Frank;
Oh my gosh! I can't even begin to explain how much fun I had at Gerard's house. I'm still in the car with his mom and I'm thanking her for dinner and letting me over and I can't contain my excitement. I seriously love that I now have another friend, the only other being Alex.
"It was so much fun," I breathe out for the ten thousandth time.
"You can come over any time you'd like, hun," she says, a smile placed perfectly on her lips.
"Thank you," I say happily. I'm probably overreacting, but I've never really had a friend where there's so much to do, it's just nice and the atmosphere in their house is so inviting and comfortable.
"It's no problem, dear," she says nonchalantly, waving off the comment. "Now, this is your neighborhood, right?" She asks as she turns into the poorer side of town.
"Yeah, it's towards the end of the road," I explain, my mood plummeting. I'm never happy to go home. Don't get me wrong, everyday I cherish the fact that I have a home, a father, electricity.. but it isn't a pleasant place. It's just the address of a box of a house that reminds me that I don't have a mom, a father who's there often. It's a place where I'm lucky if I get food. It's a place that makes me feel emotionally stressed.
As she drives further down the street, I tell her to stop right as we get in front of Alex's house. Her breaks squeak lightly, almost unnoticeable. She stops between my house and Alex's and turns towards me to wish me a good night. I return the polite gesture and get out, walking around the front end of the car and through the grass to my front door.
I open the door with a bit of a struggle as it likes to get jammed, then walk inside, looking around the small living room. "Christ," I mutter, realizing just how poor I actually am. Our living room is just a ratty, brown couch with holes in it, a wooden coffee table with stains, and a small box tv that we never use because we don't have cable. The carpet is torn in some places, stains covering it. The walls have tobacco stains on it from the people who lived here before us. The kitchen is a tiny table with three chairs, which barely gets used. There's the standard oven, refrigerator, cabinets, counters. We don't have many dishes, we're lucky if dad can afford the water bill. I seriously need a job, but who would hire a fifteen year old? I turn sixteen next month, so maybe I can get hired at the pet store or the comic store.
I sigh and go to my bedroom, it's just past the kitchen, and flop onto my small bed. My bedroom isn't very much: just a bed, a side table, and a small dresser. I have two posters: a Misfits one and a Fender one. I got them from Hayley from the comic store. I don't quite remember why she gave them to me, I just remember walking into the store one day and when I said hi she told me she had a present for me.
I can't wait for tomorrow, I can't wait to see Gerard again. I used to be so confused with him, wondering about everything. He's odd, he's slightly nosy, but so am I. I never really saw myself becoming his friend, I used to think he was so annoying. It would bother me how he writes in his journal all the time. I would roll my eyes every time he looked around the room, focus his gaze on an unknowing student, then turn back around and write until he couldn't anymore. I would glare at him when I would catch him looking at me. Now I don't mind it. Maybe being someone's focus isn't that bad, it makes me feel important. Now, when I catch him looking at me I just smile and wonder what he's found to write about now.
Without getting up, I manage to shimmy out of my jeans and pull my shirt off. My eyes are starting to droop, tiredness pulling my eyelids down. I grab my phone from my jeans pocket and open it, looking at the time: 11:48 PM. Geez, time flies when you're thinking.
*
I wake up to rustling outside my bedroom door, in the kitchen. It's probably my dad, but he's usually quiet, so I get up to see what he's up to.
When I open my door, I see plastic Wal-Mart bags on our small counter. "You went to the store?" I ask, walking over to them to see what's all in them.
"Yeah," he says, I can hear the smile in his voice. "I got a pretty good paycheck from work. I've been working so many late nights. I was able to afford the bills, put gas in my car, and get some groceries." I turn around and see a huge smile stretched across his face.
"This is great, Dad, thank you," I say.
He shrugs a little and sets the bags he has in his hands down on top of the stove. He pulls out some milk, butter, cheese, and bread. There's some cereal, kool-aid powder, pasta, some meat. It isn't much, but I think this is the most food we've had in our house at one time in a long time.
After helping Dad put the groceries away, I get dressed and ready for school. I'm just in blue jeans and a long sleeve, plain black shirt. My hair is sticking up all over the place, but I don't really care. I pull on my tennis shoes that Dad got me from the thrift store, and I grab my back pack. The bus should be getting here soon and I kind of want to talk to Alex beforehand.
When I walk outside I immediately spot my best friend standing at the end of his driveway, his jeans bagging off his skinny legs and his shirt squeezing his form. I meet him over there and nudge him lightly with my elbow, "How've you been, Lex?"
"Same old, same old," he mutters, kicking a few rocks around.
"What about your mom? Is she feeling any better?" It's very rare that we have a joking conversation in the mornings when we wait for our buses. It's usually a time when we catch up and ask each other questions about our lives.
"Yeah, I'd say so. Yesterday was her first day back." He cracks a slight smile after saying that, he cares so much for his mom.
"That's great! How'd she do?"
"I think she did fine. They mainly had her on back window, taking the money," he answers. "How've you been?"
"Great, actually," I reply, a smile stretching onto my face. Life has been looking up lately, even if it's just in the form of a new friend and a good paycheck that lets me and my dad be happy for a month.
"Really? What's happened?"
"I made a friend at school, he's really nice, and Dad finally got a decent paycheck from his boss and was able to pay some bills and buy some groceries." Like a said, it isn't much, but it's enough to make me happy. I don't mind being poor, in my opinion, I learn a lot more life lessons this way. I learn how to be thankful for things, no matter how little. I learn that I don't need everything I've ever desired to be joyful. I've learned that money and material things aren't the key to life.
"That's awesome," he says, a small smile playing on his lips. I feel as if he isn't serious about that. I know he and his mom don't have much either, but I think he should be happy that something is finally looking up for me. Every time his mom can afford the rent, or water bill, or electricity bill, or even to buy a a few meals worth of food, I'm genuinely excited for my friend. We both understand each other's position and I think that's why he should be at least a little excited for me.
"Yeah," I answer back as I see my bus chug its way down my street. "I'll see you later, Alex, tell your mom I say hi." He nods in reply and waves me off.
*~*~*~*
I won't be able to update as often any more because I finally got a job. I am also sick, and I should be going to the doctor soon because I have stomach problems, in which I will have a tube shoved down my throat. Fml I love life
Well, how've you guys been? Pls comment i luv u guiz nd i cair
I love you guys <3 especially cece <3
btw I totally didn't go back and check for mistakes
xoCrashFire
