New Beginnings: Cleo Michelle

Chapter One

" Faster Cleo! Come on! ", my best friend Sawyer yelled." We've been chasing her dog, Hunter, for the past five minutes since he slipped out of his leash. I've been trailing behind her the whole time, quickly losing energy. 

" Sawyer I see him! He went into Mr.Preston's backyard. ", I exclaimed. The both of us began to sprint down the street attempting to reach Mr.Preston's house as fast as we could. His house isn't so far from my house, which is where we're walking to before this whole fiasco took place. Hunter had used the trashcan and cardboard boxes as stairs to jump over the fence. 

" How are we going to get back there? We'll get caught for trespassing. " I say looking at  Sawyer with a puzzled expression. In less than two munites, the front door of the home swung open and a tall woman walked out holding Sawyer's german shepherd. 

" Is this your puppy? " She asked looking towards our direction. 

" Yes, ma'am. I promise this won't happen again. " Sawyer said while taking her dog and putting the leash back on immediately.

" As for you Miss Cleo, it's lovely seeing you alive and well again. I missed seeing you outside playing like you used to. " She spoke smiling. A little incident took place about a year ago. Only just a few weeks before my fourteenth birthday. It's a long story.

" It's nice to see yu too Miss Hawn. Have a nice day. "

" Have a nice day. You two be safe out there it's getting late. " With that, she shut the door as we began to walk off. I admire how she looks for all the kids in the neighborhood. We are a pretty lively community, so we have a lot of kids playing in the streets and walking their dogs. 

" Make sure to keep him on the leash next time. " I say laughingly. Since it was getting late we decided to head back home. The whole way back we played with Hunter, who kept trying to run off and smell random flowers. 

*************

" Bye Sawyer! See you on Monday! " I yelled from atop of my front porch. She waved then jogged to her house, which was across the street, in a hurry to get home before it was fully dark. I walked in shutting the door and I instantly heard my dad calling me.

" Cleo is that you? "He asked as I hear his footsteps come from down the hall.

" Yes, dad it's me. I have the funniest story to-." The ringing of his phone cut me off. He answered the call and his face showed pure excitement. I just let out a sigh and started heading towards the stairs until I heard him call me once again.

" Cleo dinner is keeping warm in the oven. I have to take this phone call then continue some research in my room. Yell for me if you need anything princess. " He kissed my forehead and gave one of his famous, but exremely overatted, father bear hugs. 

" Make sure you get some of that art project of yours done and be in bed by 10:30. Love you. " My dad rushed off going up the stairs while talking rapidly into his phone. He's been getting a lot of phone calls lately and I don't know why. 

Brushing it off, I head to the kitchen and getting two slices of alfredo pizza from the oven. Out of all the meals my dad makes his alfredo pizza has always been my favorite, it was my mom's favorite too. She would always try to cook with my dad whenever she was home and was feeling well enough to move around. I will never forget the time she got a pancake stuck to the ceiling and how we would always joke about " Mia (or mom in my case) is a such a great cook. We had pancakes for breakfeast...on the ceiling! ". 

After getting a soda from the fridge, I sat down in my ' assigned ' seat at our dinner table. There really is no assigned seat, but we sat in the same spots for so long that we don't sit anywhere else. My seat was located right beside my dad chair and across from where my mom would sit. No one sits there, not even Sawyer when she would come over. I remember when I was little and I would think of my dad as a king, mom being the queen. Since dad is always working and dealing with other things I usually sit at the table by myself.

*************

Walking into my room I shut the door leaving a small space and sit on my bed sluggishly. I laid back on my comforter taking a deep sigh out of tiredness. Before I could get to a relaxing point there is knocking on my door, causing the giant aqua letter 'C' to bump slightly against my door. 

" Come in. " I said sitting up. My dad walks in, surprisingly not having is phone up to his ear, looking at me he studies my face. 

" You look tired Princess. Maybe you can finish up your art assignment tomorrow and get some rest. Go ahead and take your shower now, but be in bed by eleven. If you need anything just text me okay? I'm about to Facetime one of my co-workers to talk about some business. "

" Okay, dad. " I give him a fake smile and he leaves shutting my door. Ugh! Why is he always doing something involving his work? Business this and business that, oh I have to go speak with one of my co-workers blah blah blah. It's so unfair! The last my dad and I actually went out to 'spend time together' was January...last time I checked it's the end of August!!! Plus, I would even call it 'spending time together'. It was more of me going to my dad's office and sitting in the lobby for four hours then going out to dinner...with literally five out of his ten co-workers and friends. Thinking about this just makes me so...ugh!

Sidetracking myself from my thoughts, I stood up and got a pair of pajamas from my suitcase. I walked to my bathroom across the hall and shut the door taking a heavy sigh. I need rest. 

*************

All I can do is think. It's 2:30 in the morning and not even a wink of sleep, even though tomorrow is Sunday and I don't have school. My thoughts were racing. The fact that my dad is always busy doing stuff with his job and talking about whatever to whoever is just a lot for me. I never know what they are talking about, so I already get anxiety because of that. What's even worse is that he's seemed very rushed lately. Rushed as in him constantly being on his laptop and rapidly speaking, which he never does unless he is mad and he doesn't mad too often. All this started happening around five to six months ago. Something has to be going on. The way he acts so nice all of a sudden and then behind doors he is just all over the place. This is too much for me. I really need sleep.

I flip my pillow to the colder side and pulled my covers closer to me. Closing my eyes, I take a deep sigh attempting to let my stress to flow out in on breath.