The Brooke

Scholarship

I CAME BACK HOME dripping in sweat.

I was exhausted beyond anything. Extra hours in school always left me so drained that I couldn't even walk.

Usually I did not walk back home. My best friend would give me a ride but today she went home early.

Being the captain of our school's basket-ball team, she wasn't supposed to skip the practice sessions.

No one knew the reason why she cut it, so naturally as the vice-captain I had to take on the extra load. 

Just fucking great.

"Who is it?" A familiar feminine voice called from the kitchen when my bag landed on the floor with a loud thud.

I saw my aunt making her way into the living room. She put on a forced smile, like always when she saw me.

"Hi Rose, how was the school?" Aunt Maggie asked her usual question.

"It was great." I gave my usual answer.

"You want anything?"

"No thanks, I'll be in my room"

Our conversation was scripted up to this point.

After that I would go into my room while she would go back to whatever she wants to do.

Her only appearance was going to be at the end of the day to have silent awkward dinner with me.

Apart from that, breakfast and evenings like these when I came home late were the only occasions we would see each other.

My parents had died almost a year ago in a car crash.

I was left to stay with my aunt who was the last existing member of my family.

She was very young and attractive, just in her late twenties.

Definitely not a woman to have a sixteen year old daughter.

It was clear that she didn't want anything to do with me and I was here for the sake of politeness.

I was a charity case.

My aunt wasn't a bad person. She just didn't want me, or anyone else for that matter, in her personal space.

She was young, attractive and hardworking.

It was her time to party at bars and bring men home and yet she was unfortunately stuck with me.

She never said so, never complained, but I wasn't stupid.

It was so obvious to see when she couldn't even converse normally with me despite her best attempts.

I didn't mind, to be honest. I could totally see where she was coming from.

Sadly none of us could do anything about our situation for now. Not till two more years at least.

After that I would leave for college, but for now we were both helpless.

I would have suggested her sending me to some boarding school if she would have had enough money for that.

She wasn't great on her income being just a hair dresser in the local beauty parlor. Her savings usually were spent into travelling since she was writing a book on wildlife.

That was her passion. Her dream. And now she couldn't travel because of me.

I once asked her to give me the spare keys to the apartment so she could go wherever she wanted to. I could look after myself just fine.