Luck

Chapter 2: Up Close and Personal

Beep Beep Beep. I opened my eyes to see that the clock read 6 a.m., hoping that with any luck, I would make it to school on time and alive. It felt as though I had been sleeping for ages as my body slowly began to wake itself up. Stepping out of bed, I felt my feet touch the cold, wooden floor as I made my way over to the mirror. Black and blue. Red and swollen. Marks covered my upper arms like those of a sleeve tattoo. My right cheek was stills swollen red, with hint of a black eye forming in the corner. “Great,”I said to myself, “another day of questions, and another day of lies.” I didn’t know what excuse I was going to use today, and to be honest, the daycare job was running pretty thin. They weren’t going to believe me forever, and if I got them questioning, that would be the end of it for me. I made my way over to the closet to find something to wear that might help cover up the brutal beating marks that coated my arms. Knock knock. “Hurry up or you’re going to be late,” my mother screamed. I looked over at the clock and saw that it read 6:30. Crap! I could not be late for school and I had to get out of the house before Bill woke up. If I got out just in time, I was usually able to make it to school without facing the morning rage of Bill. Sometimes, he would even lock me in my room for the day, preventing me from leaving the house. I threw on my ripped skinny jeans and my pink hoodie, as a ran downstairs to grab my bag. “Honey, you need to leave now, before he wakes up. Try and have a good day at school, alright? Remember that I love you.” This was my mother’s lame attempt at trying to make up for what she had witnessed the night before. I know she loves me and I can see the pain in her tear-stained eyes as she watches beating after beating. “I’m leaving now ok. Just don’t expect me to be alright with you all you’ve seen him do. Some mother you are.” “Alena, I am still your mother, so what I say goes. Now go to school and I will see you when you get home.” So, I wasn’t the most polite child, but could you blame me? After all, my mother could have at least tried to get us out of this situation, right? Anyways, I grabbed my bag and ran out the front door. As I began to walk down the street, the cold, crisp air brushed across my face and I felt something peculiar drip down from my eyes. A tear. I hadn’t cried in months. I was so used to the treatment from my step-father and completely delusional mother, that I blocked out all the emotional attachment to it. I guess somewhere deep down, it still hurt me to see my mother act this way. I had somehow hoped that her nurturing, compassionate side would show through. I began to start walking again as I brought myself out of my trance. Over the past few days I had really done a lot of thinking, which was making me quite the spacey person. It wasn’t a very long walk, as schools was just around the corner. As much as I hated being at home, school wasn’t any better. “Alena, over here!” As I walked up to the gates of school I saw my one friend, Megan. She wasn’t the most popular of people, but neither was I for that matter. She was a short, blonde and not so easy on the looks, but it was her personality that would shine through. If it weren’t for Megan, I don’t know where’d I’d be right now. Even though she doesn’t know about my situation, she’s always been extremely supportive and finds some way to cheer me up. “Hey Megan, what’s up?” “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Great, I thought, more bad news to start off the day. Could I ever catch a break? “I guess I’ll take the good news?” I replied. “Well,” she said, “that teacher, Mr. Howard, that everyone hates is being fired!” We all hated Mr. Howard. He would find every possible way to torture us, whether it be with loads of homework due the very next day or a pop quiz on a subject he didn’t even teach, but that was Mr. Howard for you. I guess one bad thing will be out of my life now, I thought to myself. “If that’s the good news, what’s the bad?” I said, afraid to find out. “Ummm, it’s Jake again. When I got to school, Mike told me that he was making out with some red head behind the dumpster, and of course I didn’t believe him so I went to go look for myself….” You see, Jake is my so-called “boyfriend.” We began to date the beginning of last year, and when he started to get rough and demanding I told him I wanted to end it. He didn’t really take it too well. Jake started threatening me and using his strength to get me to do what he asked. He told me that I couldn’t break up with him, and that we would break up when he said, not me. So, I’ve been putting up with the two biggest jerks in the world, one at home and one at school. “Again? Ok, I’ve really had enough. That jerk-off can go have his little fun, but I’m done. I mean it this time. No matter what he says I’m done.” I demanded. Megan began to fill me in on the latest gossip as we made our way into school. My locker was all the way down at the furthest point of the second-floor hallway. I pushed through the crowded hall, getting bumped and brushed out of the way. I whimpered quietly to myself as I felt an elbow rub against the numerous bruises that covered my arms. A sigh of relief washed over me as I finally reached my locker. 45-3-27. I opened up my locker, only to have it slammed back shut. I jumped at the sound, only to guess who was next to me. “Morning sweetheart.” The second voice that could send a shiver down my spine. I could hear the sinister tone in his speech, making my hands sweaty and my stomach begin to churn. “Hi, Jake.” “Turn around and give me a kiss. Don’t you want all your friends to see how lucky you are to be my girlfriend? Oh, wait, you only have that one freak-of-a-friend, Megan.” My fists clenched as I began to boil up with anger. I was done with is antics and disrespect. Bad enough I was treated like dirt in my own home, but I didn’t need to put up with it in school as well. Somehow, I came up with the courage and spatted out, “No!” “No? No? Woah, slow down there cutie. You don’t way no to me, now let’s have a little kiss,” he replied. At that point, my mind was made up. “No,“I said again. Not a moment sooner, I felt a tug at the collar of my hoodie. Our faces were inches apart, and I could smell the onion bagel he must’ve had for breakfast. His eyes were green with furry. You could look into them and all you would see is black, as though he had no soul. Jake was fuming by now, and the entire student body had stopped in the hallway to watch our little dispute. “Listen here you little twat, you’re gonna kiss me and you’re gonna like it.” I tried to muster up the strength to push him off, but it was no use. I turned my head away as his chapped lips came darting at my face. “Big mistake,” he whispered. I saw him raise his hand up at me, and I knew what was coming. There was no way of stopping it now as I watched, almost in slow motion, as his large, firm had made its way across the same cheek as last night. Crack. A second impact had really done it, as this time I heard the breaking and snapping of a bone in my jaw. I fell to the ground, curled up and wounded as the rest of my peers pointed and laughed. “She’s such a joke.” “The little freak probably deserved it.” I heard their whispers about me all through the hall. I felt as though I was helpless, lying on the ground without a hand to help me up. After the hallway had finally cleared, I slowly stood up to gather my books for my first class. At least it was study. I could somehow calm myself down from this mornings drama fest and catch up on the work that didn’t get done last night. I walked down the hall and into the library. I opened the doors, and I could feel the eyes peering on me. Pointing, laughing. I walked over to the back computer lab, which seemed to be empty. As I sat down, I felt another tear rush down my cheek. I can’t do this anymore. I’m a good person, I don’t deserve this. There must be another place for me to go. I need to get out. Hundreds of thoughts began to flood to my mind, but I began to dwell on one in particular. I wonder where my real father is? Wondering why I hadn’t thought about it before, I began to recall the few facts I knew about him. My mother had told me he left the country, but where did he go? Maybe if I found him, I could begin a new life. A life away from all of this. A life worth living. I began to give myself a little light of hope. I turned on one of the computers and opened up a search engine. I typed in Nick Sullivan…