Misery Blues

Chapter 14 - Starting Over

I wake up screaming, my head throbbing, tears pouring out of my eyes. Nightmares. Everynight since David was arrested. I grip at my head, my hair scrunched in between my fingers. 

It's been three weeks - and tommorow I must face him in court.

These last few weeks have been torture for me. Social secrvices tried to put my into some foster care, but my brother being eighteen - decided he would rather be my legal gaurdian. He moved back into our house and barely lets me leave his side anymore.

My birthday has come and gone and my broken bones and bruises have been healing wonderfully. But, I guess you can say that now that I am finally free from the bounds that David cast upon me - what has been done is effecting my sanity.

I'm not scared of what happened, I am scared of what will happen next.

What if the court and jury find him innocent and he tries to come back. I know my brother wont let him near me - or even Roxas. The last three weeks the two of them have forgotten their differences and become friends. They bond over the fact that they want to keep me safe. I know my brother's reasons, but Roxas confuses me.

Why does he care? Why did the fact of what David has done to me make him so angry? Why does he look at me with those sad eyes everytime he catches me staring off into space or rubbing my healing wrist?

Some part of me hopes that he feels the same as I do for him. I want him to like me, but then I remember, how can he? I'm dirty, tainted - he saw me at my worst. He must pity me.

We have hung out alot lately, he would bring me home from school on the days my brother has practice and we would just sit around and watch movies, or crack jokes.

Sometimes Cassadee and Alek join in too, but - after that day, I told Cassadee what was happening and she sort of distanced herself from me. She looks at me with sad eyes, just like Roxas.

Don't they understand, I don't want their pity. I just want them to accept me, to be my friends.

I'm working on starting over.

"Home coming is next week." Denton sighs, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. He looks at me from the corner of his eye and bites his lip. He looks like as if he has something to ask me.

"Are you going with Lexi?" I ask him, turning to look out the window as we pull into the school parking lot.

"Yeah, we're color cordinating and everything." Denton lets out a small laugh. "Her and her control freak personality. She wants to be king and queen."

"You are obviously going to get those titles." I say, positioning my head to the side, my eyebrow raised. "You are the most popular couple."

"For now." He chuckles.

"For now?" I ask, unbuckling my seat belt as he parks.

"Soon another couple will be even more popular." He admits with a shake of the head, his smile growing.

"Who?"

"You will find out soon enough."

We get out of the car and I'm really curious to what he is going on about. A couple more popular then him and Lexi? That is nearly impossible. They are the most popular kids in school and hands down the prettiest people.

"Hey Roni!" Martin walks up and slings his arm over my shoulder. Maybe Martin is going to get a girlfriend? He is just as popular as my brother. As we walk into the school building I see people eyeing us. Girls and guys alike. I hear random people call my name and say hello, I wave back to them. Hanging out with these three make me well-known. Guess you can say I'm climbing up the ladder of popularity.

Cassadee and Alek greet me in English as Mr.Green passes back our tests and collect our books. I recieved a hundred, while Cassadee has a forty six and Alek had a suprising eighty.

"Traitor." Cassadee whispers at Alek, throwing him a mocking glare. "We were together nearly all the time, how did you have time to read the book?"

"I didn't I rented the movie and watched it last weekend when you went to go see your grandmother in the hospital." Alek shrugs and gives her a sly smile. "I also was smart enough to call up Roni and ask about the parts I didn't understand."

Cassadee turns to face me, turning her glare onto me. "So your his accomplice?"

I put my hands up in a surrender motion. "You could have copied off of me, your sitting right there!"

"I tried!" She whines. "You just write to small!"

I shrug sheepishly. "Sorry."

Once the bell rings I literally run to Enviromental studies, today we are going on our first nature walk - and find out what this project Mrs.Kindly warned us about when school started. I'm hoping Roxas will agree to being my partner.

I slide into my seat, waiting for him to come to class. As usual, he is late. I already expect it, he doesn't have a first period class so this is what the first thing he has in the morning. Late arrival, something usually only Seniors have, but for some reason Roxas was lucky enough to get it. Maybe it's because he is supposed to be a Senior, or maybe it's just because he has that sort of influence. None of that really matters though.

He looks exhausted as he sits next to me. His hair is wet, which makes me think he came here right out of the shower. Wet, it's a good look for him. I mentally slap myself in the face, that is such a stupid thing to think.

"Hey." He greets me, I listen as the legs of his chair scrape against the floor. I smile up at him and notice the purple bags underneath his eyes. It looks as if he has as much trouble sleeping as I do.

"Hi." I nod at him, I open my mouth to say more at the same time he does "So I was wonderin-"

"I wanted to kno-"

We look at eachother, both quiet, both waiting for the other to speak. Then when we realize the other is waiting for us we start again.

"About this pr-"

"Will you be-"

We look at each other again and both start to laugh.

"You go first." I motion towards him and he shakes his head trying to stop himself from laughing louder.

"No, it's okay." He coughs to cover up his mistake. "You go."

"Okay." I giggle "Do you want to be my partner for this project thing?"

"I'd love to, but only if..." he is cut off as the teacher walks in the room, he lowers his voice to a whisper. "Only if you would do me the honor of being my date to the homecoming dance."

I was definatly not expecting that. I was hoping for it, yearning for it actually. But, did I think he would actually ask? Nope. Am I glad he did? Hell yeah.

"I wouldn't go with anyone else." I say, feeling as my cheeks get hot and I know I'm probably blushing like crazy right now. I look up at the teacher who starts to explain the project, and from the corner of my eye I swear I can see Roxas pat himself on the back, a huge smile on his face.

Now that is a huge confidence boost.

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