six-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy while I'm only sixteen and still growing up myself. Not to mention my "situation" if that's what you want to call it. You guys already know what I call it: Hell. Only in hell you don't live in the suburbs or do you?
0.o.O.o.0
"Bye you guys have a great day at school." I say to Gazzy and Angel getting down to their level and hugging them tight. "Angel go on to school I've go to talk to Gazzy."
"Okay Max see you later!" she says running off no doubt to play with her friends.
I turn to Gazzy and say to him sternly, "Do not get testy with your teachers just because you didn't get enough sleep." He nods, "Okay, see you later kiddo," I say getting up and ruffling his hair.
When I get to Sky Ridden High school I immediately notice someone in my parking spot. Then I see a familiar bundle of red hair shoot out of the drivers side: Lissa. She's the biggest snob/brat/whore/slut/bitch this school has. And the worst part is that not everyone see's anything wrong. I am part of the few people that do and choose to do stuff about it. Like right now for example: Someone about to open a whole new can of whip ass on her courtesy of moi. I park my car at the very end of the parking lot. Which -believe me- is easily a minute walk. I walk up to her and the Whorettes as I call them. "Lissa." I ground out. "What the hell are you doing in my parking space?" I ask innocently. A little too innocently if you ask me, but with Lissa and her limited brain cells I don't expect it to get through to her.
"That spot,"-she points over to where her car is-"doesn't have your name on it. Does it?" She asks cocking her head to the side. Oh now she's just asking for the bullshit I'm about to give her.
"I've been parking since I got my license." I say sweetly, "You got yours last week. Therefor: It. Is. My. Parking. Space. Bitch." I say meanly. I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm a little bipolar at times or did you miss the innocent- to sweet- to mean. And you may not know this but I'm the school bad ass. And the school bad ass can hurt the school's Slut if she parks in the school's Bad Ass' spot. Nice and simple solution don't you think?
"Puh-lease!" She cries out. "That spots been mine since I, like saw it."
"Lissa, honey I'm telling you this once and only once. That's my space, it's been my space, and it will be my space until I say different. Got it?" I say very calm like. No- I say it in a scary calm voice that I use to give the person an out; like they can provoke me so far and then I use my scary calm voice to tell the person that if they don't start agreeing with me in 2 seconds flat you're going to get a mouth full of concrete.
But of course Lissa doesn't get it because the next thing that comes out of her mouth isn't a flinch or apology. No, Lissa is too prideful like that dick-headed jock Dylan Gunther-Hagen. No what comes out of her mouth is this: "Just go in a hole and like, die or something." She says inspecting her nails.
I smile, "Thanks Lissa." I say.
She looks up at me confused. "For what?" she says, NOW just starting to get scared.
I punch her in the face and she topples over in her 7 inch heels face first in the parking lot. "For giving me a reason." I say smirking, "Why else?" I say then walk away.
The rest of the day was pretty normal after that. The norm, Nudge not shutting up for a second. Me nodding every few seconds to make it look like I was paying attention then answering all of the questions she manages to get out before me or J.J. slapping a hand over her mouth and claiming that our ears are bleeding. J.J. and I pointing and snickering as Lissa basically molesting half the football team. That were just looking for someone that was "easy." They're disgusting but not as much as Lissa Red-haired-wonder. The last bell for school rings and I go to my car and pick up Angel and Gazzy.
"Hey guys how was your day?" I ask smiling at them through the review mirror. They both start talking fast and I hold up one hand in the universal "Be quiet" way. "One at a time." I say. "Who went first last time?" Angel's hand shoots up. "Okay, Angel you start."
She starts talking about how Mrs. Johnson gave her a lollipop, and how she and Priscilla played princess and the pauper at recess then learned how to add and subtract numbers bigger than 15. Then Gazzy starts talking about how his friends and him were pranking some innocent girls which I scold him for since Jeb won't.
We pull into the driveway and I can't help myself from thinking: Ahh back to hell.