Ricardiana

four

By the time Liam drops me off at home, the rain has stopped. It was now a chilly yet humid temperature and I had to run up the front lawn in order to escape into the heat. I get inside and it's quiet, I set my notebook and pencil down on the counter as I grab a water bottle from the fridge. I sneak up the stairs quietly, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see the guest room light on. I am tempted to knock on the door but decide that if it was Toby, I'd rather not take my chances walking in on him and my sister doing the unimaginable.

I turn on the light in my room and shut the door behind me. I sigh and throw my sandals across the room, stripping off my dress as I make my way towards my dresser to grab my comfiest pair of pyjama shorts and a large tee shirt. I turn off the light and then plop in my bed, looking at the clock as I do so. Nine PM; I guess it must have been an early night for everyone.

As I lie there, I begin thinking about my parents. I try and think back to the first time I heard them fighting. I think about the time I called Delaney because Mum had hit Dad and I had to hide in my room. I think about the time a few years ago (more about ten years ago) when Mum had announced she was pregnant but then miscarried a few weeks later. I think about when Mum and Dad had announced that we were all going on a cruise after Delaney graduated.

Then I think about Delaney. I think about the first time she and I went trick-or-treating by ourselves. Liam came with us that time. I think about when she got her license and we jammed out to our old *NSYNC CD in her old car. I think about the time we started school together, it was her first day of year 12 and my first day of year 9. I think about driving her to the university and the tears falling down her face when I hugged her goodbye. I think about the time I called her when I had failed my Maths GCSE and she told me it was okay to fail.

Then I think about Liam. I think about his scruffy face and his deep brown eyes. I smile. I think about the time in primary school when I bit him because I wanted the sandbox toy but he took it from me. I think about the time when he told me that his crush, Sophie Harper, had made fun of him. I think about the time when he told me he had made the advanced football team. I think about the time when he let me paint his nails and do his makeup because Delaney was away at university and I missed her so much. I think about the time we went into his family library and made a throne of books, and then Mr. Bennett got so angry we used to books to sit in. I think about the time we had come up with our kingdom of Ricardiana, and I think about how Liam came up with that name.

+

I wake up the next morning when my alarm goes off. Seven AM. It was still quite cloudy outside, but it was warm, so I pulled on a skirt along with my shirt and blazer. I grab my backpack and my cell phone before heading downstairs. I walk into Mum and Dad's room and hear mum throwing up. I walk in, but already see that Dad is consoling her and rubbing her back. I walk out and fix my hair quickly before getting some grapes from the fridge and then heading out to the car where Liam was.

"Morning, Princess Diana."

"Morning, Liam." I say with a smile.

Liam drives off and we are silent until he parks his car. We walk in to the school and then go our separate ways. I didn't really have many friends other than Liam. I had acquaintances; like Mary and Cyrus, but I didn't really consider them friends. They were more of Liam's type of people. Not saying that I had a type of people, but if I did, they would be like Liam.

In English, we had time to work on our final projects. I was nervous yet excited at the same time. I wanted to do well, although it was obvious I would because I love English, it came naturally to me. I sat there and worked on my character development and such until the bell rang for lunch. I was thankful that Liam had offered to take me home for lunch. Delaney was there with Toby and she had made some grilled cheese and a salad. Liam and I sat down in the basement and ate in silence.